The King is Dead. Long Live the King. The subtle breakdown of the rule of law in Wakanda

| Cris Alvarez

Black Panther constantly reminds us of the importance of tradition in Wakanda. The writers do this because it’s part of the character arc in the movie. Overturning tradition is one of the ways T’Challa and his people change at the end of the movie. It’s a major theme and one which many people can appreciate.

When T’Challa is challenged for the throne by M’Baku leader of the Jabari’s, we are being shown that tradition is followed even when wrapped in very violent garb. That’s fine. M’Baku makes the challenge according to traditional practice and when he is defeated T’Challa regains his Black Panther strength.   He can now properly take his place as king of Wakanda. The audience has also firmly been reminded that everything has gone according to tradition and everyone in Wakanda, at least anyone with any say or power, is satisfied that tradition has been followed.

T’Challa, Okoye and Nakia then go trotting off to South Korea to thwart an arms deal for a Wakandan weapon. Before he leaves on his adventure, T’Challa promises his friend W’Kabi that he’ll bring back one of the thieves, Klaue. M’Kabi is T’Challa’s second in command, leader of the Border tribes, and presumably has some say in Wakandan affairs. This will be important later. Things go awry in South Korea and T’Challa must go home empty-handed but with a hated imperialist in tow to be saved. This excess baggage, or perhaps errant baggage, is CIA agent Everett Ross. Ross is an old friend of T’Challa’s thought they don’t always see eye to eye.

W’Kabi is mad at T’Challa for letting him down and when he sees Killmonger bring Klaue to Wakanda, nice and dead, W’Kabi seems to develop a soft spot for the tough kid from Oakland, California. This wouldn’t be a big deal except that when W’Kabi brings a handcuffed Killmonger before T’Challa, Killmonger demands trial by combat to take the Wakandan throne.

So this declaration throws everyone for a loop. How can an outsider demand to fight for the throne when that fight has already happened? Ah but he’s T’Challa’s cousin and had he not been abandoned in Oakland 25 years ago when T’Challa’s father killed Killmonger’s father for good reason but under grievous circumstances, Killmonger’s challenge might have been pooh-poohed away. Tradition says the combat is over.

But knowledge and guilt over what T’Chaka did spurs T’Challa to throw aside tradition and allow a second trial by combat to be held. So, does this fit in Wakandan tradition? We really don’t know but everyone agrees that if T’Challa said it was okay then it must be okay. So here is the first crack in tradition’s solid hold over Wakandan society. Does traditional rule govern Wakanda or can the King just set his own rules even if these new rules obviously put him in a bad position which even he recognizes? However, everyone around T’Challa sort of agrees that it fits within tradition so even if T’Challa isn’t following tradition, everyone goes to pains to convince themselves that tradition is still being followed. The crack has just lengthened and deepened.

So the trial by combat goes on and since it’s just past the middle of the movie and things haven’t really been going too badly for T’Challa, you know know this is when things finally do go south for him. Killmonger ends up having a good day. He kills Zuri, who betrayed his father and was instrumental in getting him killed. He hurls T’Challa over the waterfall, presumably achieving another long sought piece of revenge, and then he’s made king of Wakanda. To be sure T’Challa’s allies are upset, but the powers that be accept tradition. Okoye and W’Kabi, both officials in the Wakandan government accept the result. Okoye reluctantly, W’Kabi somewhat contentedly. T’Challa’s sister, mother and wanna-be lover, Nakia beat feet and for good reason because Killmonger is obviously in a frenzied killing mood.

Nakia, a government official, now breaks tradition and the law. She rebels against the new government by stealing a heart-shaped herb after Killmonger has just ordered all remaining herbs destroyed. Killmonger is rightly the leader of Wakanda since he won the throne by ritual combat. However, his position is still suspect since I explained before, we can’t be sure if T’Challa had the authority to even allow a second trial by combat. Regardless, everyone believes that Killmonger is the king, though not a preferred one. So now we see the lines drawn between rebels and government supporters. W’Kabi and Okoye support the rule of tradition and law by supporting Killmonger. T’Challa’s mother, sister and spy-lover have rebelled against the rightful government. How will this be resolved?

The women who support T’Challa flee to the Jabari kingdom to get M’Baku’s help. Now where does poor M’Baku stand in all this? Killmonger is the king of Wakanda and that’s who he should be listening to. He rescued T’Challa’s near dead body and takes in the women. None of this is illegal. Killmonger never said that no one could claim T’Challa’s body or harbor his supporters. Killmonger is instead focused on rightfully exercising his lawfully (traditionally?) earned powers. He’s going to support guerilla movements across the globe with Wakandan firepower. Nothing wrong there. As king he has that power and no one questions it. The only quandary is that it reverses long standing Wakandan tradition of not involving Wakandans in affairs outside of their borders. But this tradition is not law. It’s simply what Wakandan rulers have done since Wakanda was a kingdom.

Tradition is starting to feel a bit abused here. First T’Challa accepts a second trial by combat and now Killmonger is reversing decades, perhaps centuries, of established Wakandan international political strategy. But it’s not clear that anyone has yet broken any Wakandan rules. Except for Nakia. She stole the heart-shaped herb. She might not be convicted but she’s definitely getting handcuffed.

So T’Challa is given the last heart shaped herb and is revived. Is this contrary to tradition and Wakandan rules? No one addresses it but my guess is yes. There can’t be two Black Panthers. If that was allowed, Wakandan tradition would cease to exist. Wakandan tradition, from what I know, allows only one Black Panther. T’Challa, Ramonda, Shuri and Nakia have now violated Wakandan tradition and rules. They have now become rebels against the true king of Wakanda. But there still lingers that nagging question of whether T’Challa was even allowed to agree to a second combat.

At this point T’Challa and his family are just making up their own rules. There is no more Wakandan tradition or rule. There’s simply a family deciding what’s best for Wakanda and choosing to use force to make the decision for the nation. M’Baku is no longer innocent. He might have refused to lend T’Challa his army but he is now aiding an obvious rebel to the throne. M’Baku is not outside the Wakandan power structure though the movie makers try to convince us he is. He tried to win the throne in combat and expected to have it if he did. He believes in Wakandan tradition and rules and follows them. But by supporting T’Challa as a second Black Panther, he’s become a rebel too.

So now the lines have been drawn. It’s the Wakandan government versus the Wakandan rebels. Marvel comics thrives on organizations having rebellions within their own ranks and this is no different. I don’t have a problem with it but let’s admit that this is something of a Captain America versus Ironman fight for the soul of America kind of thing. There kind of isn’t a bad guy here but T’Challa is a criminal at this point. Killmonger did stab Zuri to death on the waterfall but that’s what happens if you don’t step out of the way of someone’s spear during a fight to the death for a throne. But Killmonger is king of Wakanda and I have a feeling Wakandan kings have done far worse over the years. Or maybe they’re all saints. I digress!

So T’Challa shows up while the Black Panther (Yes! Killmonger is currently and rightly the Black Panther at this point! Right?), um; the Black Panther is directing his forces, legally and within the rules. The rebels show up to fight and it is completely expected and understandable that Okoye and W’Baki lead their forces against the rebels. That’s what government security forces do. At first it’s simply security up against some intruders. But when M’Baku shows up with his army, it’s now force on force. So now T’Challa has started a civil war between competing factions of Wakandans. T’Challa is guilty of breaking Wakandan tradition and rules whereas Killmonger hasn’t violated any Wakandan society laws.

This is really where Black Panther gets interesting. In actual civil wars, people discard loyalty to rules for loyalty to friends. War, especially civil war, is chaos and at the end of the day it’s not surprising that people choose their friends above all others, regardless of who is on who’s side.

So here we have the ruling elites leading small, armed bands against each other for control of Wakanda. The common people aren’t even involved and maybe couldn’t care less who’s on the throne. This is some old fashioned feudal Europe kind of warfare and I like it. None of this hundreds of thousand strong Lord of the Rings sized armies smashing against each other like oceans at war. This is real-world dozens-strong warrior clans deciding the fate of millions of people. The multitude has always let the minority power elite decide their fate. It’s the story of world politics.

As the battle progresses, Okoye switches sides, leaving Wakandan tradition and rules behind. Miss “all about the rules” does a complete about face and goes rebel. I’m fine with that. As I said before, war is about friends and emotional attachment can be a convincing argument. But let’s accept that she stopped being a loyalist to the government and instead chose loyalty to a family. W’Baki doesn’t switch sides. He simply surrenders to the woman who beat him in combat. But he does give in a bit too willingly. His loyalty to the throne became suspect there but he never seemed too loyal to anything but his own desires anyway.

Finally T’Challa and Killmonger face off. Rebel against king. The Black Panther versus the man who stole the Black Panther power against the king’s orders. We all know how it ends though Killmonger dying was a small surprise. Nice of the rebel to show the King a sunset before he died. Does Killmonger end up in the heavenly grove with T’Chaka and all other predecessor kings of Wakanda? At least give him that.

So in the end, T’Challa takes back his throne and his family and friends dutifully fall in line behind him. Well so much for Wakandan tradition and rules. That seems to be the segue into Wakanda deciding to open up and give the world’s poor their knowledge and technology. So now we have to decide if Wakanda is still a country of rules.

From my vantage point, a rebel took the throne and everyone is good with it. It seems to be a family dictatorship now. A benevolent and just one but a dictatorship nonetheless. M’Baku doesn’t seem to mind being ruled by a man who makes up his own rules now. So much for any future trials by combat for M’Baku or his children after this. Wakandan tradition no longer exists. Time for a new law code but as with any new government, because a new form of government is what we have in Wakanda now, you never know if the new laws will stick until a few generations have adhered to them.

Here’s the curious clincher for anyone who’s still paying attention. I want to address one character I glossed over for the purpose of throwing this one last zinger at you. When we first meet CIA agent Everett Ross, he is derisively described by T’Challa’s Wakandan retinue as belonging to an organization that supports coups and takes down governments as needed for US interests. So isn’t it ironic that during T’Challa’s rebellion against the true king, the CIA agent, joins in “supporting a coup and taking down a government” led by the rightful King of Wakanda.

The CIA agent supports the rebel T’Challa who most assuredly is preferred by the US government to Killmonger. All of Killmonger’s US special forces medals and honors don’t mean jack anymore when he’s about to arm every poor non-white with a super-weapon. The irony is exquisitely delicious but not one I’m claiming is unreal.   For all we know, Killmonger was an unwitting agent of the CIA sent to destabilize Wakanda. Someone knew Wakanda was a threat to eventually arm social revolutionaries so they wanted to head the danger off at the pass and create chaos. The US would step in and assist T’Challa in saving Wakanda and thus earn the unending gratitude of the new/old government in place. Wow is Black Panther just a little too real for comfort? You’ve been woke.