Quote Originally Posted by Revolutionary_Jack View Post
That's the thing right, the story of the MCU depends on Tony Stark being this figure of optimism, the man with the plan and who always finds a way out...i.e. "the billionaires will save us" when in reality they specifically are not doing that at all. In fact, rather the opposite. The movies operated on a bunch of assumptions about the idea of simple reform and change without sacrifice. ta



Well, based on the plot and schema that the movie used (which by itself should not be considered the best and most effective story to tell), I'd have Killmonger be the one to end Wakandan isolation and reveal it to the world, HOX/POX Krakoa style, i.e. Killmonger gives a speech that tells the world that Wakanda is the government that exists to defend the rights of black people, and that they will offer trade and perks (i.e. Wakandan tech) but in exchange, the world will have to reform and change their laws. That would include demands like say, the African sculptures in European museums would have to be returned and so on. "While you slept, the world changed" and so on. (BTW, Michael B. Jordan said that Magneto from the X-Men films was one of his main inspirations for Killmonger). We need to see a glimpse of whether his ideas for redistribution of power could have worked, only for him to reject it because it's not enough or it comes with reaction and doubt, and then he escalates. There needs to be some middle ground between taking over Wakanda and then immediately launching a global invasion to take over the world. Without that, the entire message and call for redistribution and accountability that Killmonger calls for becomes a kind of grubby resentful bloodlust. T'Challa's centrist approach which the movie validates is especially out of touch after BLM and the wave of toppled statues of noble racists across the world.

But again that's not the only plot the movie could have used. Not sure I know which one to propose but you have to wonder about the optics that the first outing for the major black superhero they decide to make it devolve into "black on black violence" where the victim is the only African-American character in the story. Anyway, I am not saying Black Panther isn't a worthy movie to make and that it's success isn't a big deal, because it is. The truth is that it's not free of problems.



Which raises issues as to whether the genre can maintain its popularity in a period where so much is gray and murky.
Black Panther was directed and written by African-Americans. I think they'd have a better idea of the optics for an African-American audience than you think and boiling the conflict between T'Challa and Killmonger to black on black violence is reductive at best, offensive at worst. This wasn't some 50 Cent produced gangster movie.