Like many of us, I very much enjoyed the latest installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther! It is hard to ignore the not-so-subtle societal implications of the movie. Yet, even before getting into all of that, I enjoyed it because T'Challa debuted in Captain America: Civil War as a very cool and interesting new addition to the ever-increasing landscape of Marvel heroes, and his first solo outing did not lower the bar for this great new character, in my estimation.
Still, while I think the societal implications of the movie are not needed in order to appreciate it, of course, they ought not be ignored. Personally, I have very much appreciated all of the discussion emerging from this movie, even though - as with so many discussions - I can't say I agree with all of the voices coming from either side. Still, there are good things to discuss. Mostly, I've just been listening. And there is much to listen to. Not only am I not threatened or insulted by the fact that there are aspects to the significance of this movie that I cannot fully appreciate or identify with, I appreciate that fact. One reason is because I have come to realize that it can create opportunities to attempt to better understand, and thus to be better equipped to engage the world in which we live, not to mention being personally enriched. I have often thought that some of the approaches to responding to racial tension, which focus on altogether ignoring or disregarding a person's race or ethnic background (ie. "color-blindness" or "one race") are well intended, but might not be the best solution. Is it not better to embrace one another as we are, remaining open to the fact that a person's race or ethnic background just might be a part of who they are? Are not those elements of a person's identity, personality or temperament they themselves consider to be connected to their race or ethnic background worth striving to understand and even appreciate? I have often found this to be the case. That is why I appreciate listening to the various perspectives on this movie.
Yet, there is even more to the understanding of how this villain is sympathetic that has required a bit more listening. Even I have often considered how I experience a sense of disconnect from the European cultures from which my ancestors came and yet, one of the reasons I mention this is precisely to point out that this is hardly comparable to the experience of those whose disconnect from their cultural ancestry was not due an ancestor's free choice to emigrate here in pursuit of freedom and prosperity, but rather to the abomination of slavery. One moment that helped me to better understand the full extent to which many people might identify with Killmonger's plight was in reading about the thoughts of the movie's star, Chadwick Boseman himself. In a recent interview, his explanation of the sympathetic nature of Killmonger's character extends to the point of saying that he considers his own character, T'Challa (Black Panther) to be the real enemy. His explanation for this speaks of the power that T'Challa grew up with and took for granted, in contrast to Killmonger, who identifies more with the experience of so many African Americans. I truly am grateful for his perspective.
Why, then, do I emphatically disagree with him, to the extent that I find his suggestion very dangerous? Boseman identifies "power" as the enemy and acknowledges that Killmonger is pursuing "greatness" (although it seems like his comments might imply that he also acknowledges that his pursuit of power and greatness is warped). Having power does not make one a villain. Abuse of that power is what makes them a villain. After a few readings of Boseman's thoughts and giving it some serious consideration, it does not seem that he intends to imply that by Killmonger is, then, a hero. But, rather, that T'Challa represents the very "system" of power that turned him into a villain. This makes sense, on one level, and one can see how sympathizing with him can even lead to a sort of grief that he went down the path he did. However, if one were to attempt to channel that grief in a productive direction, rather than perpetuating the problem, it seems they would seek to respond differently to a similar hardship. It seems a very basic level of this different response would be to refrain from indiscriminately viewing those with power as an enemy, without considering how they are using that power. What makes someone a hero or an enemy is not the problem they are experiencing, but their solution to the problem. Killmonger's solution is undeniably wicked and to reach the conclusion that such murderous actions are justified because of the depth of the problem is extremely dangerous. I don't think that Boseman has come to that conclusion, but I do fear that his comments could leave people with that impression. If we were to apply this mentality to real life, which is a connection many people are making, this will continue to tear our culture apart. We agree about the injustices done to Killmonger and I am grateful to better understand how many people can identify with his plight on a level that I cannot. But, there is a difference between affirming that he is a victim of injustice and going on to conclude that he is then justified in taking so many human lives in the pursuit of power. Pursuing power for its own sake has never made anyone great or heroic, but it has made many into villains. The response to the injustices he has suffered ought to be the pursuit of justice, not power or even greatness necessarily. Precisely what makes T'Challa such a great hero is that he does sympathize with Killmonger. He does respect him. He even grows because of him. Yet, it does not change the fact that he must be stopped!
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