Black Panther

Marvel broke new ground with February’s smash hit “Black Panther.” Featuring the first black superhero in a title role, “Black Panther” was a breath of fresh air for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the African American community. Filled with exhilarating action, heart-rendering drama, and the best MCU villain to date, “Black Panther” is easily one of the best films in the MCU and action movies ever created.

“Black Panther” had several experimental elements that were risky for the ‘box-office dominating’ Marvel. Until 2018, the MCU followed a specific guideline for all of its movies: similar humor, antagonists, and characters. With familiarity comes predictability, and after testing out the Black Panther character in “Captain America: Civil War”, this showed audiences that the MCU was heading in a different direction this year. This feat payed off massively with record-breaking movies “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”

The movie, taking place in the fictional world of Wakanda, is beautiful, from the sets to the costumes to the plot, were flawless. It not only creates an amazing atmosphere but one that celebrates African American culture. What really makes the film important is how the plot uses the character’s culture to motivate the plot, instead of using prejudice against people of color; a common trope many films in the past have used. Instead, the movie chooses to show the greatness that African Americans can accomplish: such as ruling a kingdom, creating and inventing, instead of the negatives many African Americans face on a daily basis.

Despite the movie choosing to shy away from problems created by skin color, it doesn’t shy away from heavy questions. Asking moral questions about tension between Africans and African Americans, responsibility and power. Most of these questions are brought up by the ‘scene-stealing’ Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. Killmonger has one of the most compelling ambitions in superhero history. He feels betrayed after his privileged family in Wakanda leave him abandoned in America, and now wants the throne to help other African Americans. “Black Panther” takes its villain in a new and more relatable direction, making empathizing him easier and his character overall more interesting.

Overall, “Black Panther” was, and is, a cultural phenomenon that everyone should watch.