Blockbuster risks glorifying violence with villain Killmonger
The newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther, opened on Jan. 29 to rave reviews. Colin Covert, a critic from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, called the film, “A big and bold change of focus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther pushes past many of the clichéd plot devices, archetypes and formulas of standard comic book blockbusters.” Another critic, Helen Lewis from New Statesman, wrote “Black Panther is not just smart and politically aware for a superhero film — it’s smart and politically aware, full stop.”Another reviewer, Ed Power from Irish Independent, credited with the film’s first “rotten” review, writes “Black Panther spirals into a stodgy tale of internecine feuding, in which T’Challa is required to come to terms with the sins of past generations. What he doesn’t get to do much of is jump around beating up bad guys. That’s a shame.” Power also delivers a very concise summary of what the film symbolizes: “Black Panther arrives on storm-clouds of hype and with the presumption that, as the first African-set Marvel movie, it will deliver a resounding high-kick to prejudice and decades of hierarchy, racial and otherwise, in blockbuster cinema. It is expected to stand for something bigger than itself.”
The film follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the newly crowned king of Wakanda, a fictional African country built on a mountain of vibranium — a mysteriously powerful metal that has allowed Wakanda to develop advanced technology and conceal itself from the rest of the world. As the plot advances, T’Challa’s peaceful policy of isolation is challenged by the Wakandan-American mercenary Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), who wants to use Wakandan technology to arm oppressed minorities around the globe.
The elements of African culture and tradition woven into the technology and culture of Wakanda made it immersive, interesting, and unique, and created some especially beautiful visuals totally new to the Marvel Universe. The Wakandan technology also fielded some interesting sci-fi concepts, like the portable devices that allowed remote control of vehicles. There were some outstanding action scenes, where we got to see Black Panther in action, using cool tech and throwing banter back and forth with co-stars. The characters were well developed, with nuanced motives and relationships, the casting was well considered, and the world was built solidly.The biggest problem with this film can be seen in the reaction of some of its fans. Instead of T’Challa, the protagonist, some are glorifying Killmonger, the antagonist, as the hero — suggesting the film didn’t go far enough in condemning him.Ameer Hasan Loggins writes for Blavity, “How can one truly vilify Killmonger, whose mission was to, by any means necessary, atone for the history of slavery, of colonization, the carving of Africa, the racialized systemic oppression plaguing those throughout the African diaspora…?” While this is true on some level, it does not justify starting a race war, as Killmonger intends to do, ultimately perpetuating the violence and oppression against black people that Loggins claims Killmonger so opposes. As Twitter user @AsToldByZee_ accurately states, “Killmonger isn’t a villain for wanting to right a wrong or liberate his people, it’s the lengths he was willing to go [to] and how many people he was willing to kill (and actually did kill) to get his way.”
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What it comes down to for me is that this movie didn’t need to be about contemporary race politics. It could have been a celebration of African culture and tradition, and a movie focused on looking to the future, maybe with T’Challa fighting for a globalist view similar to the one he takes in the film, and the antagonists being those that still believe in Wakandan isolation. It could still have been an effective commentary on international affairs, but with a more positive and constructive tone. When people can’t tell who’s the hero and who’s the villain, it’s highly problematic.
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It would be totally bizarre if Black Panther didn’t comment on contemporary racism and colonialism.
The point that is being made about Killmonger that you seem to have missed (apart from his methods and that he doesn’t mind killing anyone who gets in his way, which is obviously bad) is that he was made embittered and violent in response to white supremacism, and the reason it would be wrong to follow his methods and goals of conquering everything is that no one wants to become colonialist or white supremacist.
I agree that it would have been bizarre given the state of race relations, especially in the United States, and I don’t dispute the fact that the character of Killmonger is a result of his experiences. However, I do not believe he was wrong simply because no one wants to become a “colonist” or “supremacist”. He was wrong because supremacism is not only ineffective, but regressive. Like I said in my article, the problem isn’t Killmonger himself, but the glorification of this point of view.
Thanks! I did enjoy Killmonger as a villain, a lot, but I couldn’t really reveal why too much in the review without giving anything away about who he is and why he hates T’Challa. But in the comments, spoilers be damned! I liked Jordan’s acting so much in Black Panther that I finally watched Creed. Sadly, that film didn”t have the impact on me I was hoping it would, and I felt Jordan’s acting was not effective in that role. He had this chip on his shoulder the whole movie that just got annoying as hell. But with Killmonger, his vengeance made perfect sense and Jordan’s edge was perfect. He should stick to villain roles, I think. I am excited to see where the MCU will take the now publicly revealed Wakanda. There is a rich environment for all sorts of stories because of the way everything was set up in the film.
Agreed! They ended off on a very positive and constructive note, with lots of room for further development. It will be hard for Marvel to outdo themselves in a sequel, especially in terms of the villain, but I’m certainly looking forward to it and to the culture and characters being explored further.