How can Black Panther avoid the sophomore slump

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 30: (L-R) Actors Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whitaker, director Ryan Coogler, and President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige attend the Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER Global Junket Press Conference on January 30, 2018 at Montage Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Can Black Panther avoid problems in a likely sequel?

Marvel’s Black Panther continues to rake in money at the box office. People have been going to see it for a second and a third time. Everything about this movie from the story to the action has been getting high marks from critics to moviegoers. The expectations for this movie were high, but they will be higher for the sequel.

With the exception of movies like Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Aliens, and Dark Knight, there is almost always sophomore slump with movies. Sometimes the first movie is so good that it makes the anticipation so high that it’s almost impossible to not be disappointed. Black Panther is going to have a difficult time topping the first movie. But there are some ways to make sure the second movie is just as successful as the first.

Improve T’Challa

Everyone has praised characters like Okoye, M’Baku, and, of course, Erik Killmonger. Chadwick Boseman may have been the star, but it was the supporting cast that has taken the world by storm. I’d argue that T’Challa might have been the weakest character in the movie. Sure, T’Challa had some great moments like the chase scene in South Korea, but even then Okoye taking out cars was just as impressive. Actually, it may have been more impressive because she didn’t have enhanced powers or cool armor. How do we improve T’Challa in the next movie? By making his character closer to the comic book.

A friend of mine said it best. T’Challa is a genius, but Shuri is an engineer. T’Challa’s genius was never really shown. It was mentioned briefly mention that T’Challa made his first suit, but that was it. T’Challa needs to shine more when it comes to his intellect. Also, T’Challa is a much better fighter than we saw in the movie. Even without his powers, T’Challa has taken down Luke Cage. M’Baku was meant to look strong, but that fight shouldn’t have lasted as long as it did. There were a lot of moments where T’Challa didn’t look as cool as he does in the comic or in Captain America: Civil War. That’s something that has to be changed.