Spoiler Alert! If you have not yet seen the latest X-Men movie, you might want to skip this post.
X-Men: First Class draws inspiration from the popular Marvel Comics characters, as well as iconic heroes from Black History. Others have already noted the connections—and one reviewer saw parallels to gay rights too—so MultiCultClassics will forgo rehashing the observations.
The most heavy-handed Black references went to a Black character, Darwin, played by Edi Gathegi. Darwin’s mutant abilities included “adapting” to any situation. He was a “survivor” whose pre-superhero job was serving as a streetwise cab driver. Alas, Darwin became the first lead teammate to get assassinated when the evil Shaw force-fed him a handful of explosive energy. Oh, and the other Black character—Angel, played by Zoë Kravitz—originally worked as a dancer at a strip club.
So in the end, X-Men: First Class blends Black History and Blaxploitation, making it a sure-fire summer Blackbuster.
the black dude is always the first to bite it! spoiler!
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