‘Black Panther’ Was an Incredible Film

“Black Panther 2” released on Nov. 11, 2022, which means now is a good time to look back on the previous film to see what made it so great. “Black Panther” is an incredible film, while having its mid-2010s marvel movie flaws, it accomplishes many things as well. This film is a cultural touchstone for the Black community and upon release cemented itself into the zeitgeist of the late 2010s.

Black Panther Is An Incredible Film

“Black Panther” uses the nuances present in the Black community to communicate a variety of themes and messages. It serves as great social commentary on the state of the black community at the time, and many of its critiques still hold true to the present day. “Black Panther” is a film so nuanced that multiple readings can be given from multiple different angles. However, the greatness of “Black Panther” as a film can be analyzed. It is more than a film, it was a mirror. A mirror that reflected the grievances of black America at the time.

Black Panther is a movie that is concerned with the material reality of not only Black America but of the black diaspora as well. In multiple scenes, the question of the racial oppression of the Black diaspora by imperialist and racist forces is mentioned. This theme runs so deep in the film that Killmonger’s entire character was surrounded by his trauma as a Black American knowing he could’ve had better. This pain leads him to be molded by imperialist forces to become the ultimate weapon. “Black Panther” is a movie about many things, however, one of the major themes is the theme of pain.

Pain

Pain is treated very seriously and sincerely in “Black Panther.” The pain of loss that T’challa feels, the very real Black trauma of Black Americans that Killmonger holds within him. The characters are guided by pain, through pain, and their actions reek of the pain and loss that the characters feel. The film is set in the context of the civil war film. In the film, T’challa experiences one of the worst forms of pain. He experienced the loss of a father.

T’chaka was killed by Baron Zemo when he bombed a UN meeting. T’challa then went on to hunt and eventually forgive this man. This is a stark difference from the path that Killmonger takes as he gets revenge for the death of his father. Killmonger doesn’t forgive T’Challa or the Wakandan establishment for the murder of his father. He takes the pain that was inflicted on him as a child and made the entire Wakandan nation feel his wrath. He destabilized a nation using tactics the imperialists taught him and when presented with the opportunity to expand his empire he immediately went for it.

Killmonger

Killmonger is one of the most interesting characters in a marvel film ever written. On a subtextual level, he is supposed to represent Black America. With this reading a lot of Killmonger’s actions make sense. He wants to liberate his people, so he took over Wakanda to do just that. However, this is a surface-level reading. It must be reiterated though, that multiple readings of the text can be valid and true at the same time.

Killmonger’s Many Selves

Killmonger is a misogynistic, imperialist, soldier from America. He kills and abuses women regularly in the film. There is a trend in marvel movies and films, in general, to have revolutionary characters as villains but make them do heinous acts to dissuade the audience from agreeing with them. Killmonger is one of the more popular of this style of villain.

However, his “villainous” in the evil revolutionary trope comes with nuance. It could be said that the writers making this particular “Black Revolutionary” misogynistic was a conscious decision made within the context of historical Black Revolutionary movements.

What is meant by this, is that there have been real revolutionaries in black power movements that haven’t had great relations with women. Some movements like the civil rights movement were famous for being patriarchal and quite sexist at the time. There could be many reasons for this, however, the religious element of the civil rights movement mustn’t be overlooked in the analysis. Ultimately, Killmonger being that man he is doing the things he does reflects major historical trends within the black community. “Black Panther” is a movie that subtly acknowledges the blemishes of the Black community through the flaws of its characters

T’challa

T’challa, the titular character, the legendary “Black Panther,” also has a lot of nuances as well. He can be seen to represent many things. He can represent the Black Bourgeoisie, the Africans that still have a connection to their culture, Black liberalism, and much more. However, ultimately T’challa is the status quo, he is quite literally the king of a nation. T’challa is Black excellence personified. He is the Black doctor, the Black lawyer, and the Black business owner as well. He represents different class interests. T’challa is a wealthy king in what is essentially the biggest “Black Wall Street” ever. So his views on liberation were a bit different at the beginning of the film.

T’challa’s Immense Privilege

T’challa is a man of immense privilege, not only is he at the top of his social hierarchy, he is a king. He is incredibly wealthy, he grew up with both of his parents. T’challa grew up in a community that was thriving, and his culture was not torn away from him.

He would never be able to see Killmonger’s perspective even if he tried. T’challa has never experienced oppression a day in his life, and perhaps never will. An American equivalent would be if Obama had a son and then that son became the president. T’challa’s arc is learning to mentally step down from this place of privilege, and that you can help people without endangering Wakanda.

T’challa is respectful of women, is respectful of the culture, and is an overall decent guy. He acknowledges the fault of his elders and seeks to right the wrong they made for the sake of tradition.

He is king not of his culture, but of his people. T’challa is a virtuous man who happens to come from the upper echelons of class society. Therefore, he is able to endure the class suicide involved in becoming a person that can make sound decisions that work for people beyond people of his own class.

‘Black Panther 2’

There is so much more nuance that could be unpacked but then this article would be too long. “Black Panther” is an excellent film and is a full plate of brain food. It has an amazing soundtrack, great visuals, and portrays Africa in a non-dehumanizing light, has great characters, and is an overall great addition to the MCU.

Written by Kenneth Mazerat

Sources

CNN: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ pulls off a difficult dive after Chadwick Boseman’s death by Brian Lowry

TheAtlantic: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Does the Near Impossible by  David Sims

USAToday: ‘Black Panther 2’ review: ‘Wakanda Forever’ is a profound, action-packed take on life and legacy by Brian Truitt

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

First Inset Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Second Inset Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License