So it is written in the pop-culture bible: No heroic quest is complete without a dark night of the soul, that pivotal moment when a costumed crusader questions his or her ability to protect the world or else reaches an impasse about how to do so.

This crossroads occurs in Marvel s newest chapter, Black Panther , but it feels more like a Lion King homage than a comic-book clich. After the titular warrior TChalla has been crowned ruler of the African nation Wakanda, his late father appears to him against the violet twilight, just as Mufassa materialized in young Simbas hour of need. I am not ready to be without you, the mourning TChalla tells his papa, who gently promises that TChalla has spent his life training for this precious juncture. Hes gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware.

A mighty king indeed, one whose story vastly outshines the 22 movies and 10 television series logged since the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe began in 2008 and the DC Extended Universe launched in 2011.

Like many a franchise, Black Panther steeps itself in well-trod mythology Arthurian folklore, James Bondian valor, and, yes, a fitting dose of The Lion King, which itself borrows from Hamlet. In most instances, particularly when it comes to the mind-numbingly homogenous superhero craze, listing the tropes weve seen a dozen times over is a dispiriting exercise. Not here.

Thanks to the careful work of director Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the Black Panther script with American Crime Story scribe Joe Robert Cole, the movies familiar elements are comforting instead of tiresome. Thats because what bookends them is fresh and more invigorating than anything this genre has produced in the 21st century.