Who Is Angela Bassett Playing In 'Black Panther'?

Emmy-nominated actress Angela Bassett is joining the already awesome cast of Marvel's Black Panther, which is set to be released February 16, 2018. According to Hollywood Reporter, she joins Michael B. Jordan, Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, and Florence Kasumba as well as the director of Creed and Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler. It's exciting to see the actress, whose work in American Horror Story has been truly chilling, hop into the lovable world of the Marvel cinematic universe. But who exactly is Angela Bassett playing in the Black Panther universe?

Black Panther will tell the story of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who we met in Captain America: Civil War when his father, the diplomatic ruler of the African kingdom of Wakanda, was murdered by a terrorist at a U.N. conference. T'Challa channels his father's ruler vibes, and the nature of the panther and becomes the ruler and protector Wakanda needs. In Black Panther's standalone film, T'Challa is forced to defend his country from enemies who seem to be everywhere. Angela Bassett takes on the role of his mother, Ramonda, who in this traditional storyline of Black Panther needs as much rescuing as the rest of Wakanda. Usually Bassett falls into the role of a strong woman, like she pulled off most recently as the director of the Secret Service in London Has Fallen. But maybe this time she's a strong woman who just so happens to need a little saving.

Ramonda first showed up in the MCU (Marvel cinematic universe) in Marvel Presents #37 as the second wife of T'Chaka, T'Challa's father after the death of his first wife, N'Yami and his son's mother during childbirth. Ramonda acts as a surrogate mother to the baby T'Challa. When T'Chaka dies, Ramonda disappears — though T'Challa initially thinks nothing of it and just assumes she has left Wakanda to get re-married. In Black Panther: Panther's Prey #1, T'Challa discovers that his step-mother has been kidnapped, brought to a mansion, and tortured by a white supremacist names Anton Pretorius. I'm curious if this rescue story will be one of the instances of Black Panther protecting his country and people from enemies. It sounds like this guy has a lot of work to do.

Angela Bassett's addition to this film makes the upcoming Black Panther even more exciting. She always brings a strength and passion to her work which the MCU could definitely use. I'm already mentally preparing myself for the inevitable slay-age.

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