In 2018 the Black Panther movie was released and it became widely popular. For Marvel fans, it was a great addition to the MCU giving the audience an action-packed 2 hours of viewing. However, Black Panther was unique from other movies because of its wide reach around the Black community. The movie had many black culture references and overall promoted black excellence. Here are just a few of the best themes from the Black Panther movie as we close out Black History Month.

One of the most important parts of Black Panther is Wakanda, the advanced African country where Black Panther rules. This country represents the achievements of black people who had never been colonized, a powerful message about the generational setback that slavery was. The overall environment is modeled off of Kenya, Namibia, and South Africa, and represents the tribal culture and diversity of those countries. Even the language used in the movie, Xhosa, is a language spoken in parts of Southern Africa. The movie continuously highlighted the beauty of African culture. International Review Relations says the movie “thoroughly represented African culture in a positive way, and changed the outlook on sub-Saharan Africa for the better.”

Another thing this film focused on was making sure that black culture and excellence were the center of attention throughout the movie. Vox says “For a long time, it’s felt like the only stories about the African-American experience Hollywood was interested in telling were stories that were intertwined in some way with the white experience, making this shift toward stories that center black narratives as black narratives feel both welcome and long overdue.” This representation of Wakandans and their incredible advancements changed the Hollywood narrative from focusing on the struggles of black people to celebrating their achievements.

One of the deepest quotes, that stuck with me when watching the movie comes from Killmonger, the main antagonist. After he tries to take over Wakanda, he and Black Panther have a fight scene to end the movie and Black Panther ends up stabbing Killmonger. Black Panther offers to heal him but Killmonger declines and says “Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.” This quote is a powerful reference to slaves who jumped off of slave ships.

This movie was a huge success and one of the most important modern additions to black history. So next time you watch Black Panther, don’t just enjoy it for the action and the plot, also look out for all of the ways black culture is glorified and let it inspire you to also glorify the rich black culture that doesn’t get nearly enough time in the spotlight as it deserves.