Ryan Coogler Says ‘Terminator 2’ Inspired ‘Wakanda Forever’

Marvel

Nov 2

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2 — Image Source: HDQ Walls

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler made an interesting comment this week regarding the upcoming, comparing it to a cult classic, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Coogler said the plot and its terminators were the basis for Black Panther’s villains.

Coogler argued that both Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in the first film and Namor the Sub-Mariner (José Tenoch Huerta) in the sequel have the same ultimate goal, but they approach them differently. While Killmonger wanted to support populations of African origins with Wakandan weapons to help with their independence from oppression, Namor had something else in mind. According to Collider, his objective is to help his kingdom, Talocan.

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That is where the comparisons to Terminator 2 begin. It is possible to see the same dynamic with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and Robert Patrick’s more advanced model, T-1000. In the comparison, Wakanda takes the place of John Connor in Black Panther. Killmonger and Namor want to conquer the previously hidden kingdom, just like both terminators’ directive was to protect/kill the future leader of the resistance, John Connor. Wakanda and Connor are the keys to solving their problems.

Coogler tries to break with a black-and-white way of seeing the world, which is extremely common in today’s superhero movies. Instead, he makes the viewer think and draw their own conclusions. In a comment highlighted by Collider, he talks about the comparisons to terminators and this perception:

“Terminator 2 is a big inspiration for this movie. Big time. And you think about what T-1000 wants, and what Arnold Schwarzenegger’s robot wants. They both want John Connor, but T-1000 wants to kill him, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character wants to protect him. That’s the movie. And I look at it like that and also try to spend time with them. Not too much, you know what I’m saying? But enough that you understand where they’re coming from and that you believe them when they make threats.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in cinemas in the United States on November 11. It will again feature the characters from the first movie, with the addition of José Tenoch Huerta as the villain Namor.

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