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Kathleen Conley

Professor Granillo

English 103 Honors

25 October 2018

Black Panther Discussion Post

Marvel’s movie, Black Panther is known a landmark in superhero movies of Hollywood

entertainment for its diverse cast and unique African setting. It is not only a superhero movie but

it touches upon cultural and racial relations between African Americans, Africans, and

Caucasians. The film takes placed in a fictional country known as Wakanda. This country has

been long segregated from the rest of the African continent, thus most of its nation was preserved

from European colonialism and its effects. Though this shifts as the movie progresses onwards.

Black Panther focuses on the protagonist T’Challa, recently crowned king of the Wakanda nation

after the death of his father. T’Challa then learns to face the many challenges ruling a kingdom

entails. An outsider to the nation nicknamed, Killmonger wishes to use the substance known as

Vibranium to fashion advanced weapons in the United States. Killmonger wishes to do this in

order to overthrow United States government he views as corrupt, due to the institutionalized

racial oppression currently enforced by caucasian individuals. In contrast, T’Challa believes that

a violence approach is ultimately a foolish way of solving racial issues African Americans face

within the United States. At one point, this disagreement stems into Killmonger taking the throne

by ritual combat or trial by combat. This conflict drives the plot forward until Killmonger is

usurped by T’Challa. The movie ends with T’Challa enacting a peace conference between the

United States government and the Wakandan kingdom. The director touches upon these themes

in hopes of establishing better ways of promoting tolerance between cultures despite past history.
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Not only does Black Panther touch upon racial issues, but it also subverts many female tropes

and archetypes find within Hollywood movies as feminist theory points out. Black Panther is a

significant representation of race theory in the line of superhero movies while also subverting

female stereotypes placed on women of color in films.

Hollywood is known for its racial stereotypes in movies throughout history which Black

Panther attempts to subvert through its characters, plot, and setting choice. Critical Race theory

examined by Dubois states, The white publishers catering to white folk would say, ‘It is not

interesting’ -- to white folk, naturally not. They want Uncle Toms, Topsies, good ‘darkies’ and

clowns. I have in my office a story with all the earmarks of truth. A young man says that he

started out to write and had his stories accepted. Then he began to write about the things he knew

best about, that is, about his own people. He submitted a story to a magazine which said, ‘We are

sorry, but we cannot take it.’ I sat down and revised my story, changing the color of the

characters and the locale and sent it under an assumed name with a change of address and it was

accepted by the same magazine that had refused it, the editor promising to take anything else I

might send in providing it was good enough” (Du Bois, “Criteria of Negro Art”). None of the

characters within Black Panther, fit archetypes such as the Uncle Tom, which is essentially an

African American man whose overly servile in nature. T’Challa the main character of the movie

is a monarch of his own country and repeatedly displays his own independent motivations. He

has his own character arc and most of the movie centers around stabilizing his kingdom. Near the

end of the movie, he plans to usurp his cousin, once again defying the servile archetype placed

on black individuals, “No more. I cannot stay here with you. I cannot rest while he sits on the

throne. He’s a monster of our own making. I must take back the mountain. I must right this

wrong” (Black Panther). This further shows that T’Challa has his own independent motivations
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which do not center around being servile. The film while showcasing characters which possess

independent and personal motivations, also touches upon issues of race relations which T’Challa

reflects in his address to the American government, “Wakanda will no longer watch from the

shadows. We can not. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and

sisters on this earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division

threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in

times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to

look after one another, as if we were one single tribe” (Black Panther). Wakanda within this

context ultimately symbolizes black culture as a whole and the desire to be integrated on equal

ground with white individuals. Therefore, he believes that African American individuals should

take a stand together as brothers and sisters while striving for connections rather than division.

He then lightly touches upon the racial barriers that currently exist within the United States and

how individuals can learn over time to work together as one single unit rather than a system of

segregated folk. Overall, this movie set the tone and landmark for other future movies starring

black actors and actresses at the forefront rather than remaining in supporting roles within

nuanced character arcs.

The feminist movement has a reputation of namely catering to prosperous white women

throughout the years. This is not the case within the movie, Black Panther. The three women

characters by the names of Nakia, Shuri, and Okoye all subvert common tropes placed on

women within movies. For one, while Nakia is T’Challa’s love interest she does not submit to

being othered throughout the movie as shown in an exchange with him, “If you were not so

stubborn you would make a great queen,” to which Nakia replies, “I would make a great queen

because I am stubborn…if that is what I wanted” (Black Panther) Simone de Beauvoir states that
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in order to subvert otherness, they must lack depth and substance like other human beings. This

banter between Nakia and T’Challa demonstrates Nakia’s refusal to be othered. It also shows

that she possesses deeper substance. She is also subverting the angel vs. monster outlook, as

T’Challa seems generally amused by her answer rather then being alarmed or judgemental.

Okoye is another strong example of subverting female archetypes within Hollywood media.

Okoye is T’Challa’s personal bodyguard and consistently displays that she can hold her own in

fights against men. Women in movies are often depicted as nurturing or passive in nature, yet,

while Okoye is loyal she consistently gets involved in fights and appears aloof to most

individuals. While finally, Shuri is an inventor and creator of T’Challa’s suit which he utilizes

within battle. This displays a woman working within a STEM line of work that is not often

depicted with a focus in movies. Shuri also shows that women can stand on par within

intellectual fields as men do.

All in all, this movie serves to benefit those within the African American community but

also aides in introducing African culture that is not normally seen within films to individuals that

do not come from African descent. The film also helps black actors and actresses find more of

the center spotlight within Hollywood movies by showing them that there is room for racial

equality within the film industry. However, this is only one film and it should set the standard for

room to improve within the diversity of Hollywood films. The real world deals with the effects

of colonialism and racial tensions as the movie tries to parallel. T’Challa’s ending speech is

essentially a call to action for breaking down racial barriers within America in order to find

peace. This movie may also make other individuals intrigued about learning more pertaining to

pre-colonial African culture, which has been a subject commonly brushed over in education.
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Works Cited

Du Bois, W.E.B. “Criteria of Negro Art.” The Crisis, Vol. 32, October 1926.

Lee, Stan, Kirby, Jack, Coogler, Ryan and Cole Joe. Black Panther. Netflix.

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80201906?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C06c30a1

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