We”re less than a week from Captain America: Civil War, so you know what that means. A metric ton of new footage, courtesy of split-second cuts in TV commercials! ComicBook.com has been dutifully collecting each new TV spot as they arrive, with their playlist now reaching a staggering FORTY individual ads. Sure each one is around 15 seconds long, but that” still a lot. But we”re only going to focus on one.
The one where T”Challa – Black Panther – takes off his mask.
My co-worker Roth Cornet and I have discussed at great length how the MCU Civil War differs from its comic book counterpart. Without secret identities to keep safe, the Russo Bros. had to go another way. Having Black Panther take off his mask in a TV commercial just hammers that home. Not that Black Panther”s identity was ever really a secret.
Unless T”Challa is masquerading as his alter-ego Luke Charles, everyone should already know who he is. The “Black Panther” isn”t a superhero name, it”s a title bestowed upon the leader of the Panther Clan. Everyone in Wakanda knows their King is the Black Panther. So this reveal in the TV spot isn”t a spoiler, at least for the audience. But it might be for whoever is on the other end of those bodyguard”s guns. We”ll all find out soon enough!
Captain America: Civil War arrives in theaters May 6, 2016.