With Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther winning big at the box office, Marvel Cinematic Universe star Chris Evans says he hopes upcoming films like Captain Marvel and Black Widow can do just as well.
Scoring second-biggest opening ever for the MCU, behind only 2012’s The Avengers, Black Panther is all anyone is talking about. Although there have been other superhero movies with black leads, Black Panther‘s impressive cast of Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira is a major step forward for representation in Hollywood. But can Marvel Studios continue those strides?
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Speaking to ET Canada, Evans opened up about what Black Panther‘s success could mean for the future of Marvel’s film slate.
“There’s nothing they can’t do, man,” said the Captain America actor. “I’m sure it’s going to have the exact same effect when Captain Marvel comes out and when the Black Widow movie comes out. Marvel just has the winning recipe, and they’re kind of one step ahead of everybody else. I mean just looking at them, and I was just looking at things this morning about these Black Panther openings around the country this weekend and its gonna crush. Its gonna crush! Marvel knows what they’re doing. They find great people. I just feel very humbled and lucky to be part of it.”
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The early days of the MCU were largely dominated by white men, but as we move into Phase 4 — and with Kevin Feige already planning another 20-plus movies — fans can expect the roster of heroes to change. However, before we get there, Brie Larson will star in the franchise’s first female-led movie with 2019’s Captain Marvel. The MCU is already known for its strong female characters, with the likes of Gamora, Peggy Carter and Valkyrie, but Captain Marvel is setting the stage is set for women to rise to a new level within these movies.
Now in theaters, director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa /Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as N’Jadaka /Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri and Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue.