Tales about heroes are an integral part of everyone’s childhood as the obstacles these victors overcome, their unearthly courage, and the amazing triumphs they achieve form an influential concept of “an ideal human.” In these seemingly childish and imaginary stories and myths, Joseph Campbell, a successful American professor of literature, identified the specific paths and stages that the characters described tend to follow. This paper analyzes how Campbell’s hero journey theory is evident in the famous Marvel movie “Black Panther” based on the line of stages the main character of the same name follows.
The Black Panther conveys T’Challa’s pursuit of his calling, to save his country Wakanda from the eminent dangers and to correct the mistake made by his father to create a better future. Eric Kilmonger returns to Wakanda full of hatred to revenge for the death of his father, ascends the throne, and sets out for the Black Panther what is called the adventure stage in Campbell’s theory. The Black Panther, just like Campbell’s protagonist, wrestles with the mission set for him by fate and enters the significant stage of transformation that will radically change the future of himself and those around him.
The intersection of the Black Panther movie and Campbell’s theory is not limited to the existence of the mission and includes other crucial integral parts of Campbell’s departure stage. The Black Panther’s initial attempt to conceal Eric’s identity from others is precisely in line with Campbell’s protagonist’s initial avoidance of his mission due to possible fear, hesitance, self-doubt, lack of courage, or other reasons. Nonetheless, after being defeated by Killmonger in a ritual battle, the Black Panther finally breaks away from the usual rhythms of life and enters a stage of metamorphosis, the end of Campbell’s departure stage.
Such a detailed illustration of the leaving phase in the Black Panther film is a testament to the fact that the Black Panther person begins and continues to follow the path of Campbell’s hero. He successfully goes through the most challenging stage of essential decisions, which requires great courage, wit, faith, and dedication, and moves on to the next stage of Campbell’s hero’s journey.
After the events described so far, a challenging trial phase begins for Campbell’s character, the starting point of which in the case of “Black Panther” is the coronation of the evil, aggressive and murderous Killmonger. Without assistance, the Black Panther would have perished, but instead, he survives and enters a battle, where his sister Shuri, mother Ramonda, and ex-girlfriend Nakia, play a vital role, again corresponding to Campbell’s theory. One should emphasize the latter fact given Campbell’s stress on the role of women in the protagonist’s adventures, which in the case of the discussed movie is attributed to a relatively positive charge.
In Campbell’s theory, the critical moment of the adventure occurs at the trial stage, corresponding to an imaginary meeting of T’Challa and his father, with the former holding the latter accountable for the past actions. This is a remarkable moment in both the film and the hero’s journey theory as the protagonist rejects something precious to him, and this turning point functions as a bridge to achieving his ultimate goal. It is precisely this scheme that the Black Panther follows in the fight to bring Wakanda back, defeat Killmonger, restore justice in the country, and triumph in freeing his people from the evil force.
At the end of his adventure, Campbell’s character inevitably enters the “crossing of the return threshold” phase in the aftermath of his experiences, which is evident in the development of the Black Panther film (2008). The Black Panther returns to Wakanda reborn, a fact he does “accept as real, after an experience of the soul-satisfying vision of fulfillment, the passing joys and sorrows, banalities and noisy obscenities of life” (Campbell, 2008, p. 189). He becomes “master of two worlds,” spreading his influence over the outside world by opening a Wakanda outreach center in the USA, ending the dark past and laying a solid foundation for a brighter future.
The result of the adventures of the Black Panther, and the latter’s new ability to move between two different worlds and take contrasting viewpoints, is closely in line with the outcomes communicated by Campbell’s theory. Such a development of events, the presented sequence of internal and external obstacles, and the metamorphosis of the character of Black Panther are easily solved by considering Campbell’s theoretical hero model.
In conclusion, the examples discussed in the paper reveal how close the Black Panther adventure, its actions, and metamorphosis are to the exact characteristics of the hero described in Campbell’s theory. The Black Panther goes through all the stages in theory under consideration — departure, the trial stage, and returning — and includes various elements that characterize these phases. The multiple emphases on the role of a woman in the film, substantial changes in the Black Panther’s values, and the moving between different worlds openly confirm all the aforementioned.
References
Campbell, J. (2008). The hero with a thousand faces (Vol. 17). New World Library.
Coogler, R.(2018). Black Panther. Marvel Studios.