What ‘Black Panther’ Means to Black Actors in the MCU

FANDOM recently sat down with Jessica Jones actor Eka Darville to discuss his role in Season 2. Eka also shared his experience attending the world premiere of Black Panther and the impact the film had on him, as well as other black actors in the MCU.

“It was really incredibly moving to be honest. It was so genuinely fun. [The premiere] had West African drums playing when the lead cast was coming onto the carpet, and just their costumes were just gorgeous, and so much melanin everywhere.”

In regards to the film itself, Eka said he can see history changing, “We are seeing history, it’s a big swing — a well overdue swing.” You can listen to the rest of Eka’s comments on Black Panther in the video above.

Responses From Black Actors in the MCU

Eka wasn’t the only black actor to be moved or impacted by Black Panther. Numerous Marvel actors from both television and film have celebrated the movie across numerous social media platforms since its release.

Idris Elba, who plays Heimdall in the Thor films had this to say:

Another Thor actor, Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie, shared this:

Luke Cage himself, Mike Colter, celebrated with two tweets, one praising the film after the premiere and another celebrating the box office milestones the film has hit:

Two actors from Spiderman-Homecoming also celebrated this film’s release, Laura Harrier and Zendaya:

Black Panther is one of the most successful Marvel films of all time. It is currently sitting behind The Avengers at $574 million in the US. It’s also the seventh-highest grossing film in America, according to Box Office Mojo. The film pushed boundaries by including people of color both in front of and behind the camera, and truly left an impact on both Marvel actors and fans everywhere.