It’s going to be the comic book controversy of the summer. The first issue of the new six-part Marvel Knights Black Panther series, called The World To Come, has just dropped.
The much-anticipated new series by Marvel titans Christopher Priest, Joe Quesada, Richard Isanove, and Richard Starkings reveals a stunning detail about the successor to the main character, T’Challa.
- The newest comic in the latest Marvel Knights Black Panther series reveals a white character
- The son of T’Challa from a previous love interest, Ketema, has come for the throne of Wakanda
- Netizens have various responses, some suggesting that people are past hot-button race issues
- The cultural significance of the Black Panther franchise is once again a topic of social media conversation
The story begins with the passing of T’Challa as an old man, and then flashes back to the events that led to his passing. At the very end, we see that his long-lost son, Ketema, is actually white.
Comic book controversy that stuns the Marvel universe
Image credits: Disney / Marvel Studios / imdb
Image credits: imdb
The much-anticipated release and subsequent major spoiler of the new series have the internet on fire.
Many people claimed to be confused.
“So T’Challa walked in the joint years ago like ‘Where the white women at?!’” one person asked.
Another said: “God no. Dude he wasn’t white in the comics either…. What is this?” Others said, “Methinks Disney/Marvel be stirring the pot.”
Image credits: Sama Kai / Winston Duke / Getty Images
Yet another said, “If this is true it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.”
But other comments online were more relaxed and seemed to want people to chill out over the whole thing.
One person said: “It’s a comic book people chill out. There’s a larger story at least let it play out.”
This person said: “Imagine being mixed and seeing all of y’all acting insane over a biracial kid….. like, chill.”
And still others noted that “it’s a fictional character so it shouldn’t matter, right?”
The issue of race is central to the success of the Black Panther franchise
Image credits: Marvel
But there is no escaping the issue of race. When the first film Black Panther was released in 2018, the media lauded the film for breaking down Hollywood’s racial barriers.
A review in Time Magazine at the time said: “It’s a movie about what it means to be black in both America and Africa—and, more broadly, in the world. Rather than dodge complicated themes about race and identity, the film grapples head-on with the issues affecting modern-day black life.”
The BBC said: “Having a plot based around a black superhero with a predominantly black cast is a first for Marvel, but the film builds on this concept in a massive way.”
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Another article written in Vox about the first Black Panther movie called it “a cultural phenomenon that sparked conversation all over social media.
“The conversation about the film has evolved from discussions about the importance of representation into something grander: a rather groundbreaking celebration of black culture,” the Vox article said.
“Wakanda got gentrified”: Netizens’ comments ranged from supportive to cheeky
Image credits: Marvel
Some netizens were caught off guard with the decision to include a caucasian in the Black Panther storyline, and had cheeky suggestions for other race-swapping roles.
“Tell me it’s Will Ferrell!” said one person.
Another said they’re “waiting for Brad Pitt to play Martin Luther King.”
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“Why not? Let’s talk about the Little Mermaid… Why get offended?” another asked.
“Wakanda got gentrified,” another person said.
And still others suggested to Marvel: “Please make Thor chinese.”
According to Comicbookmovie.com, the story shows in the flashback that Storm is murdered in the Race War. To preserve his legacy, he has a child with an old flame named Monica Lynne. The boy, named Ketema, grows up resenting his father, which leads to him challenging his father for the rule of Wakanda.
“I’ve been typing to work with him since day one”: Black Panther director says Denzel Washington is in
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The third movie in the film series could be coming out soon, according to writer and director Ryan Coogler, and legend Denzel Washington will likely be in it.
Recently, Coogler gave a podcast interview discussing his desire to get Washington on board.
“I’ve been trying to work with him since day one,” Coogler said
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On the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn With Carmelo Anthony, Coogler said he wrote a role specifically for Washington because: “I think he’s the greatest living actor. And in terms of what he means to our culture, forget about it. I’ve been talking to him about this for a long time, and I was surprised when he mentioned it. But it’s not like it’s not true.”
Washington did, in fact, let it slip last year during an interview on an Australian morning news show that he would be making a trip to Wakanda in the near future.
Black journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates played an important role in the first Black Panther film
Image credits: Marvel Entertainment / YouTube
Image credits: Marvel Entertainment / YouTube
Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Black activist and journalist from the U.S., played an integral role in writing the first Black Panther film. According to an interview with Vice, the inclusion of Coates on the project was a perfect pairing.
“Ta-Nehisi Coates is not just a self-described comics fan but the premier writer on blackness and anti-blackness in America. Meanwhile Black Panther is not just king of Wakanda, an Afrofuturist African nation, but also the first black superhero to appear in mainstream American comics,” the article said.
Image credits: Marvel Entertainment / YouTube
Image credits: Marvel Entertainment / YouTube
The article continued: “Some may point to Marvel’s efforts to represent blackness on the page, but Coates remains one of only two black writers working at Marvel Comics, and the institution has drawn fire in the last year for its handling of black issues.”
