The Women In The ‘Black Panther’ Teaser Are Strong AF

It’s been quite a week for superhero films. Wonder Woman has dominated the box office since its debut last weekend, and on Friday, Marvel blessed the world with a first look at the upcoming Black Panther film, which is set to premiere in February 2018. The movie poster was released on Friday afternoon, while a nearly two-minute teaser trailer aired hours later during Game 4 of the NBA finals. The teaser gave fans their first look at Chadwick Boseman donning the all-black jumpsuit as the Black Panther, but it also provided a quick glimpse at the powerful team of women at his side, proving that the trend of strong female fighters isn’t going anywhere.

If you’re a faithful watcher of superhero flicks, then you probably already know that the amount of female fighters shown in this genre is very slim. But, like Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, which is shattering box office records as we speak, the minds behind Black Panther have clearly caught onto the fact that the use of incredibly strong and powerful female fighters in superhero films is not only a major deal, but it’s also extremely important for women.

Black Panther puts Boseman in the hot seat as the title character, or T’Challa, the newly crowned king of Wakanda. The first teaser shows that the film will focus mostly on the Panther as he pushes through all sorts of impressive stunts and acrobatics all in an attempt to defeat Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger, an exile who sets out to strip T’Challa of his title as king. But you also see some badass women doing badass things throughout the clip, courtesy of the women who play a large role in T’Challa’s storyline and are a part of his all-female team of bodyguards, the Dora Milaje. One member of the Milaje, Nakia, will be played by Lupita Nyong'o, who sang the praises of Wonder Woman just a week ago.

Watching these female fight sequences is pretty amazing, as it shows a breathtaking display of female solidarity. But, in terms of Black Panther, there’s also something to be said about a strong male lead who turns to a team of women for basic protection — black women, at that.

One scene shows the Dora Milaje wielding their swords in what looks to be a standoff with the Panther's enemy, Killmonger. Obviously we'll have to wait just a little under a year to see the action play out, but as already proven by the teaser, it'll be a thrill to watch.