MCU: All 11 Marvel Phase 3 movies ranked from worst to best
3. Black Panther
Not only was Black Panther an important step for representation on the big screen, but it also delivered one of the better origin stories in the MCU alongside Iron Man. There are multiple things you can praise about the movie: its iconic set and costume design, an amazing soundtrack, that action sequence that played as one continuous scene, and, of course, its characters. T’Challa was already introduced in Captain America: Civil War, but having the spotlight all to himself really elevated the character and allowed him to reach new heights. Audiences could finally get an insight into what it’s like to be Wakanda’s king. Shuri and Okoye were also big standouts that completely stole the show as well. And, of course, we have to talk about Killmonger.
For a long time, the MCU struggled at creating antagonists that weren’t plain, boring, and just an evil copy of the film’s protagonist. Sure, Loki is an exception, even going as far as getting a series of his own. But for the most part, there aren’t many iconic or even good supervillains in the MCU. That was until Killmonger made its appearance in Black Panther. Not only he was a complex character, but you could truly understand his motivations. He even defeated T’challa himself and became the king of Wakanda for a moment, proving just how strong and determined he was. While it was a shame the movie’s plot had him killed, it’s nice to know Black Panther wasn’t the last time we saw the character on the big screen.
Wakanda itself was also a marvel to look at. Ryan Coogler managed to create a kingdom that was unlike anything audiences had seen before in the MCU. Its technology was also utilized to the fullest, and Vibranium played a pivotal role in the movie. The only negative thing you could say about Black Panther was its overuse of CGI in the film’s climax, but that’s about it. Because of this, it even received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, and it is considered one of the best MCU projects so far.