By Kate Hawthorne, Staff Editor
When Marvel first started its movie franchise with “Iron Man”, the world had no idea how large the franchise would grow. There have been a total of 18 movies in the past 10 years, not to mention the 12 TV serials since 2013 (of which only two have ended). In the upcoming years, there are two new TV series planned and six new movies that will definitely appear. The newest Marvel movie “Black Panther” stars the eponymous superhero to whom we were first introduced in the recent “Captain America: Civil War”. Moreover, it takes place almost entirely in a fictional African country called ‘Wakanda,’ which has always been portrayed as extremely technologically advanced.
Many fans were worried about how Marvel would deal with issues of racism and colonialism in this movie, particularly after the white-washing of both “Doctor Strange” and “Iron Fist.” Most breathed a sigh of relief when they first saw the poster for the movie – which featured a total of two Caucasian characters. After seeing “Black Panther” the weekend after its premiere, I can only say one thing to Marvel: “Well done.”
I am not saying that this movie is perfect, or that it will undo the white-washing of Marvel’s past. However, that by no means disqualifies the fact that this movie was masterfully done. As predicted by the poster, almost every character involved in the film is of African descent. The film mainly takes place in Wakanda and we finally get to see the rich culture and technological prowess of the small, isolated country. Wakanda’s backstory is made clear in this film and it is, for lack of a better word, a doozy. I did a bit of research after I saw the film and learned that the directors and producers did research into African tribes (particularly those of Kenya and Ethiopia) and based the costumes, hairstyles, and music on this research. It was, to put it simply, a rich and well-researched film.
It included the amazing CGI that is expected of a Marvel movie, but it also ran almost the full gamut of film genres, included an amazing and thrilling plot, and a touching brother-sister relationship. Not to mention, it passes the Bechdel test, has an entire army of hard-core female warriors (called the Dora Milaje), and features three main female characters – Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o; Okoye, played by Danai Gurira; and Princess Shuri, played by Letitia Wright. Moreover, we learn that Princess Shuri is a 16-year old, the main innovative scientist of the entire country, and smarter than Tony Stark who is about 2.5 times her age.
Again, this movie was not perfect. There are certainly issues that are being brought up by Black viewers that are fascinating and should definitely be taken account. As mentioned before, this movie also does not wipe away the smirch of white-washing that is now in Marvel’s record. But this movie is now one of my top three Marvel movies ever. Even if you are not a Marvel fan, it is definitely worth a watch, and it can almost entirely stand on its own without the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Black Panther” is a revolutionary film that does not ignore the history of colonialism and meets it head-on, while creating a wonderful African nation that displays African culture with pride.
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