“Bast willing this will go quickly and I can get this ridiculous thing off my head.”
In this scene, T'Challa, Okoye, and Nakia are undercover and the "thing" that Okoye is referring to is part of her disguise: a wig. One of the most prominent characteristic of the Dora Miljae are their shaved heads. Okoye actually views it as a dishonor to cover her bald head in this way, and eventually takes off the wig in combat and throws it at her opponent. Okoye and the rest of Wakandan female army show that femininity is possible without hair, and to cover her head as if she is embarrassed is unacceptable to Okoye. This moment, while played humorously in the film, is also a powerful message about natural hair. Throughout the movie, every character embraces their natural hair. No one can be seen with hair altered by heat or chemicals. When Okoye is forced to fight later in the scene, the first thing she does is throw the wig. In removing it she gains freedom, similar to the experience of many black women and men when they embrace their natural hair, symbolic of their ability to be themselves.
If you say one more word, I'll feed you to my children!
[Ross becomes noticeably afraid]
I'm kidding. We're vegetarians.
In several instances throughout the film, characters who are initially portrayed as villains are actually humanized. In this case M'Baku and his tribe become angry when a white man (Ross) attempts to speak to them, causing them to utter a series of low growls. Then he threatens Ross with a chilling warning, but immediately lightens the mood with a joke. M'Baku, as the leader of the Jabari and a character who was referred to as the Man-Ape within the Black Panther comics, could have easily been portrayed as a savage brute. Yet, this simple joke defies the expectations of the audience and the other characters. Ross and even the other Wakandans have their own prejudices, and were predisposed to view the Jabari as backward and dangerous. These additions subvert the popular racist trope of portraying black people as aggressive, especially in connection with the racist insult "ape" or "gorilla" which possibly inspired the original “Man-Ape” nickname.
You let the refugees in, you let in all their problems.
As T'Challa struggles to decide whether Wakanda should provide foreign aid, W'Kabi gives him this advice. In this quote, W'Kabi highlights the central struggle of the film. Should Wakanda open its resources to black people around the world? Unlike others in the film, W’Kabi bears a certain level of disdain for the outside world, his desire to keep Wakanda isolated going beyond a simple need to preserve Wakanda’s safety. However, W’Kabi goes on to propose an alternative plan to go out into the world and conquer territory to “clean up.” This foreshadows his reasons for siding with Killmonger later in the film. This quote also calls to mind the real-life refugee crisis that developed as the film was being made—the largest refugee crisis in the post-World War II era. One of the messages of the film, arguably, is that nations with access to immense resources (like Wakanda) are obligated to help those in need around the world.
"But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
The quote "In times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers" is based on an African proverb (though the exact origin of the proverb is unknown). T'Challa no longer wants to build a figurative wall between Wakanda and its resources and the outside world. Some have considered this line to also be a commentary on the current political climate of the United States, including U.S. congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, who reportedly found the line deeply moving. Coogler denies that the line was included as a direct rebuke to U.S. President Trump, saying instead that his wife showed him the original proverb. In the film, this quote represents T’Challa’s newfound belief that both Wakanda’s historical isolationism and Killmonger’s violent radicalism are both wrongheaded and that peaceful cooperation will lead to social improvement.
“The world’s gonna start over, and this time we’re on top. The sun will never set on the Wakandan empire.”
Killmonger's desire to empower oppressed peoples around the world is motivated by anger. Wakanda's isolationism has meant that generations of black people around the world have suffered while Wakanda possessed the resources to save them. Killmonger's overwhelming anger at Wakanda's inaction leads him down a chaotic path. The “sun” part is an allusion to a famous saying about the British Empire at the height of its powers. It meant that because Britain had so much colonial territory around the world that it was literally always daytime in at least some part of the empire. The earliest known use of this phrase in reference to Britain was by colonial administrator George Macartney in 1773. This is almost certainly a deliberate reference by Killmonger; in the same scene, he boasts that he knows how “colonizers” think and that this will help to defeat them. The quote demonstrates that Killmonger has internalized the colonizers’ predilection for aggression and dominance. It could be argued that lines like this are used by the writers to delegitimize Killmonger’s position by painting him as “just as bad” as said colonizers (see: Essay Questions). Fair or not, the quote implies he clearly has ambitions that go beyond a purely altruistic intention to liberate black people.
“He promised he was gonna show it to me one day. You believe that? Kid from Oakland running around believing in fairy tales.”
Killmonger is lamenting the fact that he grew up without a substantial connection to his homeland. In an earlier scene when Killmonger converses with the spirit of N’Jobu, N’Jobu worries that Killmonger was separated from Wakanda for too long and that Killmonger has been damaged by this separation. For Killmonger, the separation has turned Wakanda into an abstraction, a “fairy tale.” This is a reflection of how the descendants of enslaved Africans around the world are cut off from a meaningful connection with the history and culture of their homeland. Killmonger has achieved the impossible dream of rekindling that connection, but only briefly. He is bittersweet in this moment, because he realizes he has achieved the thing he wanted most of all in his life but will die before he can meaningfully experience it.
“Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships. ‘Cause they knew death was better than bondage.”
Killmonger is referencing the frequent phenomena of African slaves jumping from ships to commit suicide as they were en route to the Americas. This line, spoken by Killmonger as he is dying, is a final act of defiance against T’Challa’s worldview. Killmonger views T’Challa and the other Wakandans as privileged and believes they have enabled the global oppression of black people via their inaction. This line signifies that Killmonger’s ultimate allegiance is to the oppressed black people of the world. He identifies more in this moment as an African American than as a Wakandan (though not exclusively: many writers commenting on Black Panther have pointed to his ‘split consciousness’). His refusal to accept life-saving medical treatment also serves as the logical endpoint of his worldview. There is no point in continuing living for him after being defeated by T’Challa. He defines himself as a warrior and sees life as a continuous battle. Losing the battle means there is no point in living anymore.
"We had to maintain the lie."
Zuri says this line in reference to T’Chaka’s decision to leave Killmonger in Oakland after killing N’Jobu. In a literal sense, Zuri is of course referring to the need to cover up T’Chaka’s killing of N’Jobu and the fact of the latter’s betrayal. But this quote also points to a broader lie, or perhaps fiction, that requires maintaining by the powers that be in Wakanda. This fiction is that of an infallible, totally unified nation. We can infer through various contextual clues in the film that a sense of national pride is important to Wakanda’s spirit, and that Klaue’s attack damaged this pride severely. To then learn that a Wakandan had helped this white South African commit such an attack could have been fatal to the country’s sense of unified purpose. The idea that he would do so in order to use Wakandan technology to wage a war for black liberation would strike a blow to the country’s isolationist policy and thus become an existential threat to the country’s way of life. All societies create mythologies and identities for themselves, but it is this mythology which T’Challa will have to move past in order to bring Wakanda into the new age.
“How many times do I have to teach you? Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved!”
When heard within the context of the scene for the first time, this line might sound fairly innocuous. It’s one of many example of Shuri teasing T’Challa about his equipment for his abilities or some other thing. But when taken out and examined with the entire film in mind, the line suddenly takes on a much more significant meaning. Recall that one of the film’s core conflicts is over whether or not Wakanda should change its ways to adapt to the modern world. Here, Coogler and co-writer Cole have surreptitiously dropped a thesis statement on the whole issue disguised as a throwaway line. The subtext, of course, is that while Wakanda has long been a strong nation, that does not preclude the possible benefits of changing its policies. It is significant that the line is spoken by Shuri, not only because she among the main characters seems the least concerned with Wakandan tradition, but also because she is the film’s most vibrant, curious, and optimistic character. She is young, she develops new technology, and she represents Wakanda’s future.
Nakia: “I loved him. I loved my country too.”
Okoye: “Then you serve your country.”
Nakia: “No. I save my country.”
This exchange is not only a study in contrasts between these two characters, but also a commentary on the nature of patriotism. The question of whether loyalty to one’s country requires that you follow policies with which you disagree is a timeless political quandary. Nakia had adopted such a stance before Killmonger, voicing her disagreements with T’Challa but generally finding ways to accomplish her goals while staying within Wakanda’s legal political framework. This moment is a breaking point for Nakia. In this case, ‘saving’ the country will mean upending its government, probably with violence. This shows that, unlike many of the other characters, Nakia views Wakanda as a land and a people which must be protected and led wisely, not as a set of traditions which must be preserved. It also demonstrates that Nakia has loyalty to a set of principles, a commitment to peace and the fundamental value of human life, that supersede her loyalty to the government of Wakanda or any other man-made construct.
