Black Panther: More Than Just A Movie

When the movie Black Panther was released back in February, many people probably saw it as just another movie about a superhero movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe collection. Little did they know of the actual impact this movie would have. 

Black Panther starts with the new king's coronation, T'Challa (son of King T'Chaka). Not long before his arch-enemy Ulysses Klaue (who killed King T'Chaka in Captain America: Civil War) is spotted after he steals artifacts out of a museum made of vibranium (indestructible metal native to Wakanda). In a failed attempt at capturing him, they come across a man (Erik Killmonger, nephew of the ) working with Klaue that they eventually find out to be Wakandan. Killmonger eventually overthrows the Black Panther (King T'Challa) and becomes the new King of Wakanda. He then sets out to supply resources and weapons worldwide to people of color to help overcome oppression. 

The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, has amassed over $1 billion worldwide at the box office, making it the highest-grossing movie ever by an African-American director. It stands at 9th overall on the top-grossing films of all time. 

This is significant considering the industry stigma that holds the movies, with most minorities in the cast not doing well at the box office. Not only did Black Panther knock down all those myths, but it also had a huge cultural impact.

In 2016, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite went around on social media, knocking the lack of black representation in Hollywood. Here are some statistics:

Hollywood Diversity Statistics for 2018 conducted by UCLA.

Only 1.3 out of 10 film directors are people of color

Only 1.4 out of 10 lead actors in the film are people of color

Only 21.8% of roles held by people of color

‘Black Panther’ went against the norms of having people of color in both areas (director and leads), but they also portrayed black women in a way that hadn’t been done before.

In a TED Talk from Prof. Diana Mafe, she spoke about the misrepresentation of Black women in film. She spoke more specifically about representation in action films, saying, “…they tend to be stereotyped, secondary and marginalized”. 

This, however, was not the case in Black Panther. The women in this film were portrayed as Warriors and Queens, making them inspiring and someone that many children and women alike can look up to. 

Ashlyn Macie, a student at Kennesaw University, spoke about her experience/take on the movie. “From start to finish, it was an amazing experience. I’ve honestly never seen a film with this many people color in it, and it wasn’t either low budget or about slavery in one way or another,” she said.

“I loved the fact that Black women were portrayed in a way that was just as complementary to the male characters. They were strong and powerful and gave me a sense of pride and empowerment. Wakanda Forever…” she said.

 

Middle schoolers from the Henderson-Hopkins School of Education in Baltimore, Maryland, showed this pride and strength.

“They showed the women fighting with the men, and they were winning, so it made me think that anything a man can do, women can do the same,” said an eighth-grader after her whole middle school was taken to see it. 

In the end, Black Panther may be a movie, but it's more than that to people worldwide. It's a celebration of growth and where we come from. 

Kevin Robinson, an African-American actor from Atlanta, GA, gives his take on the movie. "Being a black actor in the industry, it was inspiring to see the impact a film full of people that look just like me (actors, writers, and even the director) had on the world," he said.

"Ryan Coogler has always been a talented brother in my personal opinion, but to see his work come full circle with this film was amazing. It gives me the realization that anyone can make it. With Coogler being from the inner-city in Oakland and me being from Ben Hill (Atlanta), it gives me hope that anything is possible", he said.

With plans of a sequel in the works, as said by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige (interview with Entertainment Weekly.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What can you tell us about plans for a Black Panther sequel?

Nothing specific to reveal, other than to say we absolutely will do that. One of the favorite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part One and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a Part Two. There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first Black Panther. We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one. - Kevin Feige

Hopefully, a sequel will bring the same impact, if possible. Unfortunately, there isn't an exact date or story, but Wakanda will be back either way!