Black Panther : Exploring Grief, Ancestral Connection, and the Duty to Carry On

This chapter discusses ways that patterns of violent death and coping in the film mirror patterns found among young black males in the United States. It addresses parallels and divergences between T’Challa and N’Jadaka in coping with loss within contexts and describes ways in which they are transformed through their loss and grief experiences. Superheroes possess physical power and strength far exceeding that of human beings. Yet, traumatic loss and grief exerts its own power in ways that equalize and transform all. In the superhero movie Black Panther, themes of violent death and loss are pronounced. The Black Panther film communicates the historical and contemporary richness of culture, land, and pride of African countries with a focus on the fictional country of Wakanda. The prominence of violent death for boys and men in Black Panther mirrors its pervasiveness among black males in the United States.