Chadwick Boseman Confirms Black Panther's 'Vital Role' in 'Infinity War'
King T'Challa ruled at Comic-Con.
Marvel's upcoming film "Black Panther" was one of the major success stories of Comic-Con International, with preview footage from the movie prompting a riotous standing ovation from the fan-filled crowd. Equally jubilant was the all-star cast of the film, who were getting their first look, too, and the actors' enthusiasm was led by star Chadwick Boseman, who seemed nearly overwhelmed by the glimpse at director Ryan Coogler's vision.
Moviefone caught up with Boseman immediately after the big reveal and, still reeling from what he'd seen, he offered a glimpse at the Black Panther's role in both his solo film and the forthcoming "Avengers: Infinity War."
Moviefone: This is obviously something that's been huge and looming in your life for a while. When you finally get to show it to these fans, who are absolutely dying to see it, how do you feel?
Chadwick Boseman: Honestly, I wasn't even worried about them, because I enjoyed it myself! I think I felt just like they did: Crazy!
What was the best part of this version of T'Challa, to evolve him from how you've already played him in "Civil War"? What got you excited about this story?
In "Civil War," he had a one-track mind. He obviously had a turn at the end of the movie where you get to see that there's a sense of principle, that there's a culture that he comes from that would have him make the decision that he makes at the end of "Civil War."
You could just see where that comes from now, in this movie, and see him wrestle with those ideas of principle as even more things get thrown at him in terms of that belief system. So I think it's more so than all of the fighting and the suit and all that, it was just being able to explore the culture that he comes from.
What did you love about the world of Wakanda in the film?
I think there's a sense of the old and the new combined, in a way. You get a sense of appreciation for tradition, and, at the same time, a need to expand, to modernize him, to have most advanced technology or knowledge that there is. Those two things don't have to conflict with each other.
This film's cast is as good as it gets. As an actor, what's the experience been like to work with this many great performers?
Honestly, when everybody's good, you don't think about it. You only worry about it when somebody is not going to be able to bring it, and you have your moments where you're like, "Oh, that was amazing. That was good." But you honestly just get lost in what you're doing. You're able to do that easier.
In "Infinity War," does Black Panther play a vital role, and who did you have the most fun working with that you hadn't worked with before?
It's a vital role -- definitely a vital role! And I think [Mark] Ruffalo. Ruffalo is the main person that I felt like we hit if off and had fun, and I hadn't worked with him before. In fact, when I met him, it felt like I had already met him. That would be the name I'll say. I can't say more than that.