ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the construction of utopia in relation to Afrofuturism’s call for social justice. By examining Marvel’s Black Panther (2018), I argue that the film’s investment in the cinematic dreamscape of Wakanda transports viewers, staging Wakanda as the desire for an idealized African nation untouched by the aftermath of the transatlantic slave trade. While audiences view this utopian space, they are equally confronted by the political positioning of Black Americans via the character Erik “Killmonger” Stevens. In order to unlock the story of Black Panther, viewers must critique the past and present to account for the film’s timely messages.
