The release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” draws near and Marvel Studios reveals more about the film’s plot, but some of these details should raise some eyebrows.
Despite the sequel’s infamously troubled production, many of the problems it looks to potentially face could have easily been avoided.
Take the focus of much of the film’s marketing, the MCU debut of Atlantis and the classic comic character, King Namor.
Portrayed as a monarchic, alien culture that is typical of the source material, Atlantis has been reimagined as an underwater Aztec empire.
None of that is to say how the portrayal of the Atlantean characters (mainly Namor) will end up walking a very fine line of controversy when applied to a modern context.
For better or worse, social media is always looking for ways to get riled up by “the hot new thing.” Almost nowhere is that more true than with comic book adaptations.
Namor has been around for a very long time and has a sizable fanbase.
Central to the character’s appeal for many is that he can be a bit unlikable and this goes doubly so for his early appearances where he often served as a villain.
An issue with adapting this aspect of his character now, however, is that the vocal portion of online discourse like to claim those character traits displayed by members of certain races in a story should be taken as a broad statement about the race in question.
Consider the fact that Namor is typically characterized as arrogant and prideful, and the fact that “Wakanda Forever” has yet to showcase a potential villain besides the Aztec-like Atlanteans and it’s easy to see the minefield that Marvel is about to step into.
Did it have to be this way?
Aside from dodging Aquaman comparisons, the logical reason behind the decision is to diversify the Marvel universe, but even that explanation proves damning.
By taking preexisting material and diversifying it with little thought to how it affects everything else, “Wakanda Forever” has thrown a wrench into the works where there was not one before and complicated the whole endeavor as a result.
That’s not even mentioning the gaping hole left in the story by actor Chadwick Boseman’s passing or that neither side of the advertised conflict seems particularly morally upright.
How this will all play out on the big screen and twitter is yet to be seen, but all signs point to the whole thing being a mess.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will be released in movie theaters on Nov. 11.
