Black Panther gets a standing ovation in Hall H

It’s safe to say that Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther are the most highly anticipated Marvel Studios projects in the ether right now — and though Ragnarok will hit theaters first, Black Panther is holding its own and then some.

Black Panther’s executive producer Nate Moore has invoked both James Bond and The Godfather when describing the film’s story, and the costume and set design of the Afro-futuristic nation of Wakanda have ignited fan imaginations online ever since its first teaser dropped and became the 10th most-watched trailer in history.

So it’s no wonder that, even though its last trailer is only a month old and the movie won’t hit theaters until February 2018, Marvel brought more details on Black Panther's starring turn to Hall H of San Diego Comic-Con.

The movie will begin with T’Challa and Wakanda still grappling with the events of Captain America: Civil War, the crew explained from the stage: the death of T’Challa’s father and Wakanda’s king, T’Chaka. And Wakanda seems key to the story.

"I feel like Erik has his own points of view on Wakanda and how it should be ruled,” Michael B. Jordan said of his role as Erik Killmonger, one of Black Panther’s foes. “He has his eyes on the throne, so he’s doing whatever it takes to kind of make them a reality."

"Nakia is a spy,” Lupita N’yongo said of her character. “She goes undercover in the rest of the world and reports back to Wakanda about whats happening. In order to stay safe they have to send people like Nakia out, called War Dogs, to stay on top of things. Wakanda needs to know about the world — but the world does not need to know about Wakanda."

"The best thing about the comic book was that T’Chala got his power from the people around him — and where I come from, that's how we live," said director Ryan Coogler.

Before the cast left the stage, they played several clips of footage from the movie that were for the audience’s eyes only — and the final one received a standing ovation.

Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita N’yongo and Andy Serkis, and will hit theaters on Feb. 16, 2018.