Research Essay Proposal: Exploring Black Masculinity in Black Panther

This research essay proposal explores the complex portrayal of black masculinity in the film 'Black Panther.' The essay aims to analyze the characters of T'Challa and Killmonger, examining how their narratives reflect different aspects of the black psyche and challenge conventional representations. The introduction will establish a research space by discussing existing scholarly interpretations of the film and highlighting the essay's unique contribution. The argument will be structured around three key points, likely focusing on T'Challa's embodiment of traditional values, Killmonger's embodiment of suppressed anger, and the validation of supporting characters' actions. The essay will draw on research from peer-reviewed papers and scholarly articles related to the film's background, origins, and the representation of black masculinity in Marvel's cinematic universe, including the work of scholars like Bloom, LaRue, Roy, and West. The proposal outlines the structure and sources for a 1500-1700 word research essay, formatted in MLA style, for an ENGL-1004 course.

Running Head: BLACK MASCULINITY IN BLACK PANTHER
Black Masculinity in Black Panther
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:
Table of Contents

1BLACK MASCULINITY IN BLACK PANTHER
Introduction............................................................................................................................................1
Discussion..............................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................................3
References..............................................................................................................................................3

2BLACK MASCULINITY IN BLACK PANTHER
Introduction
‘Black Panther’ as a movie was glass shattering stereotype breaking graphical
representation of a third world country named Wakanda whose economic condition is shown
to be looked down upon by the first world countries, who wears outdated clothes in their
daily life. The male characters in the movie is one of the biggest milestone for the franchise
as a step towards showing the real world and does not conform to the typical ways in which a
black male is perceived and shown till then. The story of Wakanda and their saver- The Black
Panther shows their real strength and reflects the perspective of the African American
community. The thesis statement, however, for my paper will not be limited to analyzing the
black masculinity of the protagonist but also the anti-hero, ‘Killmongers’ or Eric and how
both the characters can be traced to the black psyche (Bloom, Waldo E, and Waldo).
Discussion
The movie is centered on the Marvel Universe where superheroes such as Ironman,
Captain America and Thor were already present and were fighting for the good of the world
as whole. But the protagonist of the movie, T’Challa rises from the ashes of the mechanism
where they in spite of having power remains low in order to preserve their culture and nature.
But the paper will discuss stay focused on the portrayal of non-conforming trait of the
narrative which shows the black male in a different role which we expect from them (West).
The research will focus on the studies proposed by LaRau who shows how James Baldwin
movie gave the voice to the suppressed African American race but how it shows both sides of
the narrative. When the African American saw the narrative, it was not T’Challa alone that
they could relate, in fact their suppression and anger of being unsupported and being
separated from their origin was depicted more so by the character of the Killmonger (Roy).
T’Challa being the epitome of a black male who does not possess any physical
superhero quality but whose belief and trust in people whom he trust. He is the one who is

3BLACK MASCULINITY IN BLACK PANTHER
worthy to wear the Black Panther suit and take the rightful place of the King. But, all this
occurrences are limited within the African or here, the Wakandan boundary. Eric or the
Killmonger is shown to have grown up within the American society whose attitude towards
the African American community spew a hatred for his own community to leave him reaches
a height where he decides to weaponize the suppressed of the world (LaRue). The paper will
show the context of W’Kabi and M’Baku and will show the validation of their action through
their perspective. The role played by the Zuri and his involvement in keeping the death of
N’Jobu a secret will be analyzed by the trust and loyalty.
Conclusion
The tittle of the paper shows the relation of my topic of towards the subject I aim to
explore with it. The resources that I will use in the paper is the studies and the researches
present for the other Marvel’s superhero character and how the portrayal of other black males
deviates from the portrayal of T’Challa and Eric. Main resources which the paper include are
peer-reviewed research papers on the background and the origin of Black Panther.

4BLACK MASCULINITY IN BLACK PANTHER
References
Bloom, Joshua, Waldo E. Martin Jr, and Waldo E. Martin. Black against empire: The history
and politics of the Black Panther Party. Univ of California Press, 2016.
LaRue, Robert. "‘I Remember You Was Conflicted’: Reflections on Black Panther, the
African American/African Divide, and Scholarly Positionings." Journal of Pan African
Studies 11.9 (2018): 48-53.
Roy, Mike. "Behind the mask and into the spotlight: New black and biracial masculinity." YA
Hotline [phone]).
West, E. James. "Black power print." Radical Americas 3.14 (2018): 1-18.