In 2018, Black Panther made cinematic history as the first superhero movie nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Most importantly, it took Black culture and expression to the mainstream, paying off in a huge way as the movie grossed over a billion dollars and helped some audience members finally feel represented. Despite Black Panther's groundbreaking success, Black superhero movies are actually nothing new.
The superhero movie from the Black perspective has been around for decades with varying results, however, recently they've had more mainstream success. Not every film concerns the hero having to save the world, but, instead, protect their communities, and help forgotten and disenfranchised citizens.
Steel (1997) - 12%
After coming off the failure of Kazaam, basketball star Shaquille O'Neal took another crack at being a movie star with, unfortunately, similar results. At the time, Hollywood wasn't producing many superhero movies outside of the Batman series, but Warner Bros. decided to take a Superman side character and give him his own movie.
More grounded than his comic book counterpart, John Henry Irons, wears a suit of armor to stop advanced weapons from getting into the wrong hands. The movie was a critical and commercial flop, although critics praised Annabeth Gish as Steel's wheelchair-bound sidekick. Shaq would not headline another movie again.
Abar, The First Black Superman (1977) - 17%
Abar, The First Black Superman is the first on-screen portrayal of a Black superhero. After experiencing racism in his neighborhood, a scientist gives his bodyguard an elixir that turns him into a superhero. He then exacts revenge on a racist white neighborhood using super strength and telekinetic powers.
Abar was a low-budget, blaxploitation film that is known for its cheesy dialogue, wooden acting, and poor special effects but known for being a political expression of the times which has become more prescient than ever.
Spawn (1997) - 17%
Based on one of the most popular comic book characters of all time, Michael Jai White stars as Todd McFarlane's Spawn, a murdered soldier who essentially makes a deal with the devil to lead his army in exchange for returning to his wife on Earth. However, when Spawn returns, he uses his new powers for good instead of evil.
Critics and audiences praised the movie's visuals and style as well as John Leguizamo's performance as Clown. It performed modestly well for an R-rated superhero movie and, despite the mixed response critically and commercially, it has gained a cult following and a sequel or reboot has been in the works for years.
Blankman (1994) - 19%
After his grandmother's murder, a nerdy, childlike repairman attempts to be a superhero to turn his inner-city neighborhood around. He wears a sheet for a cape and uses his technical abilities to create weapons, gadgets, and even a robot. The comedy stars Damon Wayans as the amateur superhero, Blankman, and David Alan Grier as his cynical brother.
The movie was co-written by Wayans and he uses the homemade superhero angle to his comedy advantage. Something up until that point had not yet been done. Unfortunately, the movie was a critical and box-office disappointment. However, it gained a following on home video.
The Meteor Man (1993) - 29%
Robert Townsend is an acclaimed stand-up comedian-turned-director who detailed the Black experience in Hollywood in Hollywood Shuffle as well as in the music industry in The Five Heartbeats. In 1993, he made the first real Black superhero movie since Abar with The Meteor Man. The story revolves around a schoolteacher whose neighborhood is overrun with gangs. After being struck by a meteor, he's endowed with great superhuman powers he uses to fight the gangs, shut down crack houses, prevent robberies, bridge peace between police and criminals, and overall, improves his community.
The movie had an all-star cast that included James Earl Jones, Sinbad, Don Cheadle, and many more. Marvel Comics even produced a comic based on the movie, and while the movie was neither a critical or commercial success, it has gained a cult following and Robert Townsend would eventually direct episodes of the recent CW black superhero show Black Lightning.
Hancock (2008) - 41%
Originally envisioned as a much darker, dramatic film called Tonight, He Comes, Hancock moved from Michael Mann's hands to director Peter Berg's hands and shifted to a more comedic tone. Hancock tells the story of an angry, frustrated, alcoholic, and self-destructive superhero whose attempts at heroism cause more harm than good.
The movie stars Will Smith as the embittered superhero who gets an image upgrade from someone he saves, played by Jason Bateman. The movie was a huge financial hit but critics panned the film's humor, logic, and failed attempts at delivering on the film's clever premise. However, Hancock remains one of the rare superhero movie successes that isn't based on pre-existing material.
Blade (1998) - 56%
Based on one of Marvel Comics' midlevel superheroes, Wesley Snipes stars as Blade, a half-human, half-vampire who hunts down other vampires. Despite being R-rated, the movie was a box-office hit, while critically, it was considered more style over substance. Producers were worried, since, at the time, non-Batman superhero movies weren't faring well and the last two with a Black lead, Steel and Spawn, had flopped, but Blade turned out to be a surprise success.
Audiences incorrectly believe the 2000's more mainstream X-Men was the start of the new wave of comic book movies, but it actually started earlier with Blade. For Blade took a comic book story and put a fresh spin on it, which paved the way for the rest. The movie spawned two sequels and a reboot is in the works.
Sleight (2016) - 78%
Made on just a $250,000 budget, Sleight tells the story of a young street magician, Bo, who uses his magnetic tricks against drug dealers who've kidnapped his sister. The film is unique in that it takes the Batman-powerless approach, since the hero, Bo, doesn't gain powers from some sort of accident but instead develops it using his intelligence and engineering skills.
Sleight premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where Blumhouse acquired it and distributed the film. Eventually, Sleight made back $4 million off a $250,000 budget. Critics praised the film for subverting expectations and defying conventions in creating a unique, grounded, and urban spin on the genre.
Fast Color (2018) - 81%
Fast Color takes place in a future midwest where a young woman with supernatural powers flees back home to her family while being pursued by the law for her potentially dangerous abilities. The film premiered at the South By Southwest film festival, followed by a limited release.
Critics praised the film for Gugu Mbatha-Raw's performance and the inspirational story. Fast Color is another example of taking the superhero genre and grounding it in reality in order to tell a different story than the Marvel or DC films normally do. In this case, audiences enjoyed the film for being a metaphor for women having to conceal their strengths and for showcasing that this strength gets magnified when combined with the strengths of women working together. Currently, a television series continuation is in development for Amazon.
Black Panther (2018) - 96%
Written and directed by Fruitvale Station and Creed director Ryan Coogler, and starring the late Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther burst onto the screen in 2018 where it was an enormous critical and commercial hit. Eventually, it would make history for being the first superhero movie nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.
Based on the Marvel Comic and taking place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther concerns T'Challah, the new king of Wakanda whose ascension to the throne is threatened by an outsider angered by Wakanda's absence from the world. Perhaps the most introspective Marvel film to date, commenting on the black experience including their struggles, tradition, and, even, place in today's world. Besides the themes, Black Panther is visually unique, displaying Afrofuturism aspects not seen in mainstream movies previously. Due to the film's enormous success, a sequel is planned, however, due to Chadwick Boseman's sudden passing, will not include T'Challah.