Discussing Black Panther’s wider connection to Greco-Roman mythology, Peter Meineck, Professor of Classics in the Modern World at New York University, broke down why he found Erik Killmonger’s museum scene so impactful. Played by the talented Michael B. Jordan, Killmonger was the antagonist and breakout character of the 2017 MCU film. His character was especially sympathetic due to his tragic backstory and goal of ending oppression against those of African descent worldwide. Additionally, Killmonger served as an excellent foil to his cousin, T’Challa, played by the late, great Chadwick Boseman.
Addressing how Killmonger’s character relates to classical mythology, the professor told Vanity Fair:
“You know, ancestor worship is an enormous part of both Greek and Roman culture. The old had very high status in ancient societies because they were the fount of knowledge. The Romans actually would take death masks of their ancestors, clay versions of them, and then at certain festivals they would wear the masks of their ancestors, and they would parade through the streets in them.”
Of course, Meineck is referencing the scene in which Killmonger speaks with a museum worker about an exhibit of African masks, subsequently calling out her lack of knowledge and arrogant attempt to correct him. The professor explained that “to take that mask and put it in a glᴀss case in a museum is the worst thing you can do to that mask.” He elaborated that in Roman culture, those masks are “supposed to be worn by a performer who’s been imbued in a whole culture of dancing and performing and telling those stories over centuries.“
Per Meineck, Black Panther shows the tragedy of turning these artifacts into “aesthetic object[s] with a price on” them “really well.” Speaking about Killmonger specifically, he explained: “Here’s a character from that culture who’s not really allowed to interface with material from his own culture and is actually being schooled on it by somebody who’s not from that culture. It’s about access, right?“ Meineck stated that the scene tasks audiences with considering “how if you remove an object from the stories that are told about it and the way it’s performed, is that object still operating the same way?”
The professor expressed appreciation for how the mask “becomes [Killmonger’s] character” and how “even though he uses it in a negative way, for him, it empowers him and that’s his connection with his ancestors.” Meineck felt that Killmonger’s connection to his culture through the reclaimed mask tasks viewers with considering museum artifacts “in their real cultural context.”
What The Mythology Expert’s Comments About Black Panther And Killmonger Mean
Though Meineck’s specialty relates more to classical antiquity, his comments on the similarities between the treatment of Wakandan artifacts and those of Ancient Greece and Rome ring true. History and art museums often depict these culturally significant items in a vacuum, and though there is appreciation of them, their true function and importance is lost on most audiences.
As Meineck said, Killmonger being denied access to the mask also prevents it from being genuinely appreciated by someone with a connection to its cultural context.
Black Panther shows this well by having Killmonger call out the docent for misattributing the mask’s origin and downplaying how it was obtained by British soldiers. He then attempts to purchase the mask but is told he can’t, despite it being a relic of his culture. Often times, cultural artifacts are separated from the societies from which they originate because they were taken as spoils of war. As Meineck said, Killmonger being denied access to the mask also prevents it from being genuinely appreciated by someone with a connection to its cultural context.
Our Take On The Mythology Expert’s Comments About Black Panther And Killmonger
A substantial undercurrent of Black Panther is legacy and connecting to one’s ancestors. Both T’Challa and Killmonger seek to honor their fathers and Wakanda, but they go about it in vastly different ways. Even when his actions are villainous, it is hard not to feel for Killmonger; he’s angry, he’s spent his life without his father and isolated from his culture, and he’s witnessed substantial injustices. Reclaiming a Wakandan mask that was effectively stolen from his culture is a perfect symbolic representation of Killmonger and what he stands for.
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