Fair warning, if you have yet to see “Black Panther,” you should not read this article as it contains many spoilers.
It has been several weeks since the highly-acclaimed “Black Panther” Movie debuted and globally it has made more for Marvel than any of their other movies. In fact, “Black Panther” set records worldwide, one being the most lucrative movies of 2018 thus far and has officially become one of the top ten (10) most grossing films of all-time. Numbers don’t lie, and “Black Panther” has the numbers to show how great a movie it is. However, no matter how great a movie is, there will always be an issue or two with it.
‘Black Panther’ was a racial movie
It is no surprise that such comments were made about this movie. Within this day and age, many would try their hardest to find race in any and everything. It is a bit sad to be honest; sad that nothing can be appreciated for what it is without race being involved. With that said, the whole argument by a few that states that “Black Panther” is racial is completely wrong.
The movie is based on a fictional country known as Wakanda on the African continent. You don’t need a degree in geography to know that 90 percent of the African population has a melanin known as eumelanin, which makes them dark in complexion. Marvel did their homework (in more ways than one) and stuck to the theme of the movie; an African King ruling an African Nation.
Therefore, the majority of the cast (both main and background) would have to be dark in complexion.
In fact, if the majority of the cast were not of such complexion (unlike in the movie Gods of Egypt), there would have been major backlash and Marvel would have suffered greatly. In addition, if 90 percent of Africa is indeed dark, then the other 10 percent would not be dark.
This was also highlighted in the movie. As a Marvel Cinematic fan, I usually watch their movies three times each, to be sure that I do not miss anything. This is why I can confidently admit that there were other characters that weren’t dark. They may have been extras and background characters, yes, but their presence did show that Wakanda is a diverse nation and that the movie is not racial.
‘Black Panther’ was a black movie
As previously mentioned, BP was predominately a black cast to suit the theme of the movie. Based on a fictional country on the African Continent, it is understandable why the cast, music, clothing and even culture would be based on African Culture. However, it must be said outright that “Black Panther” is not a black movie. This may be a bitter pill for most to swallow but the evidence is right there.
The main evidence is that this is purely fictional. Wakanda does not exist, there is no Black Panther, and there is no Vibranium. Don’t get me wrong, you can learn a lot from this and any other fictional movie. It can imprint on you and teach you a lot; however, it is not a black movie.
It does not represent black culture, it has not benefited nor come from black communities, and it is just a fictional movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Please note that this does not give one the right to ridicule someone for wearing African clothing to go and see the movie, to discredit the actors, cast and directors that brought this movie to life.Many people were inspired by the movie and I wore my dashiki to the movie. I love and appreciate all those that worked hard to bring this movie to the forefront and I was moved by many of the messages that were conveyed throughout the movie. I am simply saying that BP is not a black movie.
“Black Panther” is without a doubt, one of the greatest movies of all time and has nestled nicely within the top 10 grossing movies of all time within the United States.
A great installment within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Panther” more than lived up to its hype, but contrary to what many would like you to believe however, it is nothing more than a fictional movie. It is in no way a racial one nor is it a black movie. It is simply an amazing movie about a fictional character within a fictional country located on the continent of Africa.
