Black Panther: Who “Saves” the World?

Just One Change, One

Black Panther is an epic. It is creative and inspirational. It is colorful, vibrant. It is a superhero movie that is more than just a superhero movie as you have read and heard.

Yet, when the story reaches its crescendo, it falters in a way I haven’t seen many people dissect.

As Killmonger and Black Panther are at each other’s throats, as Nakia, Shuri, and Okoye are fighting the insurrectionist W’Kabi and his troops, and as Wakanda descends into a miniature civil war; it is the white guy that “saves” the world. That’s right, CIA operative Everett K. Ross is the one that shoots down the ships carrying vibranium to the outside world. Killmonger’s ships would have upended the current world order. Ross’ actions stop Killmonger’s plan.

T’Chala defeats Killmonger and Okoye ends the strive outside, but all of this would have been in vain if Killmonger’s ships full of vibranium would’ve left Wakanda.

This is my biggest dissatisfaction with Black Panther. It doesn’t make sense, really especially, because it should’ve been Shuri’s victory.

The movie does an excellent job of establishing Shuri’s (disclosure: she was my favorite) character. She is intelligent; really, an intellectual goddess. She is quick and nimble. She is a master pilot (she piloted a vehicle virtually earlier in the movie). It is her technology. It is her office. It is her instructions. It should have been her.

This does not detract from the overall movie. It is an amazing project with astounding writers, actors, and producers. Director Ryan Coogler did a phenomenal job, but, then again, he doesn’t need my accolades. The truth is that I wish they would have just given Ross Shuri’s energy-hand-weapons thingies and sent him outside and left Shuri to save the world.