Black Panther trailer: 3 top takeaways

Black Panther just snatched a huge amount of attention with this morning’s new, mind-blowing trailer. Once you can think again, here’s what to take away.

Happy Monday, Marvel fans. Marvel Studios did this with Thor: Ragnarok‘s first trailer, and now the company’s done it again with Black Panther (arriving Feb. 16). That certainly makes this week seem a little brighter … especially since you can watch it again and again and again.

(We’re definitely not speaking from experience here.)

In case you’ve somehow missed it, here’s the newest trailer for Black Panther:

The ladies are not just for show

Yours truly noticed this in the teaser that dropped earlier this year, but women — and the plural is extremely necessary in a way that it isn’t always for Marvel movies — are here again, offering T’Challa advice, getting in on the action, driving, piloting and generally being amazing.

None of them seem like they’ve just been tacked on. They have distinct personalities. Ramonda, Nakia, and Okoye each get to speak to T’Challa, and they each have something slightly different to say to him. We also get to spot Shuri, and even if she doesn’t get lines, she also gets some personality.

Honestly, it can’t be emphasized enough: T’Challa may be the lead character, and Killmonger may be the primary villain, but this is not a male-only movie.

Are we going to get a little mystical?

Is there an actual dream sequence in Black Panther? Check around the 1:12 mark (right after the card that says “Legend” pops up). The sky’s colors seem to suggest a semi-mythical moment — presumably caused by the heart-shaped herb that helps T’Challa pull off all the stunts he does while in the high-tech suit.

Yet compared to the aforementioned high-tech goodness, this scene, where T’Challa sees the panthers waiting in the tree for him, doesn’t feel out of place. (Hey, when the trailer starts with mentions of “gods” and “aliens” both … things are definitely allowed to go anywhere they like. Just accept it.) It certainly helps that it’s literally preceded by the word “legend,” which primes us for something a bit less action-oriented.

The question is, is this a one-and-done type scene, or will there be recurrences instead?

T’Challa

Much as we get to see the personalities of the ladies of Wakanda, we also get to see T’Challa’s personality. “I don’t freeze” and that tiny, amused smile at the start of the trailer? That’s confidence, and that just makes us like T’Challa more than we already did. He spends a good portion of Captain America: Civil War grieving or otherwise being angry — all perfectly natural — but a little quiet amusement?

Be still, our hearts.

Just to improve your day a little more, here’s the next poster for the movie, too, courtesy of Chadwick Boseman:

Next: Is Thor: Ragnarok hiding Doctor Strange?

“Long live the king” is an excellent tagline.