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The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther

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History of Black Panther
 Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
 First superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics
 Appeared in Fantastic Four #52 in July 1966
 Name predates the October 1966 founding of the Black Panther Party
 Tried to go by “Black Leopard” for awhile in 1970s
 Got its own series in 1973, Jungle Action
 First black writer didn’t come until the 1990s
 Marvel Comics has always taken a political stance; often specifically
trying to address a race issue.
 Has made numerous appearances in various television shows,
animated films and video games

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Film synopsis
After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to
the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place
as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears,
T'Challa's mettle as king -- and as Black Panther -- gets
tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate
of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with
treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies
and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his
foes and secure the safety of his people.

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Who is the Black Panther?
 The Black Panther is the royal leader of Wakanda.
 The Black Panther, T’Challa is empowered by the Panther’s spirit.
 Dora Milaje is the royal guard of Wakanda.
 Erik Killmonger, nemesis of Black Panther.

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The “Real” Wakanda
 Wakanda in the comic/movie
 Ethiopian Empire
 Ethiopia is the only African nation to never have been colonized by
Europe
 Ethiopia is the home of the Biblical Garden of Eden
 Ethiopia is the birthplace of humanity
 Ethiopia is the cultural center of one of the oldest forms of
Christianity in the world
The Origin of Wakanda

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Stereotypes
 Common Cinematic Stereotypes of African-Americans
 “Magical Negro”
 African American with special powers who solely help white characters with problems
 Best Friend
 Play nurturing, rational caretakers of white lead characters
 Thug
 Criminals, Drug Dealers, Pimps, etc.
 “The Brash Woman”
 Sassy, maintain drama, comic relief
 Civil Servant
 Domestic workers, movies capitalizing off of slavery
 Dylan Marron’s “Every Single Word”

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How Black Panther breaks stereotypes
African-Americans were shown in refreshing light
 Warriors, Royalty, Engineers, Superheroes

 Proper Representation
 Wardrobe, Culture, PRIDE, Language

 Role Reversal
 White actors played minor characters
 Martin Freeman

 African-Americans were basically treated how white characters are always treated in movies

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How Black Panther breaks stereotypes

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Role models Black Panther offers -
Superheroes
For the first time black kids have a superhero they can identify with a superhero that looks like
them.

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Hero example

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Voice of the people

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Voice of the people

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The importance of heroes in a
broken society
Super heroes shine through the darkness and they challenge
the societal norms, giving us something to strive for.

How do we help young black students to see themselves with

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Video example

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Voice of the people

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Voice of the people

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Voice of the people

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Keeping it going

What can we do to help encourage black female students to

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Hero vs. Villain

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Erik Killmonger
 He has a right to be angry. His father was murdered by his own
people and he was raised under a white supremacist system.
 His anger fueled his hatred of life. He did not mind taking life,
because he did not value life. His goal was not liberation or
freedom, but rather domination and revenge.
 He called out the black elite who preached assimilation as a way
to overcome the trauma of racism. Money does not make you
safe or fix the pain.
 Black Panther uses T’Challa and Killmonger to show two opposite
spectrums of the response the racism. One a strong country that
ignores the plight of other people of the same race and the other
of trying to get revenge and dominate those who oppressed their
race.

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 Is Killmonger a Hero or a Villain?

Survey from the Tylt, which is the first project from Advance Digital’s in-house incubator Alpha Group, is trying
to capture as much of, and as inclusively as it can, the online conversations around heated, timely topics such as
this one.

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Hero vs. Villian
 Chadwick Boseman states that the Black Panther does not
necessarily have a villain and a hero, that it looked at both sides and
did not let anyone off the hook.
 Thinking about this quote, no one is 100% hero or are they 100%
villain. We are a sum of circumstances and decisions made by us and
for us over generations.

How do we use this knowledge as we address conversations about

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Afrofuturism
 A movement in literature, music, art, etc., featuring futuristic or science fiction themes which
incorporate elements of black history and culture.
 Steeped in African history and black identity.
 Many aspects of it focus on African-Americans being in the position of power or having no
Anglo/European influence.

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Afrofuturism
Wakanda

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Afrofuturism
Vibranium

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Afrofuturism
Black Panther soundtrack

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Afrofuturism
Erik Killmonger

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The end

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The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther

#BlackSuperheroesMatter