Black Panther Comparative Analysis

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Black Panther Comparative Analysis

​Globalization is a process of collaboration and assimilation between individuals and governments of different nations, including their differing cultures and worldviews, as a way to improve relations surrounding international trade and innovation. The idea of globalization plays an extensive part in the comic Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther?, which is about the ruler of a fictitious country in Africa, called Wakanda, that is known for being a highly advanced country in terms of technology, sustainability, health care, politics, economics, and spirituality. Throughout the tale, European forces and other international entities seek to overpower the Wakanda nation,

while the Wakanda and the Black Panther seek to hold on to their wealth and innovation with great fervency. These ideas are compared and contrasted throughout this brief analysis with Michael E. Porter’s “Patterns of National Competitive Success,” which investigates the competitive advantages and strategies that nations use against others, in order to be the leading factions in globalization. In the end, these compositions demonstrate the benefits and disadvantages that globalization creates, and the effects it has on helping countries achieve their ultimate potential.
​The theme of globalization is an essential part of the Black Panther, while also being absent in other regards.

On the one hand, it demonstrates the success of the Wakanda nation in their efforts of globalization, because not only have they created a strong nation of riches and innovation that other countries envy, but they are a positive display of how globalization can be effectively achieved to fulfill a nation’s overall potential. This successful fulfillment is further displayed through the Black Panther himself, because he encompasses the strength, longevity, resilience, and prosperity that a nation needs to collaborate effectively with others (Hudlin, Romita Jr., Janson and White, 2015). On the other hand, what is not readily displayed is the Wakanda nation’s ability to work well with other nations across the globe in a way that will help others find truth over power, along with greater innovation that will benefit the human race. Porter’s article helps explain the lacking collaborative efforts that the Wakanda nation displays in his discussion surrounding competitive advantage, which reviews the importance of differing cultures, philosophies, values, and institutions that directly influence globalization and change as a whole (2008, p. 1). Thus, both texts demonstrate the success that can come from the singularity of a nation, but they do not emphasize what additional innovative capabilities can be found when nation’s work together to produce change, rather than

working against each other.
​The meshing ideas of globalization and competitive advantage are directly seen in part two of the Black Panther, as Wakanda and the Black Panther’s enemies Klaw, Rhino, Igor, and Batroc discuss the previous annual Bilderberg Conference, in which the world’s top economic powers met and a Black Panther was later murdered. Here Klaw explains:
Third world countries aren’t normally invited to the real meetings like this. That’s what the UN is for – a place for the powerless to whine about the white man. But they invited Wakanda to the big boys’ table because everyone wanted a crack at their resources. Untouched petroleum deposits. Medical cures unknown in the western world. And Vibranium…the rarest, most valuable mineral on Earth. (Hudlin, Romita Jr., Janson and White, 2015)
The scene is set where one representative is hastily discussing with the Black Panther of the time, what price he would accept for the purchase or trade of such exceptional resources. The Black Panther casually, yet firmly, responds, saying:
They are not for sale. Until the spiritual advancement of the west catches up to their technological prowess, it would be irresponsible to share our scientific discoveries with you […Everyone here is] more like sullen teenagers who feel more mature than their behavior warrants. The fact that every conversation here is framed in terms of profit and power says it all. (Hudlin, Romita Jr., Janson and White, 2015)
Here it is shown that the Wakanda and their warrior-king are highly aware of their advantage over the other powerful nations and also the destruction that such could cause if their advancements and riches were place in already mischievous and dominant hands. Porter would view the Wakanda nation as an internationally successful nation, because “it possessed competitive advantage relative to the best worldwide competitors” and yet is not readily defined by profitability and the need for foreign investment (2008, p. 1). Such exuberates the importance of the “connections or relationships among the nation’s competitive industries,” including the lesser standing of economic growth and the greater need to trust potential allies with information and resources that could potentially harm or benefit the world as a whole (p. 1-2). For, when a nation ignores the absence of trust in other political powers, then it is more likely that the negativities of globalization will take hold to leave their citizens and powers without any leverage or strength left at all.
​In conclusion, the Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther?

and Michael Porter’s study on “The Patterns of National Competitive Success” both provide valid explanations of how globalization can be beneficial on both an individual and collaborative scale. When more innovative nations seek to improve other international entities by demonstrating their need for regional change (in this case, to seek development over greed), such nation’s remain stable and successful. However, this also leaves them closed off from expanding their potential any further, beyond the competitive globalized sphere, which can hinder their relations indefinitely. Such shows that competitiveness is just as important as collaboration in the realm of globalization, and that nations like the Wakanda should seek out both for future

sustainability.

Works Cited
Hudlin, Reginald, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, and Dean White. Black Panther: Who is ​the Black Panther? New York, NY: Marvel Worldwide, Inc., 2015. Print.
Porter, Michael E. “Patterns of National Competitive Success.” Harvard Business Review ​(2008): 1-2. Print.