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November 13, 2022 | MYLES HOLDER
Marvel Studios released the superhero film Black Panther on February 16th, 2018. The hit film was directed by Ryan Coogler and instantly became a success. Not only does Black Panther have a great storyline, but it also teaches valuable lessons. The film is focused on King T'Challa of Wakanda as he is forced into battle with Kilmonger, a villain who challenged T'Challa's throne. Killmonger planned to launch a global revolution to restore power to oppressed minority groups worldwide.
After a terrorist attack left his father deceased, T'Challa is now challenged to take his rightful place as king sooner than expected. He finds himself catapulted into power. T'Challa is tested from the start and must rally behind his allies to secure the safety of his people. T'Challa always handles everything excellently thrown at him. He never backs down from the challenge when he is challenged physically and intellectually. When Baku and Killmonger challenge him, he accepts each challenge without hesitation. He's not ready to be black panther without his father, but he does not back down and takes the challenge. Throughout the film, T'Challa is faced with the big decision of continuing Wakanda's history of being a secret to the world or taking a step in another direction and helping the rest of the world with their problems. Wakanda could lose their way of life if the world discovered what they possessed. T'Challa has those close to him who are for and against telling the world. T'Challa's ex-lover Nakia says how Wakanda is strong enough to help others and protect themselves. Nakia thinks they could be doing more with foreign aid and refugee programs.
On the other hand, others in Wakanda think that if you let outsiders in, they also let in their problems. T'Challa's father, T'Chaka, could not stop the villain Klaw, so now he wants to. T'Challa wants to prove to others that he is fit for the job and prove himself. In his mind, there is no better way to win over Wakanda than to do something his father could not do. Klaw has caused harm to Wakanda, and T'Challa promises he will bring Klaw back alive to Wakanda. During the critical mission to capture Klaw and bring him back to Wakanda, T'Challa sacrifices the mission and loses the chance to catch Klaw by protecting a US representative by jumping on a grenade. T'Challa used Wakanda technology to stabilize the US representative and took him back to Wakanda to save him. T'Challa's mission was to bring back Klaw but instead brought back a foreign intelligence operative CIA. T'Challa said, "I know my duties; I can not just let him die knowing we can save him." This quote is powerful and shows how thoughtful of a person he is. He risked his whole Kingdom for one person because he knew they could save his life. T'Challa wants to be a different king and do things his way, even if it is untraditional. Even though he did what he thought was right, Wakanda was not happy. W'Kabi said," For 30 years, your father was in power and did nothing; with you, I thought it would be different, but it is more of the same."
T'Challa wants to find out the truth. He discovers the truth that his father killed his brother and left a child behind to fend for himself in the United States. He finds out the child left behind is his current enemy/long lost cousin Killmonger. Killmonger said, "There are two billion people in the world that look like us, and we have the power to liberate them." People are suffering worldwide because they don't have the tools to fight back. With vibranium, Wakanda can rule the right way, where Killmonger is from black folks who are start revolutions and never have the firepower or resources to fight their oppressors. That whole time Wakanda was nowhere to be seen. T'Chaka chose Wakanda over sending vibranium to war dogs to kill those in power. Wakanda has always only fought when necessary.
After realizing the truth, T'Challa realizes that Wakanda is wrong for turning its back on the rest of the world. Wakanda let the fear of their discovery stop them from doing what is right. T'Challa now sees that Killmonger is a direct product, a monster because of their making. At the movie's end, T'Challa doesn't want Killmonger to die because he would be just like his father.
Instead, T'Challa changes the world and takes Wakanda in a new direction. He built the Wakanda International Outreach Center in the same place where his father killed his uncle. As a result, Wakanda will no longer sit in the shadows and will treat everyone right. The wise build bridges rather than separation and look after one another as a single tribe. At first, when announcing to the world that Wakanda will help the world, they received snarky comments like "what does a third world country who runs around in a bulletproof catsuit going to do?"
The theory of virtue ethics asks individuals to strive for good character within themselves and embody specific virtues that promote well-being; Examples include compassion, honesty, bravery, and selflessness. So when picking a movie and finding a character that perfectly depicts virtue ethics, the first answer that came to mind was T'Challa from Black Panther.
Black Panther is a unique film because it is one of the few superhero films incorporating political themes. Superheroes serve a unique role as moral and educational tools for the public. Rationality is critical for virtue ethics; a brave person overcoming fears is acceptable, but not to the point of harming themselves or others. Virtue ethics cannot work if individuals cannot imagine a more virtuous version of themselves or contrast their behaviors with a role model. We can see this with T'Challa; he envisions a more ethical version of not only himself but of his whole Kingdom with the idea of helping all those in need in the world. T'Challa looked up to his father and compared how he ran the Kingdom to how his father did.
T'Challa's obligation to honesty is what makes him a great character and what makes the film so great. The film's theme is directly tied to T'Challa's internal struggle to determine what it means to be a good person. He is torn between whether he has the moral responsibility to help those struggling nations around the world or a more significant commitment to protect and provide for the people of Wakanda. T'Challa uses the good qualities within himself to confront the complex political issues he was thrown into once he became king. When T'Challa is politically challenged by the villain Killmonger, T'Challa empathizes with his point of view. By the film's end, T'Challa agrees with the idea and makes it his mission to use Wakanda technology to help those in need worldwide who grew up in the same living conditions as Killmonger. T'Challa's realization of the necessary political change, even though it stems away from the country's roots, shows that T'Challa truly embodies the virtue of compassion and selflessness. Even though Killmonger is an enemy of Wakanda, T'Challa has the honest realization that he is a direct product of Wakanda's selfishness. T'Challa never wants to see this again, so he is selfless and will now use the country's advanced resources to help change the world.
Another character worth talking about is Killmonger. Killmonger wanted to change the world and make it a better place by sharing Wakanda's wealth and knowledge. He also wanted revenge for his father, N'Jobu, and for being left alone in Oakland to fend for himself as a child. Despite all the wrong Killmonger did, it all started thanks to T'Challa's father, who crossed the line by leaving a small boy without his father in America all alone. Killmonger, from a young age, quickly became aware of black oppression worldwide. While Wakanda was oblivious to what was happening in the outside world, Killmonger knew exactly how harsh and evil it was. Many of his actions in the movie were unacceptable, but they still impacted T'Challa enough to open up Wakanda to the rest of the world and adopt some of his ideas. I believe that Killmonger was doing the right thing in the eyes of African culture, and I am happy T'Challa changed the Wakanda ways. Killmonger values Wakanda and knows how much they can help others in the world. Killmonger knows what it was like to struggle outside of Wakanda. His goal of avenging the oppressed was right, but he needed to be corrected in how he implemented his plans. Killmonger's goal was world domination; Killmonger declares, "The sun will never set on the Wakandan empire." He sees no future behind his reign as king and burns the magic herbs monarchs use to gain powers. He was pure evil throughout the film by breaking Klaw out of Wakandan Custody, Killing Klaw, and almost killing T'Challa. The very end of the movie redeems Killmongers actions. It shows how relatable his character and ideologies were for T'Challa to change the policies of the Kingdom that have been used for generations.
A Character like T'Challa is a standard of virtue. Viewers watching Black Panther learn what it means to embody virtuous qualities by identifying situations where he acts in a manner that is brave and selfless and implementing it into their own lives. Of course, viewers are not brave on the scale of T'Challa, who is fistfighting villains of the world, but they can apply bravery in their own daily lives, such as standing up for something that they believe is wrong. We should all be like T'Challa and apply critical thinking to the policies of our government and challenge who they are helping. All superheroes need to be like T'Challa; a superhero must never ignore political issues; superheroes are role models. They can't overlook opportunities to become better humans and must promote good for all in society. Future filmmakers would be wise to draw inspiration from Black Panther to show what a real superhero looks like.
Black Panther: Symbolism Explained
The Moral Dilemma at the Heart of 'Black Panther'
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