Representations of gender and race in Ryan Coogler’s film Black Panther: disrupting Hollywood tropes

ABSTRACT

Dozens of superhero films have been produced to date, yet their narratives tend to marginalize characters of color and offer stereotypical representations of masculinity and femininity. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther places people of color at the center of its narrative; this study investigates whether it disrupts commonplace tropes and offers innovative portrayals of Black womanhood and manhood. The analysis focuses on the characterizations and the story lines found in the film, particularly considering how the narrative engages with aspects such as agency, ideology, choice, allyship, and empowerment. The analysis uses an interpretive methodology and is informed by works in critical/cultural studies, communication, film, and feminist scholarship. The findings suggest that the film subverts stereotypes found in Hollywood movies, presenting characters that embody complex intersectional identities, yet these portrayals are carefully negotiated within the context of a popular franchise.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender and media
• critical/cultural studies
• race and film
• representation
• qualitative research methods

Notes

1 Black Panther, in italics, is used here to refer to the movie; without italics, Black Panther refers to the homonymous character and the comic books.

2 Special thanks to Julie Davis and Robert Westerfelhaus for organizing the session at the National Communication Association Annual Convention where an earlier version of this paper was presented. I appreciate the comments and suggestions voiced by colleagues, students, and anonymous reviewers who helped me improve the original manuscript.