The Black Panther film is currently underway, and an unlikely source has revealed that the upcoming Marvel film will flashback to a surprising part of Black Panther’s life: his teenage years in high school.
The East Bay Times reported that the AC Transit Agency has approved the use of their logo for an upcoming Marvel Studios film, which was revealed to be Black Panther. The 1990s design could feature in an AC Transit Bus, the public transit system of the Oakland, California area. The reason for the logos appearance? A flashback sequence set in the 1990s when the young, teenage T’Challa was a student at Saint Mary’s College High School.
While T’Challa is the king of Wakanda, his character biography doesn’t mention a California upbringing, suggesting that this is a new addition to T’Challa’s story. Many children of foreign heads of state study abroad to further their education, including T’Challa apparently in the Black Panther film.
Director Ryan Coogler is an Oakland native whose breakout hit, Fruitvale Station starring Michael B. Jordan, took place at the eponymous Bay Area Rapid Transit station. This flashback scene in Black Panther will see the director return to Oakland, though the actual film will be shot in Georgia instead of the bay area.
The report also warns potential trainspotters that an authentic AC Transit bus will not be shipped to Georgia, rather an existing Georgian retro bus will be outfitted to look like one from Oakland in the 90s. While that news might not affect the majority of fans going into the new Marvel film, the particular shout-out to transit fans feels warranted.
Black Panther hits theaters February 16, 2018.
