Why Didn't Captain America Mention Meeting Black Panther's Grandfather?

In Captain America: Civil War, Captain America, Steve Rogers, does not mention meeting TChaka, Black Panther’s grandfather, during the film's events. This omission is due to several reasons:

Narrative Focus

The film primarily revolves around the conflict between the Avengers and the political ramifications of their actions. The personal histories of characters are important, but they are not the central focus of the story.

Character Development

Steve Rogers has a long history with many characters, but the film emphasizes his relationships and conflicts with other Avengers, particularly Iron Man, Tony Stark. Mentioning TChaka could have shifted the focus away from these primary relationships.

Time Constraints

In a film with a large ensemble cast, there is limited time to explore every character's backstory or connections. The filmmakers likely chose to prioritize other plot points over this particular detail.

Continuity and Context

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the interaction between characters is often left ambiguous. The absence of a mention does not necessarily imply that it is forgotten. It may simply not have been relevant to the current narrative.

Overall, while it would have been an interesting nod to the characters' histories, it seems to have been a creative choice made to maintain the film's pacing and focus.

Diving Deeper: The Comic Book Perspective

Recent questions about Captain America have also delved into his interactions with Black Panther, specifically regarding meeting Black Panther's grandfather.

In the comic book Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers, it is revealed that Captain America and Nick Fury, along with the Howling Commandoes, went to Wakanda during World War II to prevent the Nazis from taking over the country and its Vibranium supply.

During this visit, Captain America befriended TChaka, Black Panther's grandfather, and fought against Red Skull and super-Nazis. At the end of their mission, TChaka gave Captain America a round Vibranium shield, which Captain America later stole under Nick Fury's direction and used to create his own special shield.

However, in the comic books, when Captain America first meets Black Panther, in a story arc titled Tales of Suspense #97, they do not recognize each other. Why not? This question is often asked and addressed in various continuities:

Memory Issues

Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, along with other writers, often used memory issues to explain why characters did not remember past interactions. For example, in Tales of Suspense #75, Sharon Carter, who resembles Captain America's World War II girlfriend, reminds him of her.

Shortly after, in #99, Captain America has a flashback to his World War II past, which might explain why he did not remember meeting TChaka's grandfather earlier.

Multiverse Consistency

In the comic book Marvel Saga #12, another writer, Peter Sanderson, uses memory problems to explain why Captain America did not recognize Namor, a different character encountered during this period.

This narrative technique is similar to the Quantum Leap TV show, where the main character, Sam Beckett, only remembers bits and pieces of his past, allowing the show to introduce new pieces of his history whenever convenient.

Conclusion

While meeting TChaka during World War II is an intriguing detail, the omission in the film is consistent with the narrative focus and character development. The comics offer further insight but also utilize memory problems to explain why these interactions are not remembered.

For fans of both the films and the comics, this missing connection adds an extra layer of complexity to the characters' backstories, making their interactions and relationships even more fascinating.