"Black Panther was the first Black superhero in mainstream American comics, and his titular film was the first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with a predominantly Black cast. The film broke box-office records and was nominated for numerous awards while also confirming director Ryan Coogler as a rising auteur. Scott Bukatman, a senior scholar in film and comics, examines the character, the film, and the director to understand why this is an essential film. While briefly tracing the history of Black superheroes and the overall history of the MCU to provide context, Bukatman delves into Afrofuturism with the film's (and comic's) depiction of the high-tech African country of Wakanda, the philosophical debate of isolationism that is at the heart of the film, and the larger issues of the African diaspora, showing how the film does not present a consistent ideology but instead raises real-world political questions with a character originally created by two white men in the 1960s. He also examines the role of women in the film and the importance of the characters Shuri, Okoye, Nakia, and Ramonda. Further, he addresses the cultural impact of the film and the mixed reception it received among some critics, while discussing its role as a fantasy of social liberation and social justice. He also takes time to discuss the late star, Chadwick Boseman, and his career as a whole within the context of this film"--