I normally don’t do this, that is, dedicate a whole post to my opinion on a teaser trailer. The reason I skew from tradition is not necessarily because of the trailer itself but rather the things that happened before and after it. Yesterday afternoon I was scrolling through Facebook when an image (and the text attached to it) caught my attention. It was of a black man in a beautiful replica of Batman’s costume, clearly cosplaying The Dark Knight. The man went on to describe the bigotry and racial insults he had received at a comic book convention because of the fact that he – a black man – had dared to cosplay a traditionally white character.
These insults were, however, not the focus of the post. The man goes on to explain how he ran into a little black boy with his mother. The boy was instantly transfixed when he saw a ‘Black Batman’. The boy and the man then had an exchange, which according to the author went like this.
Little Boy: Batman, you’re brown, just like me! Does that mean that I can be a real superhero someday too? I don’t see a lot of brown superheros…
Black Batman:Â You can be any superhero you want to be and don’t ever let anyone tell you different. Being a brown superhero is a very special thing and I know you’re going to make a great one
This touched my soul. Accurate representation in film is an issue that’s close to my heart. I despise whitewashing! Whitewashing, however, is just a symptom of the true disease which is a lack of representation of the diversity in the world. Â When you look out into the world of fiction at the heroes that define, there’s a clear lack of racial and sexual diversity. From James Bond, to Dirty Harry; from Superman to Indiana Jones, we’re subliminally being taught that a ‘white man’ is the peak of excellence.
Enter the Black Panther teaser! Mere hours after seeing this post and thinking about who a person of colour has to look up to in film, Marvel drops a potential solution to my conundrum. I love this trailer! After seeing it I commented on how wonderful it is to see a movie being made BY black people FOR black people. The trailer oozes swag both from the characters on-screen to subtle things like the musical selection and style of the title card. Most importantly, it’s filled to the brim with black faces. Not black characters as plucky sidekicks or stereotypical criminals. It feels like a celebration of black excellence.
More important than the trailer itself has been the response to this trailer. I’m a huge fan of movies so the people and channels I subscribe to through my various social platforms were abuzz. This was normal, expected. What shocked me was the number of my friends and non-movie fanatics who were going on about the trailer. The Fast and Furious movies came and went without them saying a word. Avengers made BILLIONS without them knowing the difference between adamantium and vibranium; BUT Black Panther could NOT be denied!
I love how people have claimed the movie. They’ve made memes about how they’re going to dress to the premiere; they’re researching it, finding out about the character, I LOVE IT! One of the lies that Hollywood uses to justify whitewashing and poor representation as a whole is that a blockbuster movie without a white, male lead will not make money. So, it is crucial that we, as black people, go support this movie. Don’t wait to download it. Don’t wait for it to come to TV. Give it a huge weekend opening. Let’s have Black Panther make over $500 million! It doesn’t matter whether you’re a fan of the genre or not.
Let’s stand up and make this movie A HIT!
KG's Movie Rants 
I haven’t yet met one of these movies I didn’t like, but this one looks like it will have a refreshing take on the genre. I look forward to seeing it.
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I think Marvel had figured out how to make entertaining films that appeal to casual viewers and hardcore fans. For that reason, I’m sure this film will be fun to watch but I’m hoping they also realise the social importance it has.b
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I must say, dear KG , that I didn’t really notice that Superheroes generally are white people. Being a white person made me somehow blind. A good thing that there is this movie now, a film made by black people for black AND white people 😉 Yes, let’s make this a hit !
p.s. my favourite actor is Morgan Freeman. I just love to see this man on screen in whatever role he’s playing. 🙂 Suddenly noticed that he’s not white… 😉
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The world of superheroes is a bit monochromatic but Panther should inject some much needed colour. I think it’s gonna have Marvel’s amazing standard of quality so it’ll be fun for everyone to watch.
Freeman is an amazing actor. His voice is the stuff of dreams.
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I know you probably didn’t mean anything by it but specifying “AND white people” is a bit offensive. I’m sure that this film is going to be made to entertain audiences of all colours but it’s purpose – I hope – is going to be a celebration of black excellence. Therefore, it’s made for black people. I don’t mean to offend you but, like you said, you’ve been somewhat blind to the lack of diversity in terms of representation in superhero films. So you might not fully understand the weight tacking on “AND white people” to your comment holds.
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You’re right , I didn’t assumed there could be a weight . I certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone. I only wanted to point out that white people should watch this film in order to be aware of the lack of black superheroes and excellence of black actors , as you put it so right to the point. We got so used to the white male.being the hero , but a white guy can play every role, and so can a black actor. But as you pointed out some time earlier, also women are often put in the sidekick role, so I also am glad that there’s Wonder Woman . Perhaps there was a kind of wake-up call in the superhero-filmindustry? 😉
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I also noticed how social medial lit up once the trailer dropped. I’m so anxious for this movie. That said, I’m still a little miffed we’re getting it so soon. By that, I mean in a bad attempt at subtlety Marvel is dropping this movie in February or Black History Month in the U.S. instead of giving it a normal summer release like nearly every other MCU film. It could be just me looking for something to complain about, but I hope that doesn’t hurt its box-office. Besides, Deadpool did quite well with a early year release.
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I was actually thinking it been in February might help its box office. I’m guessing they’re hoping people will be in that “civil movement” mood and will go support the movie for this. I also think Marvel tends to play it rather cautious with its less mainstream characters. Doctor Strange didn’t get a summer release neither did Guardians the first time around. It’s easier to have a major box office return in the quieter months I think. But I’m just hoping this film is well-made because it’s going to mean so much for black people.
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I can’t wait for this movie and yes it will have great significance for us Black people. Just as Wonder women is significant for women. I just saw the teaser and i just fell in-love with the movie and i also like to give it up to the wardrobe guys on that movie they are representing Africa.
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I’m really excited too, I hope – like Wonder Woman – it’s a financial success because then we’ll get more diversity not only in the superhero genre but across all film.
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Love this KG. And yes, even though I loathe superhero movies, I’ll be there early to see this one 😉
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