Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marked the end of Marvel Cinematic’s Universe Phase 4. Even though Phase 4 is collectively looked down upon, Black Panther 2 was somewhat of a sigh of relief for the fans. However, the movie was not as well-received as Marvel would have liked with fans disappointed about the film killing off T’Challa, instead of just recasting him, among other controversies.
And now, Black Panther 2 has found itself in yet another predicament as it is facing criticism once against. This time though, the criticism does not come from fans of the cinematic universe but from France’s Defense Minister himself. Yikes! The Defense Minister took to Twitter to condemn Black Panther 2 for showing France in a bad light.
Black Panther 2 Condemned by France
In the second installment of the Black Panther franchise, Wakanda, a fictional African country vows to never trade Vibranium with any other country in the world. Queen Ramonda, played by Angela Bassett, is seen appearing before a United Nations panel where she affirms Wakanda’s refusal of sharing its resources stating, “Not because of the dangerous potential of Vibranium. But because of the dangerous potential of you.” After a flashback of the Dora Milaje fighting an unidentified military force who wanted to steal Wakanda’s resources is shown, the Wakandan warriors bring the captives to the panel and force them to kneel. General Ayo turns to the French ambassador stating “You’re welcome.”
On February 12, a French journalist, Jean Bexon, tweeted the comparison between the uniforms of the mercenaries in the film to those of French soldiers who operated in Mali for a decade. His tweet received a reply from France’s Defense Minister, Sébastien Lecornu who condemned what he saw as the film’s false representation of France’s Armed Forces. He then added a tribute to the fifty-eight soldiers who lost their lives defending Mali.
Je condamne fermement cette représentation mensongère et trompeuse de nos forces Armées.
Je pense et rends hommage aux 58 soldats français qui sont morts en défendant le Mali à sa demande face aux groupes terroristes islamistes. https://t.co/KpnFIcatPt
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 12, 2023
The tweet translates to, “I strongly condemn this misleading and false representation of our Armed Forces. I think and pay tribute to the 58 French soldiers who died defending Mali at its request against Islamist terrorist groups.”
This just adds to the list of controversies Black Panther 2 has to its name. Lecornu’s disapproval comes from the fact that the Mali issue is quite sensitive to those in France.
Will Marvel Have to Make Changes to Black Panther 2?
Getting a disapproving comment from the Defense Minister himself is not something that can be easily overlooked. So, does this mean that Marvel might have to change the United Nations scene in the film, or even delete it entirely? Well, luckily for them, the French Defense Ministry does not want the film to go through any sort of changes, whatsoever.
A spokesperson for the French Defense Ministry released a statement to CNN where they stated that the French military was clearly being shown in a bad light whereas the rest of the elements of the film are fictional. However, they also added that they are not asking the Studios to tweak the film but it was the Defense Minister’s duty to defend the country’s military forces.
“While all the other elements of the film are fictional names and places there is a clear designation of France. The French military is being painted as being involved in pillage of resources of the country and of course, that is unacceptable. We are not asking the studio to remove the movie or anything. On the other hand, it is the role of the minister to defend the French military who were engaged in Mali to defend the country against terrorist groups.
While Lecornu tweeted his disappointment with the film days ago, neither Marvel nor Disney has responded on the matter. Only time will tell if they decide to say something about the condemnation.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Twitter | Sébastien Lecornu
