Black Panther Review

Black Panther:

The Evolution of the Villain

Black Panther is by far the most important film to be released by Marvel Studios. Sure Iron Man launched the franchise, The Avengers created a new standard for comic book films, Captain America: The Winter Soldier seriously tackled politics, but it was Black Panther that caused the revolution. Up until the announcement of Black Panther and Captain Marvel (and possible Black Widow) Marvel refused to deviate from their usual white male hero. Sure it worked for them and made them a lot of money, but look at what having an all-black cast did to increase the studio’s popularity and dollar value. Black Panther comes second to only The Avengers in terms of highest grossing opening weekend film; it dominated ticket pre-sales, made millions more than was expected, and is still the most talked about film six days after its release. It’s almost like having POC and female heroes is important to audiences around the world…imagine that.

There is no denying that Black Panther is successful because almost every aspect of the film is different from previous Marvel films. People much more articulate than myself have already discussed and celebrated these differences. The one similarity Black Panther shares with [some of] its predecessors is a believable villain. (Regardless of the fact that by the end of the film you feel so badly for Killmonger that you are hesitant to call him a villain). This is a relatively new trend for Marvel Studios so let’s recap:

1. Captain America: Civil War - Helmut Zemo, the villain who topples the Avengers from within because they were involved in the death of his family.
2. Spiderman: Homecoming - Vulture, the villain who trades and experiments with alien artifacts because S.H.I.E.L.D fired him and his crew from their cleanup jobs. 
3. Thor Ragnarok - Hela, the villain who claims her rightful title to the throne after her father imprisoned her and erased history.
4. Black Panther - Erik Killmonger/N’Jadaka, the villain who also claims his rightful title to the throne because he was witnessed violence and oppression his entire life.

Now you could argue that Captain America: The Winter Soldier could fall into this category, but Bucky Barnes isn’t a villain, and Hydra doesn’t deserve that kind of credit.

Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther truly stand out as Marvel films because they take their believable villains and use it as a force for change with its hero. Thor vows to remember the violent history of his father and sister (and brother) and work to provide a better life for his people. T’Challa immediately understands that Killmonger is a victim, and wanted to find a peaceful solution that would both help the world and keep Wakanda from becoming a dark and oppressing world ruler. It’s why T’Challa wished to save Killmonger at the end of the film because he knew Killmonger deserved to have a happy and peaceful life, just as Killmonger wanted to bring peace to a world still ruled by racism.

The fact of the matter is that while each villain from the four films goes about righting the wrongs done to them the wrong way, you can still relate to all four of them. The difference with Black Panther and Killmonger is that he wasn’t necessarily fighting for himself. His father’s death and his abandonment by T’chaka is what lead Killmonger to blame Wakanda, but he blamed Wakanda for abandoning the rest of the world because they had the resources to help but refused to do so. The film makes it painfully obvious that Killmonger is different from a usual Marvel villain because one of its hero, Nakia, has the same thoughts about the inactions of Wakanda. She just goes about helping the world in a more peaceful and quiet way.

His final words to T’Challa should be enough and was enough for audiences to understand that Killmonger was a victim of circumstance: “bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships because they knew death was better than bondage.” You can’t right the wrongs of your oppressors by oppressing them in return, but you can damn well make sure that they know you won’t forgot and you will be heard.