i think my absolute favourite thing about t’challa is how soft he is. he’s a king of a nation and a superhero and a warrior so you might expect him to conform to traditional stereotypes of masculinity and male power which so many other comic book characters do…but he doesn’t at all! he’s not arrogant or rude or self-absorbed at all! he 100% is someone who accepts constructive criticism, learns from his mistakes, and tries to make amends for his wrongs. his adaptability, even in the face of life-changing revelations that occur in the span of a few hours or days, is remarkable, and something all men can and should learn from.
and this 100% carries over from his characterisation in civil war, in which he realised he was acting brashly, became introspective, and moved away from vengeance and violence, and towards compassion and justice. to do that in the face of grief and loss is no easy thing but he did it! he went from actively trying to kill the person who (he thought) had killed his father to somehow finding the compassion to stop the right culprit from taking his own life. not only that, he had the humility to apologise for jumping to conclusions, and even made amends by providing bucky with protection.
and then in black panther - this really does shine through! he goes from idolising his father as a paragon of perfection to finding out that his own father, murdered his own uncle, acting as judge, jury and executioner. this is no easy thing to deal with, especially when it is so personal and changes your entire worldview about your family, your father, your future. but not only does he deal with it, he adapts. he confronts his father, he tells him he was wrong, he steps away from his father’s shadow, he finds the wisdom is being his own king and not trying to do what others are doing/tried to do in the past. he goes from wearing terrible traditional sandals (what are those???) and trying to follow his father’s footsteps to carving his own space as a king and ruler.
more than that, he sees erik for who he is despite the many wrong things erik has done (the murder mostly but otherwise #KillmongerWasRight). he still has compassion for erik! even when erik is dying, he offers to save his life. he takes him to see the wakandan sunset so that he can fulfill his late uncle’s promise, and let erik feel closer to n’jobu. he posthumously makes erik’s wishes of wakandan intervention in america come true, albeit in a different way that more aligns with his vision for wakandan international relations. he tries to right the wrongs of his father, and to set a better example of what a black panther should be like.
and he is so soft with the women in his life! so kind, so gentle, so understanding. one relationship that really stood out to me was his love for nakia. he adores her, he melts around her, he feels totally open to cry and feel vulnerable around her, to share his innermost thoughts and fears, to joke around and be free with her. all of this was so wonderful to see?? but on top of his obvious love, he was so understanding and respectful of nakia’s agency and career goals. he could see that there was a fundamental difference in opinion between the two of them but not once did he try to dissuade nakia from doing what she thought was right. he gave her the space to be her best, most authentic self, even if her decisions weren’t something he personally wanted for their relationship and future. he let her make her own decisions and he was so supportive! her dreams were never deprioritised for his and that was so important.
and same with his relationship with shuri! she’s his little sister and of course she’s gonna tease him but he’s so soft and gentle with her too?? and he teases her right back?? he’d fight the world for her because he loves her that much. he never underestimates her courage or intelligence, but he still remains fiercely protective in a way that never undermines her agency or belittles her. he knows he’s not as smart as her but he doesn’t feel threatened by that at all. there’s no ego or entitlement there. he’s such a good big brother!!!
in fact he’s surrounded by strong, powerful, intelligent, fierce women including his mother, his general, and the entirety of the dora milaje but not once does he feel uncomfortable by that. and i think this is partially a result of wakanda not being colonised and never having patriarchal gender roles and binaries being imposed upon the populace. as a result, women are allowed to be multi-dimensional and live their best lives. women are allowed to be ‘contradictory’ and no two female characters in the film are alike - some are very feminine while others are definitely gender non-conforming (bc i defs think some of the doras are butch lesbians *ayo*). some are far more nurturing and maternal (ramonda), some are more traditional (okoye), some are stubborn and idealistic (nakia), and some are cerebral as hell but also extremely witty (shuri). and at no point in the film does t’challa treat these women with anything but love and respect and it is so refreshing.
basically, i love t’challa and i would die for him
grinchtesties
