T’Challa has taken the hearts of many- both physically and mentally in this case- and this hero doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Opinions on Marvel’s newest movie, “Black Panther”, have been swirling around the web long before the film’s actual release. There have been jokes, jabs and judgement from everywhere. Now that the film has been released, the support and celebration has been outstanding.

According to Cinemablend, on Thursday night previews alone, “Black Panther” brought in a whopping 25 million in the box office. Within the next four days, it raked in approximately $242.1 million and is projected to beat “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in sales by the time it leaves theaters.

 

This is all fantastic news for the fans and for Marvel Studios. My concern is that this trend will be just that – a trend. The level of diversity on screen is increasing and changing, and it is such a fantastic thing to see. A quick search will show you hundreds of stories about little girls and boys of color finally seeing themselves represented. It’s touching in a way that can’t be described, and it makes you want to rally to reach the point that it’s no longer a rare commodity to see minorities played well on screen. This should become the norm.

However, with the amazing success, this slope looks like it will remain positive. While a lot of the buzz is about the diversity in this movie, the great part, contradictory enough, is that it doesn’t focus on that. It doesn’t just focus on slavery and the mistreatment of people of color. It just tells the story as it’s meant to be. It’s just a wonderful movie with very well-written characters and beautifully choreographed fight scenes. It’s what every movie we as white people expect for ourselves already, but it finally includes the diversity that we seem to lack each time.  

There were many fan-favorite names in the movie as well, with Chadwick Boseman as the lead and Michael B. Jordan and Danai Gurira playing prominent roles as well. There’s too many talented actors and actresses to name. Just seeing them all on screen and being absolutely badass was cool to see, and it was even cooler seeing everyone’s reaction to the film.

While sequel hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’d be a fool’s move to miss out on this movement by skipping one. Black Panther is the hero we want and the hero we need right now, and hopefully he’s the first of many to follow.