In the early 1990s, Wesley Snipes came up with the idea to create a movie based on the Marvel comic book character, Black Panther. Snipes strongly believed that the historical portrayal of African nations in Hollywood films was overwhelmingly negative, so he wanted to make a film that highlighted the beauty and sophistication of African nations while providing the viewing audience with the first-ever Hollywood depiction of a Black superhero. Soon after first developing the idea for the film, Snipes realized that developing and producing Black Panther would be an uphill battle. Between technology that was not advanced enough to produce the film, struggles to find producers and directors, and even public misconceptions about the nature of the film, it quickly became apparent that making Black Panther would be anything but simple. In fact, according to Snipes, there was a significant number of individuals who thought that the film was about the revolutionary civil rights group rather than about superheroes, saying “They think you want to come out with a black beret and clothing and then there’s a movie” (Parker & Couch, 1). While the film was not completed and released until 2018, The Black Panther garnered significant popularity in box-offices, becoming the third highest-grossing movie in United States history. Additionally, the film proved to be historic as it was the first to portray a Black superhero, with a majority Black cast. Time Magazine touches on this topic, describing how the film is “serving a black audience that has long gone underrepresented” (Smith, 1).
The film, Black Panther, offers the audience an enthralling tale about a technologically advanced African nation named Wakanda that is powered off of a fictional precious metal called vibranium, which fell from the sky in a meteorite thousands of years prior. The vibranium allowed the citizens of Wakanda to achieve such a high level of technological advancement, and also had the ability to grant superpowers to certain individuals who consumed the metal in an herb, hence making the individual the “Black Panther.” Additionally, the nation of Wakanda essentially hides in plain sight as they conveyed to the world that Wakanda was a third world country in order to prevent outsiders and colonizers from coming to the country and capitalizing off of their technology and people. A Wall Street Journal review of the film describes this relationship, saying “The nation has hidden from its neighbors in order to secure its borders and maintain a blessed way of life that involves space-age technology, space ships, and steady-state prosperity, all of which is based on Wakanda being the planet’s only source of Vibranium, a surpassingly precious metal of extraterrestrial origin” (Morgenstern, 1).
The film primarily focuses on the king of Wakanda, T’Challa, and his power struggle with Killmonger, a former U.S. soldier that yearned to be the ruler of Wakanda. At a young age, Killmonger’s father passed away, leaving him with no family members and causing considerable turmoil in his life. This experience is representative of struggles that many Black Americans have experienced because, according to the Census Bureau, only “38.7 Percent of African-American Minors Live with Both Parents” (Prince, 1). The film Black Panther not only offers a captivating story about the kingdom of Wakanda and its power struggles but also provides significant undertones that touch on topics like colonization, slavery, injustices, and oppression.
Works Cited:
Parker, Ryan, and Aaron Couch. Wesley Snipes Reveals Untold Story Behind His ‘Black Panther’ Film. 31 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/black-panther-wesley-snipes-reveals-untold-story-behind-90s-film-1078868.
Smith, Jamil. “How Marvel’s Black Panther Marks a Major Milestone.” Time, Time, time.com/black-panther/.
Morgenstern, Joe. “’Black Panther’ Review: An Epic to Pounce On.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 12 Feb. 2018, www.wsj.com/articles/black-panther-review-an-epic-to-pounce-on-1518468626.
Schwartzel, Erich. “’Black Panther,’ ‘Avengers’ Top Record 2018 Box Office.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 26 Dec. 2018, www.wsj.com/articles/black-panther-avengers-top-record-2018-box-office-11545825600.
Prince, Zenitha. “Census Bureau: Higher Percentage of Black Children Live with Single Mothers.” AFRO News, 13 Dec. 2016, afro.com/census-bureau-higher-percentage-black-children-live-single-mothers/.
I like your post very much. Ahead of its Release in China, the news came that Black Panther had been voted the best film in Marvel’s history. In fact, from my own subjective point of view, I do not particularly like the hero of black Panther. I think even black Widow with no superpowers and no suits outshines him.
I like your post! Black Panther is a really good movie. This movie was a great representation of culture which made it even better to watch.
Thanks for the background you provided in making the Black Panther movie. I never even thought of the producer of this great movie. I am enlightened by your post.
Great post! I thought it was especially interesting that Black Panther was nearly produced as a film in the nineties. While that certainly would have been a hugely important step for Hollywood films, I think it would have been difficult to produce a film that had the same impact as 2018’s The Black Panther without the same technology, resources, and support.
Thank you for your post regarding the film Black Panther. I enjoyed learning about the history of the film and the process for the production of the movie. Knowing this information gives me a greater appreciation for the film.
I like your post! Also, the picture you chose was impressive. Black Panther was definitely one of my favorites Marvel movies. When I watched it for the first time, I didn’t relate it to cultural issues. At that time, I was a high school student in China and didn’t experience cultural differences. After I had learned more about culture, I watched it again, and I had deeper thinking on it.