Year: 2018
Director: Ryan Coogler
Country: US
Language: English
Marvel Comics created the first African superhero in 1966, amid the civil rights movement which engaged controversial social revolutionary groups like The Black Panthers. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced Black Panther in Fantastic Four No.52, which then lead to regular spots in The Avengers and the genre series Jungle Action. In 2018, considering the ever-increasing neo-nazi movement, the hero's jump to the big screen was certainly needed.
T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the King of Wakanda, rises to the throne in the isolated, technologically advanced African nation, but his claim is challenged by a vengeful outsider (Michael B. Jordan) who was a childhood victim of T'Challa's father's mistake.
Within the confines of the MCU, Black Panther may be the least preachy and most morally ambiguous superhero film to date. Director Ryan Coogler introduces us to the fictional African country Wakanda, and the issues that emerge from its isolationism are vital in today’s culture war, where xenophobia and intolerance run rampant. The film has many relevant thought provoking points to make about history, tradition, and social revolution.
The strength of Black Panther lies heavily on the tragic "villain" Killmonger, which is admittedly a silly name for someone who has a legitimate reason to be upset. It's fairly easy to understand, emphathize, and possibly even agree with his point of view that the Wakanda Throne should use its resources to liberate the world’s “2 billion people who look like us,”. His motivation is rational, even heroic, but his planned desire of action, using the weaponry for a worldwide takeover, is not.
Though Boseman himself comes across fairly one-dimensional because the script doesn't give him a compelling enough character arc, it's enjoyable to see a Marvel picture that is centered around a war of ideas & a conflict in ideology. Black Panther's ability to be superhero escapism while also tapping into cultural zeitgeist is a remarkable feat that ought to be present in more of these films.
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