“Black Panther,” already the biggest February movie release in the history of Hollywood, is not a story about superheroes. It is not really a story about black and white race relations, either. At its heart, “Black Panther” is the story of the unique relationship between a people and their land.

Wakanda, the fictional black utopia that Black Panther rules as king, is so majestic on the big screen as to steal many scenes in the film. The kingdom occupies a central role, almost playing supporting actor to the brilliant leading cast of Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan.

This is no accident. Wakanda is the spiritual core of the Black Panther story and always has been.