Certain character archetypes, good or bad, exist throughout the various mediums, some having shaped and reflected societal attitudes. One such archetype is the “Magical Negro” trope. The Magical Negro has been present in several films, television, and books for years and continues in modern entertainment today.
So imagine my surprise when I first heard that there would be a movie about magical Black people. Initially, I was skeptical of The American Society of Magical Negroes, but I remained open-minded to the film’s premise. It sounded like it would be an interesting satirical take that could subvert the Magical Negro trope. This filled me with hope, as the film would focus on a group with magical powers. Then, all of my excitement for this film died. I quickly realized that it unfortunately missed the mark and my expectations.
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The American Society of Magical Negroes starts off promising as it tries to discuss racism in an entertaining way, playing on the absurdity of the Magical Negro trope. The film felt like it could have had a deeper commentary on the Black experience and balancing existence, navigating racialized spaces, and respectability politics. Initially, it feels like it is building towards something deeper. Instead, the story and characters fall flat and don’t feel genuine towards the end. Not to mention the romance storyline just felt out of place and unnecessary.
Granted The American Society of Magical Negroes is not the only film guilty of using this trope. Unfortunately, I doubt it will be the last film to do so. But this film does allow us to reflect on and unpack the Magical Negro trope and its effects in media and the real world.
What is the Magical Negro Trope?
The Magical Negro trope often depicts a Black character who lacks a backstory or motives beyond helping the white protagonist. This includes helping to solve the white protagonist’s problems, providing guidance, healing, and enlightening them to be better people. The Magical Negro character possesses patience, a special connection with nature, and sage-like wisdom. These characters also may have some magical or supernatural abilities. However, not every iteration of this trope includes literal magical abilities. Prime examples of this are The Legend Bagger Vance and Green Mile.
In The Legend of Bagger Vance, Will Smith, embodies the magical negro trope to a tee as the titular character. Set in 1931 in Savannah, Georgia, Bagger appears out of nowhere one day to guide and mentor the white protagonist, Rannulph Junuh, played by Matt Damon, to tackle his past trauma and play golf. Despite Bagger’s profound wisdom and magical aura, the film overlooks the obvious racial climate of the time.
In The Green Mile, Michael Clarke Duncan plays John Coffey, an innocent Black man accused of a heinous crime. Although he possesses extraordinary powers, the film only shows him assisting white characters, specifically Tom Hanks‘ character, Paul Edgecomb. John accepts his fate to face execution even though he is innocent and scared of dying. In the end, his death leaves a lasting impression on Paul, having changed his life forever.
Both films prioritize the development of the white protagonist, neglecting the complexities of the Black character’s lives. These films overlooked the challenges of Black individuals during this period, such as systematic racism, violence, and struggles for basic rights. It also reinforces the harmful stereotype that Black people exist primarily to support and serve white people.
Where does this trope come from?
Filmmaker Spike Lee initially coined and popularized the term “Magical Negro” in 2001. During his lecture, Lee cited four recent films, some highly regarded by the industry. These films were The Green Mile, What Dreams May Come, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and The Family Man. He noted that each of these films portrayed a “magical, mystical Negro” character whose sole purpose was to aid the white protagonist.
However, the Magical Negro trope predates Lee’s coined term. The Magical Negro trope roots in archaic racist and ignorant beliefs that limit Black characters’ development. They depict Black people as plot devices, responsible for teaching life lessons or solving the white protagonists’ problems.
It is essential to recognize that other tropes and stereotypical portrayals like the Happy Slave and the Mammy exist in a similar vein to Magical Negro. All of these character types originated from a time when white writers and filmmakers dominated the industry, shaping roles based on their perceptions of Black people, which resulted in characters that lacked autonomy and perpetuated racist beliefs and stereotypes.
For example, the Mammy archetype was created to depict Black women as elderly and or overweight motherly figures happy to serve their white masters’ needs. The Happy Slave depicts enslaved Black people who are content with slavery, even to the point of being thankful to their masters and willingly choosing subservience over freedom.
Effects of the Magical Negro Trope
This trope not only distorts perceptions of Black experiences in media but also influences broader societal attitudes and beliefs. It perpetuates harmful biases, reinforcing the idea that Black people have to prioritize white people’s comfort and feelings over their own. Which is already a survival mechanism that is very real for many Black people and other people of color familiar with existing in racialized spaces.
Part of the Black experience is that we have to navigate physical and social environments where our racial identity heavily influences how non-Black people interact and treat us. Which in turn makes Black people feel the need to constantly be aware of how they interact and or how they can be perceived in racial spaces as well.
In this day and age, especially after the last few recent decades of police brutality and protests for Black lives to matter, the Magical Negro trope feels like the last thing Black people want to see in the media we consume. We are tired of being seen as saviors and emotional laborers solving everyone’s problems. Or, at the very least, we are tired of being made to feel like it is our job to make white people and other non-black people feel comfortable around us. We simply want to exist and be portrayed in a way that doesn’t dehumanize or strip us of our autonomy.
So, Where Do We Go From Here?
I definitely do not have all the answers. But as a Black woman who loves pop culture and consumes media avidly, I have some thoughts on the directions we can take regarding the Magical Negro trope.
At this point, the trope doesn’t work anymore in this day and age. If someone wants to use it, it is best reserved for comedy to make fun of the trope itself. Two great examples of this are Key and Peele‘s skit titled Magical Negro Fight and the Astronomy Club’s Magical Negro Rehab. Both sketches satirize the trope by parodying Magical Negro characters and archetypes from real films, exposing absurdity of the portrayals and drawing attention to the stereotypical nature. Which is what The American Society of American Negroes felt like it set out to be a comedic rendition to deconstruct the trope, but it failed.
Let me also be clear: there is nothing inherently wrong with featuring Black characters with magic or unique abilities. However, the issue comes when these characters lack a backstory and motives of their own. Instead, their entire purpose revolves entirely around serving or propping up their white counterparts. If you want to tell a story with magical Black people, put more Black characters in fantasy or supernatural stories. Provide them with genuine storylines that allow for the exploration of their abilities.
It is time for storytellers to move beyond relying on stereotypes and tropes. Black characters deserve to exist as fully realized individuals with their own agency and narratives. By doing so, we can create richer and more authentic representations of Black experiences.
