After the loss of the icon, Chadwick Boseman, fans have been at a loss for words and without hope regarding the future of his character in the MCU. Chadwick has and will always be an extraordinary person outside of the roles he brought his expertise to. However, in regards to his role as T’Challa in the MCU, he represented inclusion for so many people of colour around the world.
Then, the question was raised of what would happen to the Black Panther now. Many are hoping they either retire the hero or pass on the mantle of Black Panther to Shuri. Not only would this overcome sexist barriers, but she would also have been the first Black woman Marvel hero. Instead, Marvel introduced us to Monica Rambeau in the show WandaVision.
Monica Rambeau represents so much more than just being Carol Danvers’ alleged ex-girlfriend’s daughter. She is the first real black woman to play a Marvel superhero. I’m not discounting Shuri’s role in Black Panther. However, Shuri was more of a side role rather than a main superhero, and Marvel gave us no indication as to whether or not we will be able to see her as the Black Panther in future movies.
The fact that it took so long to actually see a BIPOC woman play a superhero is indeed infuriating and now that it’s finally happening, we can not ignore it or brush it off. The calls for diversification haven’t always been answered – they’ve only just begun listening to the voices of minorities.
Rambeau’s role in the show WandaVision is not a small feat and her powers only add to the significance of this hero’s introduction to the MCU. In the comics, Rambeau is known to lead the Avengers. Fans are speculating that she is indeed to play the role of Captain Marvel (the second), Photon, Spectrum or Pulsar, which are names her superhero identity has held over the years.
I’m optimistic and excited to see how Teyyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau evolves in the Marvel cinematic universe. One can only hope that Marvel doesn’t do what they did to incredible roles like the Black Widow. You know, have her as a superhero on the sidelines, kill her and THEN proceed to give her her own film?
BIPOC women deserve better. It’d be cool if superheroes were also openly LGBTQIA+, but that’s a whole different conversation. Don’t even get me started on LGBTQIA+ representation.
It’s about time BIPOC are represented in the MCU and given lead character roles instead of being tokenized by the film industry.