Lessons from Black Panther: 6 Values + 3 Archetypes of a Powerful Man

Alright, I finally got to watch the King of Wakanda in action this week. And it. Was. Incredible.

Black Panther is a movie the world will remember for ages to come. And I guess it’s safe to say that it’s easily one of the best comic-book movies I’ve seen. Iron Man always takes the first spot for me personally, but Black Panther is entirely on another level.

From culture to science to warriors to espionage, Marvel has outdone itself yet again. Until Infinity War comes out this April, obviously.

But this post is not about comic-book lore or how enchanting the fictional world of Wakanda looks or whether Shuri is smarter than Tony Stark.

What I want to write about today is what I actually took away as lessons from the movie — and no, it’s not about the ‘easter eggs’ or nods to fellow comic-book movies.

As some of my friends and followers who have read my recently released book Outcast: A Transformation Memoir may know, by this time I have a full-blown knack for learning as much as I have an undying love for the big screen.

Learning is my mistress, the big screen is my wife. And it’s almost always a confirmed threesome when the two cross paths. Black Panther did not go un-seduced.

Within the two hours of cinematic glory, I also managed to pluck out some really good nuggets on life and humanity and leadership and integrity, and it’s not surprising to say that the movie had abundant amounts of it. Just like Wakanda has its resources of vibranium.

I’d like to start with the three principal archetypes the character of King T’challa charismatically portrayed by star Chadwick Boseman.

Just a while back, before I saw the movie, I was watching a YouTube clip of Jimmy Fallon’s show where they were bringing some of the moviegoers back into a room full of red curtains that had nothing but a poster of Black Panther nailed to the wall. The participants were asked to share their thoughts and opinions about the movie, by speaking to the poster. Unknown to them, Chadwick Boseman was behind the curtains. He’d listen to the participants’ words first. Then he’d come out and surprise them. And they’d jump in excitement.

What stood out to me was not just the reactions of the participants, aka fans, when the star stood in front of them, but the way they expressed their gratitude, pride, and newfound sense of unity and strength — all because of the movie. One guy took to bowing down in front of Chadwick, doing the Wakandan gesture of honor, exclaiming ‘My King! My King!’

That was when I started wondering — how could a movie have so much impact and influence that it literally recreated the unity of black people after so many years all around the world? Needless to say, it was inspiring.

So I watched the movie and, with a little insight and application of what I already know, came up with what I’d like to call archetypes of the image of a man of power and influence. This is what made King T’challa become a beacon of hope for the African community — not just in the reel world, but the real world too. Much like a Martin Luther King Jr. from the fictional world.

ARCHETYPE 1: THE KING / LEADER / VISIONARY

[Warning. Potential spoilers ahead.]

Black Panther isn’t a movie about a superhero. It’s a movie about a leader. Someone who people look up to, at times of crisis. Someone who carries the weight of an entire country and its people on his shoulders without questioning or hesitance, even after almost getting killed and overthrown by the tyrannic villain.

Whether it is a country or a company or just a little team of like-minded people working towards one certain goal and idea, a leader of absolute integrity and composure is what keeps them optimistic and collectively dedicated to the greater good.

This brings us to the first values at hand:

INTEGRITY AND OPTIMISM

King T’challa is shown as the rock that holds everything and everyone together in the story even in the midst of chaos. And this unconsciously reminded viewers of a possibility of a similar ruler, probably as a projection of their own potential, who could make the dream of a similar future like that of Wakanda come true. Black Panther is a simulation of the possibility of that future.

As humans, we have been hardwired for the need for greatness. And who other than T’challa embodies the same? And the very idea of a politically repressed people, and them suddenly having a king that can paint their vision in vivid clarity, is where Black Panther won Hollywood.

The movie, just as effectively as the king himself, showed people in real life the vision of a world of equal rights and opportunities and freedom and peace for every person regardless of race, sex or color. This brings us to the next values.

FEARLESSNESS AND EQUALITY

We see this [SPOILERS AHEAD] towards the end of the movie, where the King addressed a press conference that the people of Wakanda will finally be willing to come to the spotlight and share their knowledge and resources. This is also shown when T’challa reveals to his sister he’d been buying some buildings to build a global entourage centre for Wakanda.

Now what kind of sane person doesn’t want a leader who is brave and considerate enough to share the country’s valuable resources with the rest of the world? He’s confident enough that his land has enough goods to be shared with other nations, and he’s also courageous enough to do it knowing that this can and will attract dangerous consequences that can, and will, eventually put his country and people in peril. Soon.

But as reckless as it may be, one can’t not admit that it is a move any naturally powerful man would make.

ARCHETYPE 2: THE WARRIOR

‘We haven’t met yet. I’m Clint.’

Hawkeye eases in to make friends with T’challa, withdrawing his recurve bow and arrow, in the midst of a battle in Civil War (2016).

‘I don’t care.’ T’challa grunts and lunges at Hawkeye.

The Black Panther doesn’t care. T’challa doesn’t give a shit. He’s a man on a mission. His mission in Civil War was to avenge the death of his father. His purpose in his solo outing is simple — protect his people. He’s a laser-focused warrior.

From witty comebacks like ‘I never freeze’ to split second decisions like ‘we will proceed with the mission’ throughout the movie, it’s safe to say that T’challa doesn’t stop to think twice about his decisions. He’s never hesitant. On a side note, this is also one of the reasons why the villain Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) too has established his own fan-following since his debut.

Which brings us to the next value. And it’s not bravery and speed and stealth and the other usual traits of a great warrior. This differentiates him from the rest because it’s something that the likes of Captain America and Ant-Man don’t have. Hey, don’t blame me. Watch Civil War and judge for yourself! Guess who takes a lot of time persuading others to join their side, while someone takes little to zero seconds to decide which team he’ll be fighting for.

CERTAINTY / DECISIVENESS

We, as humans, take up a hell lot of our precious time and energy in making decisions throughout our life. And half of those moments of speculation almost always end up in a big flat NO as a result. Imagine the places where we’d be if we were to make decisions on all things big and small with flowing ease and not just resort to overthinking and plucking our own mental calculations of the pros and cons that may come after.

Indecisiveness is one of the biggest enemies that affect our ability to achieve our dreams and goals.

I went through a similar dilemma before I started writing Outcast: A Transformation Memoir. But then I just proceeded with the idea (mission) and tagged it Project-X. A mission to get my voice out there with the firm belief that it can and will help and inspire so many people out there hiding in the shadows. And I do not regret it for a moment. From that day, I have been very conscious about my certainty and decisiveness. And in the end, the reaping is worth more than what you sow.

Good news is that CERTAINTY is a muscle that can be honed with practice. If you want to be like the King of Wakanda, you should get down on it right now. Because hey, that’s one of the key traits of a true warrior.

ARCHETYPE 3: THE SON / BROTHER

This goes without saying. Family comes first.

Family can be anything from your spouse and kids to your co-workers or friends to just you and your pet dog in your house a la ‘John Wick’.

It can even be your harem in your mansion if you’re someone living the life of Hugh Hefner or Dan Bilzerian.

Anyone or any group of living beings you love and keep close to you, is family.

For T’challa, it’s his mother, his dead father and his genius sister Shuri.

When’s the last time you called up your mom or dad or sister or brother or wife or husband or son or daughter or anyone from your family? Even if you’re busy, as one should be, pursuing your goals and passions and not giving in to the dreaded Zombie Convoy, take some time off your day, even if for a couple minutes, to catch up on things.

Pays off well in the long run. And in your chances of being a domestic superhero.

HONOR / SELF-CONTROL

[Massive spoilers below]

Killmonger comes, challenges T’challa to combat, T’challa accepts, Killmonger almost kills T’challa and then unleashes chaos from the throne. Some important people are killed. A few even betray T’challa. T’challa returns and starts battle. Killmonger is defeated. But T’challa doesn’t kill him. He offers to get him healed instead. He forgives a clan of ruthless, savage warriors that had once threatened his life, as long as they admit to their flaws. That makes them fight for him rather than against him.

It is this sense of honor and dignity that makes T’challa more powerful in person, alone, than an entire army of Wakandans led by Killmonger. That makes him invincible.

This is no different in real life.

It is often talked about in books like Sun Tzu’s Art Of War. The most powerful and victorious ones are often those who have their honor retained and mind grounded even in the most dire situations.

The less you lose your shit during crisis, the more powerful and victorious you are.

And it takes a hell lot of self-control to keep one’s mind grounded when everything is falling down around you and annoying relatives are starting to appear out of nowhere to claim their piece of property.

Batman and Black Panther do it well.

Again, good news is you can learn to hone your abilities of self-control and honorable thinking, with a clear amount of practice, dedication…and patience. I’ll probably talk more about that some other day, but you can still learn a lot about it from books and online media and what not. Nothing will make you thank and love yourself more than investing in your own mind and body’s growth rather than spending the same amount of money on Tinder Gold every month.

Unless you’ve got an entire city of vibranium to sell. In which case, go ahead. Spend that shit everywhere.

But always…keep…working on yourself.

Establish your own mindset of self-discipline with your own values of honor and integrity and, in no time, you’ll be a T’challa in your own world.

So there goes my not-so-brief summary of what I learnt from two hours of watching the King of Wakanda in action. It was an incredible watch. And a pretty good source of life-lessons. I could break down more points and go deep into other subjects like body language and charisma and stuff, but I’ve decided (without hesitance) to save it for some other day.

On that note, if you enjoyed this little breakdown of values and archetypes, feel free to leave a few claps down below. I’ll be grateful and honored. Maybe I’ll make more of these later.

Have a great day.

-PB