Even Marvel’s legendary master scientist – Reed Richards of the superhero team Fantastic Four – is befuddled by and full of admiration for Wakanda’s scientific capabilities. As a black character created and initially written by nonblack authors, guest-starring in the pages of a book headlined by white characters, he had many of the classic attributes of what is now sometimes controversially known as the “ magical negro” in American cultural criticism: He ranked extremely highly in every sphere that mattered, to the point of being almost too unreal even for the comics of the time.īlack Panther is T’Challa, king of the fictional African country Wakanda, which is fathomlessly wealthy and remarkably advanced, scientifically and technologically. The history and evolution of the Black Panther character and his scientific back story is a fascinating example of turning a problematic past into a positive opportunity.Ĭreated in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he’s the first black superhero character in mainstream comics, originally appearing as a guest in a “Fantastic Four” Marvel comic. Johnson (MIT Press 2017)/Creative Commons Panels from ‘The Dialogues,’ including a black female scientist. So the opportunity that the “Black Panther” movie presents to inform and inspire vast audiences is of great interest to me. I’ve also recently published a nonfiction graphic book for general audiences called “ The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe.” Its characters include male and female black scientists, discussing aspects of my own field of theoretical physics – where black scientists are unfortunately very rare. When the opportunity arises, I’ve helped broaden the diversity of scientist characters portrayed onscreen. I’ve worked as a science adviser on many film and TV projects (though not “Black Panther”). I’m a scientist who cares about increased engagement with science by the general public. But making him – and his sister Shuri – successful scientists and engineers as well is another level of rarity. A black headlining superhero character written and directed by black artists is rare enough from a major studio. Moreover, in the inevitable (and somewhat ridiculous) ranking of scientific prowess that happens in the comic book world, he’s been portrayed as at least the equal of the two most famous “top scientists” in the Marvel universe: Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Reed Richards (Mr. Photo via ABC Television/Creative CommonsĪnd beyond all this, “Black Panther” also broke additional ground in a way most people may not realize: In the comics, the character is actually a scientist and engineer. Jason Wilkes is a black scientist on ‘Agent Carter,’ whose character emerged from the author’s talks with the show’s writers. Jenkins brought a new perspective to this kind of action movie, and there was a huge positive response from audiences in theaters worldwide. Female directors are a minority in the movie industry. In that case, a major studio finally decided to commit resources to a superhero film headlined by a female character and directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins. It’s also a filmmaking landmark because black creators have been given access to the resources and platforms needed to bring different storytelling perspectives into our mainstream culture.Ģ017’s “ Wonder Woman” forged a similar path. This is a significant step toward diversifying our culture by improving the lackluster representation of minorities in our major media. Huge audiences will see a black lead character – not a sidekick or part of a team – in a superhero movie by a major studio, with a black director (Ryan Coogler), black writers and a majority black cast. While there have been other superhero movies with a black lead character – “ Hancock” (2008), “ Blade” (1998), “ Spawn” (1997) or even “ The Meteor Man” (1993) – this film is significant because of the recent remarkable rise of the superhero film from the nerdish fringe to part of mainstream culture. Finally a feature film starring a black superhero character became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – a successful run of intertwined movies that began with “ Iron Man” in 2008. Instead, I’m focusing on a key aspect of its cultural impact that is less frequently discussed. I’m not referring to its deserved critical and box office success worldwide, the many awards it has won, or the fact that it is the first film in the superhero genre to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. It has been said many times that the Marvel movie “ Black Panther” is an important landmark.
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