Marvel’s Cinematic Universe had made a movie Black Panther, one of the most powerful and revolutionary movies in the Universe, and one of the most influential movies of the 21st century to African American people. We see King T’Challa played by the late great Chadwick Boseman, undergo his rightful passage as the new black panther after his father, King T’Chaka dies, he becomes the new ruler of Wakanda. He is at odds when he meets with Killmonger, a former black ops soldiers who comes in Wakanda after he helps Klaue steal artifacts that are from Wakanda, from a London museum, and enters the hidden country to fight T’Challa and take over the throne. Killmonger’s father taught him about Wakanda and all the vibranium they use to provide for themselves. He sees the idea of black liberation, but the real goal of Killmonger is world domination over his oppressors. T’Challa, at first follows the ancestors by hiding in plain sight and worries the outside world using vibranium, Wakanda will be lost. However he sees Killmongers views as valid and he should help people who look like him, who do not have similar resources, and share it the right way. The movie not only shows a visual representation of a black excellence, but it portrays the message of black people who have lost their identity, the bruises of slavery and how African Americans deal with consequences on a daily basis, as director Ryan Coogler uses personal and historical facts making Black Panther and two main characters showing two different points.
Coogler has been open about how his personal life and black history has helped him during the process of making Black Panther. He was raised in Oakland, California and we see this as an opening shot where Killmonger lives. This is the same city that the Black Panther Party was founded as well.Black Power phrase was a declaration that was said by Stokley Carmichael aka Kwame Ture. During the civil right era Black Panther was made in the Marvel comics, at the time he was made, 41% of African Americans were below the poverty line, and Black Panther was a symbol of “afrofuturism- an ethos that fuses African mythologies, technology and science fiction and serves to rebuke conventional depictions of (or, worse, efforts to bring about) a future bereft of black people(Smith, TIME).” Even though it’s fantasy, Chadwick Boseman says it himself that “to have the opportunity to pull from real ideas, real places and real African concepts, and put it inside of this idea of Wakanda—that’s a great opportunity to develop a sense of what that identity is, especially when you’re disconnected from it.” This is mostly what African Americans have a feeling towards, especially since they have a hard time tracking back their roots to Africa.
The messages that are portrayed have two sides as we look at T’Challa and Killmonger. If we take a look at Killmonger, he had little to nothing growing up, he asked himself how there were “two billion people all over the world who look like us whose lives are much harder, and Wakanda has the tools to liberate them all…where was Wakanda?(Serwer, Atlantic).” Wakanda failed to be apart to help black people around the world. What he says is true and hits home to T’Challa. His methods get ahold of him, even with T’Challa pointing out that he has become like his oppressors something Killmonger never wanted to be and leading to his fatal end. As we look at T’Challa he is the opposite of Killmonger, he has everything and only knows Wakanda outside of him being Black Panther and saving others. He listens to ancestors, even his friend Nakia played by Lupita Nyongo, wants him to help the outside because she believes Wakanda has resources to help the outside and stabilize the country, but T’Challa is blinded by tradition and keep Wakanda separated. T’Challa sees Killmonger’s views but wants to do it right as he demolishes isolation and sets up buildings in Oakland. California “to deploy Wakandan capital toward an international social-service project focused on impoverished black neighborhoods—again echoing the legacy of the Black Panther Party(Serwer, Atlantic).”
Finally, this is not just a movie with just messages and historical references, but Black Panther is a movie of inspiration to African American people. There aren’t a lot of black heroes in movies or television. So with a big company like Marvel who portray an African American man as a hero and not being type casted as a junkie or absent father is wonderful. Not only is it a black movie but it is a good movie with black people in it. It celebrates black women as well, the power and the poise that black women have fought side by side with black men too. T’Challa surrounded by his mother Ramonda, sister Shuri, leader of the Dora Milaje, Okoye, and his dear friend Nakia, fighting for the throne, prior they were the ones trying to help save their country for themselves and not letting Killmonger take the seat. This movie made black representation in a lighter note, where people sold out movie theatres to schools for little girls and boys who see an African American onscreen a be the good guy. Black Panther was not a just a movie, but a whole movement for people who are black, portrayed by black excellence.From acting, writing, costume and set design, directing, the comics that made the character, was made and portrayed in this movie by a black King in real life.
R.I.P Chadwick Boseman
By Kennedy Latham
Works Cited
- https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/black-panther-erik-killmonger/553805/
- https://time.com/black-panther/
Kennedy, thank you for an amazing context research presentation post. I learned so much just from reading this post that I don’t think I even need to watch the movie anymore! (just kidding:)) But truly, that was very insightful and will allow me to watch the movie with a completely different lens than I have the past 3 times I have watched it.
I truly appreciated how you compared/contrasted T’Challa and Killmonger and how their identities are so different within the film, yet Killmonger inspires T’Challa to initiate change. I believe now I will be able to understand whether or not this movie truly challenges racial injustice as a result of your analysis of the internal conflict T’Challa has when “he sees Killmongers views as valid and he should help people who look like him, who do not have similar resources, and share it the right way” versus thinking of the preservation and history of Wakanda.
Finally, I appreciated how you pointed out how this movie is heroic for black women especially as their power, independence, and strength shines through in the Black Panther film. I think this point can often be overlooked, so I appreciate that you pointed it out.
Thank you for dedicating your time to educating and giving so much background on the dynamic of the film! Great work.
Thank you for the excellent presentation! I have seen Black Panther many times, but never knew or paid attention to the context and meanings behind the settings. For example, I had no idea that the Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, which is portrayed in the movie. I also did not realize that T’Challa set up a program in Oakland which echoed the message of the Black Panther Party to help impoverished black neighborhoods. I missed many of the historical messages and contexts when viewing the movie solely as a superhero movie instead of paying attention to the historical undertones throughout. I knew how important this movie was in regards to black representation with a black man as the main character and a hero, but I definitely missed the context and relations between the movie and the Black Panther movement in the United States.
This context research presentation was very helpful in helping me understand the differences between T’Challa and Killmonger. Honestly, I asked myself multiple times why the two were fighting when it seemed like they wanted the same thing; to help others in need with their resources. This really opened my eyes to how although Killmonger originally wanted to help people, he let the power get to him and wanted to use it for domination instead. I also loved the information about the writer of the movie. This really helped me further understand aspects of the movie and the points they were trying to make. I really enjoyed reading this presentation and watching the movie. It truly opened my eyes to how rare it is to have a black dominated cast like that.
Hello,
I really enjoyed reading your response. I feel like you did a good job at not giving just a summary of what was occurring, but rather explaining the background on it. When you watch Black Panther for the first time without giving it any thought, I feel like we can all think that I is quite empowering. However, when we watch it and think about the background and the reasoning behind each scene, it gives it and entirely different meaning. I especially liked you pointing out T’Challa and Killmonger’s confrontation when Killmonger first comes to Wakanda. Specifically pointing out the thousands of people in the world going through life, poverty and worse. People know that it is occurring, yet they stand by and let it go unquestioned. I feel like you did a great job and presenting this in your presentation.
Kennedy,
I enjoyed your context presentation, the enthusiasm you have for the film, and the way you emphasize the importance of this film. Thank you for giving us the background on the Black Panther Party in Oakland California, director Ryan Coogler and actor Chadwick Boseman for context. I like how you use the term Black excellence and tie the movie into part of the movement. It will be interesting to see how the story to the sequel goes. Will it portray anything differently post George Floyd, Covid, and Donald Trump?
Hey Kennedy,
This was a great context presentation. I liked how you gave some background information on who Stokley Carmichael (Kwame Ture) was and the role that Oakland, CA played had on the movie and its connection to the Black Panther Party. Furthermore, I enjoyed how you mentioned the impacts that the movie has had on the African-American community as a whole. The fact that there are not a lot of black superheroes or characters on TV is something that I feel like doesn’t get talked about enough. Additionally, I think that Black Panther was a movie that gave black people across the world much needed representation, which is why the film was and is such a powerful and influential cultural moment.
Kennedy,
Bravo on tackling such a rich and vibrant plot, storylines, and themes with Black Panther. It is truly a breathtaking film and only gets better the more you watch it and pick up on more of the themes you talk about in your post.
I especially like how you gave us context into how Coogler got his motivation for the direction in which he wanted to take this film and how he wanted the audience to interpret his message through the art of cinema.
This was an incredible read and honestly has me floored with the exceptional nature of research and rich word choice to convey such an informative and uplifting message about this groundbreaking film.
Hi Kennedy,
This is a great presentation. You not only summarize the file, but also gives us background information of movie. In addition, I agree with your statement that the movie has strongly impact on African-American culture. I consider Black Panther is the first Marvel black superhero, and it presents African culture to the global. I consider the film is the one of the most meaningful and powerful film in the world.
Thank you for the great presentation Kennedy. The background information about the actor Chadwick Boseman (RIP) and the director Ryan Coogler add to the meaning behind the movie as it is based off their own personal experiences. I am sure that the experiences you mentioned are something that many of African Americans or people of African descent have felt throughout their lives, so it is an important perspective to gain. I like how you add that this is an important source of inspiration for Black people, as not only does it feature a largely black cast but it also features strong Black female characters that have an important impact on the story. Overall, great presentation and thank you for giving me this perspective.