The Black Panther film made a powerful entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2018. It was a long awaited film for fans of the Marvel comics and films, but it had an even larger impact on the Black community. Black Panther focused on the rise to power of King T’Challa as the ruler of Wakanda. Wakanda is an African country that was created in the Marvel Universe and has a thriving hidden city with greater technology and resources than any other country in the world. T’Challa is not only the king of this amazing African country, but he is also the superhero Black Panther. The movie has almost an entirely Black cast full of extremely strong and inspirational characters.
This talented cast and amazing story shed a different light on Black culture that is typical in the entertainment industry. In an article on Vox, Tre Johnson explains “This makes Black Panther a palate cleanser of sorts, a healthy injection of powerful, beautiful images of the black body” (“Black Panther Is a Gorgeous, Groundbreaking Celebration of Black Culture”). The film was able to focus on the power of the Black community and give them hope for a better future where they are not oppressed by systemic injustices. It did not create a story in which a white narrative was intertwined into a black story, as often happens in films. Instead it created a black narrative that remained a black narrative, which is a huge move for the film industry towards representing the Black community clearly and more often (Johnson, “Black Panther Is a Gorgeous, Groundbreaking Celebration of Black Culture”). Without films like this, the Black community will continue to feel underrepresented in media. As a white male, I have had a plethora of major figures in the media world to look up to. I can not begin to imagine how it feels to be limited to only a select few figures that have made it into the mass media. Jamil Smith explained in a Time article how important it is to be represented in the mass media in order to feel seen and understood, but also for others to see and understand you (“The Revolutionary Power Of Black Panther”). By limiting the amount and characteristics of major Black characters in mass media it creates a single story of Black culture that often can come off as negative. The Black Panther film was so revolutionary because it represented many Black characters in an extremely powerful way. It has had an extraordinarily positive impact on Black communities, and hopefully it continues to inspire them to feel confident and strong with their culture.
Citations:
Johnson, Tre. “Black Panther Is a Gorgeous, Groundbreaking Celebration of Black Culture.” Vox, Vox, 23 Feb. 2018, www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/23/17028826/black-panther-wakanda-culture-marvel.
Smith, Jamil. “The Revolutionary Power Of Black Panther.” Time, Time, time.com/black-panther/.
Thank you for your informative and insightful context presentation. Although I have already seen the movie multiple times, your presentation brought light to the importance of Black narratives in film. I like how we have seen more stories from Black storytellers more recently with movies like “Get Out” or “Us”, both created by Jordan Peele. With a Black narrative that is maintained throughout the film, we are able to see Black characters fill all different types of roles to help eliminate the damage of a single story. Great Job!
Hey, I really enjoyed reading this context presentation as this is one of my favorite movies due to how transcendental it is. As you so brilliantly mentioned this movie has a majority black cast that gives young black children people to look up to as unfortunately it is rare to see minority characters star in movies or tv shows thus creating an under representation of people of color in the media. Not only are they under represented but when they are shown in movies and shows they are often the antagonist or have a bad past yet in this movie there are plenty of black heroes and even the villain is an inspirational character that stole the hearts of many. One important aspect in this movie is the role women especially black women play in the film as they are shown as intelligent, brave, and heroic and it is something I thoroughly enjoyed as it is a positive view of women that strives to highlight them for their qualities not just their bodies as so many other blockbuster movies do. This movie came and left a huge imprint on society as it was the talk of the nation for awhile. From the great soundtrack to the magnificent portrayal of those identities that are often minimized this movie is truly revolutionary.
I definitely agree that Black Panther has been arguably the most important film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is because of how they highlight and appreciate African culture, while also celebrating Black actors. Instead of seeing Black people as oppressed, we are seeing them being empowered. As you mentioned, this leaves a feeling of a “healthy injection” in its viewers. I also think it was important because there were no white saviors or white narratives overpowering the main storyline. Overall, it was definitely the film I have most enjoyed from MCU.
I thought you did a great job on your context presentation. I really enjoyed reading about what you had to say about the Black Panther. I agree that the film did a great job on focusing on the power of the Black community and creating a black narrative and it remained that way throughout the movie. I also thought it was very cool how the film was about an African country that has a thriving hidden city with great technology and advancements. I thought this movie was important because it demonstrates women especially black women, who are very powerful, and respected.
Thank you for sharing this! Media representation and portrayal of various groups is so important and is not discussed frequently enough. Black heroes are needed and Black Panther achieved that. Every child deserves to have a hero that looks like them to look up to. Great work on this presentation!
I appreciate the mentioning of the lack of media for individuals of color to relate to in your presentation. As a white female, I do not often think about how others are not represented in the media. Bringing attention to this will hopefully expand the variety and representation in future movies and forms of media. There should be no set demographic who is heroic, and diversifying the actors in these movies and others will express to children and adults that everyone can be a hero in their way. I applaud Disney and Marvel as they have recognized there is a lack of diversity. They are now adapting and developing new movies and shows with characters who are not white.
I never really thought about representation in mass media in the way you presented it. I never thought about how some minority groups would have trouble finding representaion in Hollywood among other places. I think a lot of people would change their minds if they thought about representation in media like the way you put it. While I found the acting and characters in the movie to be outstanding, I felt like the movie sometimes played into its representation of African American struggles in America. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing move, but sometimes it felt a little too political for my taste and many critics agreed with that sentiment.
Hi Michaelis!
Your context presentation about the film Black Panther is great and I am a fan of Marvel comics. I totally agree with the sentence that said by Tre Johnsonm, “a healthy injection of powerful, beautiful images of the black body”. Black Panther pushed the black community to the top of the world’s discussion and lasted forever, allowing blacks who have not been taken seriously to enter the world’s sight, and at the same time, let the black people who have been suppressed and looked down have a ritual and commonality. Thanks for your article!
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation. It was very well thought out. I definitely agree with you that Black Panther has been one of the most important movies in the Marvel industry. This is because it has represented African Americans in so many ways. I really enjoyed watching the movie, I loved that the cast was majority great African American role models and I also enjoyed the storyline behind it. I like that they kept Wakanda as a nation that didn’t need any colonization to thrive. I also agree with you where you stated how African American children must feel about this movie. Majority of the film industry is mostly white Americans, so it’s amazing to see the same people as you being in a film that was so highly loved by all.
Hello Brock!
I think you did a great job on your presentation. You mixed in a lot of quotes that really expanded my thought on the movie. In particular, I liked the part where you talk about how the movie celebrates black culture and creates a powerful image for the black community. These two things are just a couple of the many examples of what makes this movie so great. It was just amazing to see all the different aspects of Africa coming together to make one big cultural celebration with such an advanced civilization.
I think this presentation is fantastic and accurately depicts the reality of the media and black representation. What I think is most important about the Black Panther and its impact on the industry is that it shows black culture in a positive light. It exemplifies the unique and powerful culture that many black people celebrate each and everyday, but it is not often shown in entertainment. Many times you see black culture in a bad light, making them out to be scary compared to their white cast. However, black panther allows for a true insight of black culture and all its positives without even bringing the white man in to contrast it.
I enjoyed this context presentation! You really summarized the movie and its goals very well. I agree there needs to me more films based on black narratives that do not focus on the racism or oppression of black people. Although, these films are extremely important to educate people on the discrimination of black of people in society. I liked the connection you made to the concept of a “story.” I agree this film broke away from the portrayal of black people in most movies and instead displayed a country full of strong Africans in an advanced society. More films like the Black Panther should be produced!
This was a very well-written context presentation, I enjoyed it greatly. I believe it was important that you distinguished how the Africans were portrayed as beautiful and powerful figures and how this movie was very influential in the black community specifically within the film industry. I personally enjoyed that the hidden city was thriving and had so many technological advancements because when you think of these “third world countries” people assume they are not as advanced, prosperous, or developed which is a false assumption. In general, I enjoyed the movie greatly and believe they should make more storylines and movies similar to this one.
Hello,
I think your context presentation is extremely informative and helpful. You did a great job describing how the movie did a good job empowering the black community, and portrayed the community in a way that many movies and tv shows simply do not do. I also agree that it is one of the most important marvel movies made. The movie also had a mostly black cast which helped empower the community as well. It was a new perspective to see a country that should be “third world” become so advanced and thriving compared to other nations.
This context presentation does an excellent job of explaining the gravity of what a film like Black Panther means on a larger scale. The representation of black actors of all ages allows young black Americans to see heroes and role models that look like them. Representation and social relevance aside, Black Panther is an excellent example of cinematography and storytelling as a political and social messaging tool. Overall, I think it is hard to find anything negative to say about the film, further immortalized by the untimely passing of the black panther himself, Chadwick Boseman. I really appreciated your context presentation and analysis of Black Panther.
I really liked your presentation. I enjoyed the fact that you added quotes from people about the movie to help better understand the message. I agree that in a whitewashed world and film industry a movie like this hold so much power. With a movie like this with a lot of representation for the black community and black actors/actressess in Hollywood, it can help to educate people. It can also show black youth around this country the potential and power they have and the positive impact they can have on society going forward.
I have not watched the entire Black Panther movie until this class and I felt your context presentation did a really good job finding the connection between the movie and the impact it has had on the black community. The cast was selected very specifically in order for the viewers to be able to find their hero and be able to support them as a person and not just as a character in a movie.
Your context presentation was done extremely well. I appreciate your willingness to view things from the other side rather than just how you have always traditional looked at things. I think you did a great job supporting your ideas with your research and quotes you found from amazing Black public figures. I think you are completely right in pointing out that we as white people have so many figures to look up to while young black children should have that same opportunity in public figures. Hopefully this film spoke volumes in Hollywood and we can break the cycle.
Thank you for your great context presentation! I think that this sheds light on some of the major issues associated with black films, in particular the idea that often a “white narrative is intertwined with the black story”. I really appreciate the way that the film feels like a celebration of the black body and does not feel weighed down by the brutal historic oppression that has afflicted people of color globally. I think that this film was a great step, and I hope that Hollywood and the media can shift towards a less white and American focus and celebrate the underrepresented communities in a way that is empowering.
Thank you for the great context presentation for this week! I’ve been super excited for this week to come so we can focus on this movie because I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe and really loved Black Panther when it came out. I thought it was so good that I had went to the theaters to see it twice. As someone who appreciated him and his story in his comic book form, I thought it was super smart and inspirational to bring him and his message onto the big screen. I loved how you talked about how he gave the African-American community a hero of their own to look up to as such a powerful character. I remember all of the happiness and emotional strength it gave those of the African-American community when the movie released and I will forever remember the opportunity and “clean slate” that it provided in Hollywood.
Great context presentation this week. I really enjoy the MCU and when I heard about Black Panther coming out I was real excited for it. The inclusion of the African community in the movie and having them in a position that goes against most stereotypical African films and documentaries was a great move by the studio. The focus of the film being primarily on the African American community was a great representation for them in Hollywood and hopefully we see more movies like this one in the future.
I really enjoyed your context presentation and I agree that the black panther film was revolutionary in creating a narrative which showed a powerful black community. Personally, I can’t think of another movie that had had such a cultural impact that black panther had. Crazy Rich Asians was a movie that was the first to have an al Asian cast in Hollywood which was groundbreaking also, but the story that black panther tells is such a powerful message. There was definitely and underrepresentation of minority groups until the recent years when movies such as this started coming out more often.