the "eternal present" of black panther's afrofuturism

"Black Panther," directed by Ryan Coogler, has been praised for its Afrofuturistic world-building and portrayal of a fictional African country called Wakanda. The film presents a rich world in which Africa lacks the stereotypes presented by much of Western media. Wakanda is technologically advanced and powerful. The women in the film are not overly sexualized as many female Marvel characters are, and T'Challa often seeks counsel from female characters. However, "Black Panther" has limitations for the scope in which an Afrofuturistic vision can be carried out in such a film.

One limitation of "Black Panther" is its narrow representation of Afrofuturism. The film primarily depicts a technologically advanced and prosperous Wakanda that is isolated from the rest of the world. While this is an exciting concept, it only scratches the surface of what Afrofuturism can encompass. Many other themes could have been included, such as time travel or alternate realities. Gerry Canavan writes about the limitations of the comic-book formula, in which everything returns statically to how it was before. Lots of superhero narratives exist in a sort of "eternal present". More radical imaginings were not explored through "Black Panther".

Another limitation of "Black Panther" that I noticed is its representation of gender roles. The movie's portrayal of women, particularly the character of Shuri, as technologically savvy and capable is notable. However, the film still perpetuates traditional gender roles, with men primarily occupying positions of power and leadership.

I think that the fact that "Black Panther" is from Marvel Studios is a major limiting factor as well. Ultimately, Marvel's goal is to make money with their endless production of action movies. More radical imaginings of the Afrofuturist vision, such as using superhero powers to save the climate, abolish capitalism, eliminate nuclear weapons, as Canavan discusses, would be less digestable for a mainstream audience.