Wakanda as a Conditional African Utopia: Analysing Black Panther’s Excursion (in)to Neoliberal Intergalactic Futures

Abstract

Black Panther’s entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe marks a significant moment in mainstream speculative fiction, offering a promising representation of blackness and Africanism while challenging Western cultural schemata. However, scholars argue that the film also reflects opportunistic capitalist moves, noting that despite celebrating black excellence, much remains to be done. This article examines how Wakanda’s cartographic and sociopolitical features facilitate its categorisation as a customary utopian place and how its evolution from tribal myth to technocratic global power mirrors the shifting trends in the conception of utopia as a projection of desired sociability and the effects this brings to Afrofuturism. The discussion raises whether Wakanda serves as an effective tool against white supremacy or merely reinforces the Western hegemonic discourses that Robin James (2014) calls the MRWaSP (multi-racial white supremacist patriarchy). Ultimately, as the film’s optimistic ending, which promotes sharing Wakandan technology and wealth, aligns with neoliberal interventionist intergalactic policies, this study also revisits Afropolitanism and its idealisation in Wakanda’s utopianism, juxtaposing dissenting opinions: while this Pan-African utopia certainly celebrates multicultural blackness and its universal significance, it also raises criticism about the dangers of using this tale of black excellence as the representation of Africa.