10 October 2021

"New World Water" by Mos Def (1999)

Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) is one of the more interesting personalities in the history of hip-hop music for a number of reasons.  For instance he had a pretty notable acting career before blowing up as a rapper, having even worked directly with Bill Cosby for a spell.  So even though he may not on par with the likes of fellow rapper/actors Will Smith and Ice Cube, Mos has had a respectable Hollywood career nonetheless, with one of my personal favorites being 2003's The Italian Job - a heist film that served as sort of a prototype for what the Fast & Furious franchise would become.  Then of course there's the fact that he legally changed his name to the Quran-inspired Yasiin Bey over 10 years ago.  So it's obvious that Yasiin isn't conventional as far as rap stars go.  Like if he possessed the disposition of a gangsta rapper, he probably never would have had the opportunity to act alongside the family-friendly Coz to begin with.

Black on Both Sides, the 1999 Mos Def album that
features New World Water.

But honestly, I've never been a diehard Mos Def fan.  I remember when first he came out as part of Blackstar back in the day, that for some inexplicable reason their songs used to irritate me.  However I was heavily into Black on Both Sides (1999), his debut and signature album.  Well, I used to at least put a couple of songs from it on repeat, one of them being New World Water, which I would argue is not only Yasiin's best track but also one that is semi-prophetic.

This song came out in late-1999, a moment in history in which the Western consciousness was grappling with concepts like Armageddon, Y2K and similar types of global catastrophes perhaps moreso than any other time in history.  And it wasn't unusual for all sorts of people to chime in on such matters.  Well Mos Def, being one of the more intellectually-inclined rappers, decided to do so by focusing on water, a most-fundamental and undeniably-necessary aspect of our everyday lives.  And considering some of the things that's been going on as of late in places like the western United States, again, some of his words seem prophetic.

For instance Yasiin sets off the first verse alluding to flooding, which has been a major problem in America and other parts of the world this year.  And the reason Mos Def comes off as a prophet isn't necessarily because he foresaw such events.  But more importantly, he implies that they are being caused by karma, if you want to call it that, as in nature being upset as a result of the atrocities of the Middle Passage.  The Middle Passage was the era in transatlantic history in which millions of Africans were forcibly transported across the ocean as slaves, many of them being lost to the sea.  But it can also be said that, by extension, the rapper is talking about all human rights' atrocities but especially those that involved like water transport.

Later, he flips the topic from flooding to drought.  Even back then, in 1999, Yasiin was noting how some summers seemed particularly hot, as in experiencing a lack of rainfall.  The rapper believes that the situation will get even worse as time progresses, so he's like be wise and prepare now.  In fact Mos Def sounds a lot like an African or other Third World resident, talking about buying a personal water-storage unit, which is a common practice in places like the Motherland though not so much in the United States.  But there really isn't any such thing as a tank that will hold a "20 year" supply of water.  That'd be more along the lines of a personal lake.  And even then, if there's a really severe drought it would probably dry up anyhow.  Also, you wouldn't want to leave water stored in a tank for too long anyway.  But, I digress.  And ultimately the point Mos Def seems to be making is that in this materialistic world we live in, people's mind are more caught up on frivolous matters than what's truly important, such as water.

Another point he's obviously trying to make, as introduced in the chorus, is that the water which is given to the public is heavily imbued with chemicals.  We all know that the government tends to add different manmade substances to the public water supply in the name of making it safer for consumption.  But in this respect Mos sounds like a conspiracy theorist, i.e. claiming that there's no so many chemicals in the water that it is becoming unsafe.  But taking into account that he mentions "the water table", Yasiin is also speaking to more general environmental abuse and how such negatively affects the world's natural water supplies.

The first hook also touches upon the concept of water being sold.  To put this viewpoint into its proper perspective, let's speculate that maybe some 50 years ago, the idea of selling drinking water en masse may have seemed incredulous.  But instead in places like America, where Mos Def comes from, bottled water is a major, increasingly-growing business.  And so it is, honestly speaking, in many parts of the Third World also.  And what Yasiin is saying is that such is necessitated by the fact that natural water supplies have become too polluted to drink.

Then, the bulk of the second verse is dedicated to illustrating various ways in which water is vital to human existence, especially in the areas of health.  It's almost like Yasiin is arguing that people tend to forget just how valuable water actually is, which is why they misuse it.  And he is most directly making this statement against "Americans" and similar nations that have it in abundance.  And another way in which their lack of respect for water is manifest is by how greedy, capitalist countries can go about destroying waterbodies in other parts of the world in the name of profit.  But of course as illustrated above, they tend f*ck up their own waterways also.

Mos Def is right; sometimes big business be straight
fukin the water up.

In fact as detailed in the second chorus, the situation has now reached a point where we can't avoid water pollution even if we wanted to.  So on one hand it's like the government may be putting all types of chemicals into the water supply.  And on the other, there are the multitude of pollutants that find their way into waterbodies through various other human activities.  And the way Mos Def sees it, at the heart of the problem would be greed of the corporate variety.  As a matter of fact one of the big stories in the news as I'm writing this post is this major oil spill that recently happened off the coast of California.  But of course this is the same oil that is used to power our cars.  So instead of putting the onus on big business, if Bey wanted to be more realistic he would have included the consumer in this equation also.


WHAT'S YASIIN UP TO THESE DAYS?

One of the big headlines in American entertainment at the moment centers on Dave Chapelle's latest Netflix special, The Closer.  Well if you happen to watch the show and are familiar with Mos Def's voice/style, you will notice that he's the one who's rapping at the beginning the special.  The name of that track is Tribute, and officially it is a collaboration between Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, aka Blackstar.  Even though the pair have only released one album together under the Blackstar moniker in 1998 and only one single thus far during the entire 21st century, it would seem that they have never officially broken up.  So it may be that the release of this track marks a new album Blackstar has coming out.  But under any circumstances Mos Def ripped it and apparently can still light up the mic, at the age of 47, if need be.

15 August 2021

"Weed Is My Best Friend" by Popcaan (2015)

I still remember the first time I smoked weed.  It was many moons ago on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, during the pre-gentrification era, in one of those deep New York City snows.  Sucking on a blunt proved to be not only one of the most-memorable but also, in hindsight, consequential things I ever did.  Indeed if I could go back in time to that very day... I wouldn't change a thing.  But at the same time, I'm not one of those types of people who tries to convince others who don't smoke ganja to do so.  My final conclusion concerning the whole matter is that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with smoking natural weed, but at the same time not having any dependency on it whatsoever is even better.

But as for those of us who may smoke, damn did Popcaan speak true in this one.  Marijuana is a strange drug.  Weed, I believe, is what they refer to as a social addiction.  In other words if a ganja addict is separated from the substance for an extended period of time, going into withdrawal he's not going to get physically sick like a crack addict, etc.  But maybe, like a nigga can't enjoy movies or sports anymore.

On top of that marijuana is a major form stress/pain relief, which is perhaps the most widely-recognized property of the plant when used as a drug.  Also, smoking a good strain when you're alone can make you feel like someone else is in the room , kinda like watching Friends.

And it is actually that latter aspect I think of the most as far as a social addiction goes.  Newbie smokers almost invariably blaze alongside others.  But if the habit persists throughout the years, one will also learn how to do so on his or her own.

Also keep in mind that we tend to become less friend-dependent as we age.  So it wouldn't be overly surprising if a tenured smoker does find weed to be his "best friend", or at least the herb maintaining a more constant presence in his life than homies or perhaps even family.

But Weed Is My Best Friend isn't based on that kind of a premise.  As a matter of fact as far as the different parts of this song go, it's only the first verse that is actually about weed.  The bridge and especially chorus rather focus more on how Popcaan isn't really into friendships.  He doesn't trust people, and relatedly he's not going to d*ckride anybody in the name of forming a relationship with them.  Also for good measure, he injects a bit of "real gangsta" ideology into the bridge by noting that true niggas, like himself, actually purchase the skunk rather than 'begging' for it.  Or maybe what Popcaan is trying to say is that he doesn't like dudes coming around him looking for free weed.

Then, as already noted, it is the first verse where he's really talking about the blaze being his "best pardie", with pardie, as far as I know, being a Patois way of saying homie (as is "chargie").  And since weed was decriminalized in Jamaica shortly prior to this song's release, now smokers like himself no longer have to worry about getting locked up for it.  Thus Popcaan is able to freely boast of riding around with a solid six pounds on him daily, which would actually be above the legal threshold, but still.

Later he sorta speaks to that social addiction I was talking about earlier, when Popcaan asserts that he's simply not happy without smoking.  And see how he's doesn't say that he feens for weed in its absence.  Rather it's like he just can't enjoy life, i.e. the true signs of a social addict.

And of course haters will label people like himself a "weed head" - a fact that the chanter recognizes in the second verse.  But as for what comes after, it would take someone more versed in Jamaican Patois than myself to really break it down.  However I do believe I get the gist of what he's saying in response to such individuals, which is that he doesn't really care what they think - a mind state which is obviously one of the benefits of being "higher than the plum tree".

And it is likely those same types of people who would read this song's title or hear its hook and instantly chastise it.  But again, I would argue that this track really isn't about weed per se.  That's not to say that this song isn't pro-marijuana, which it is.  But its main subject is actually Popcaan's distrust of people.  Then, the secondary topic would be how he personally doesn't feel right unless he's able smoke.  And lastly comes the weed, which the singer never really goes into detail about in terms of delineating its characteristics besides noting that it gets him high.

 

CONCLUSION

I remember reading a book some time ago that said the oldest evidence of marijuana being smoked was found in West Africa and dates back 5,000 years.  According to Google, "the first evidence of smoking pot" was found in China and goes back 2,500 years.  I also know as a student of anthropology that some Native Americans and other people of old freely used it, back in the days before blazing hemp was criminalized.  But it would also seem that even in past cultures where weed was smoked, people who did enjoy blazing herb didn't do it nearly as much as the likes of Popcaan.  Or the way I see it they weren't tasked, as we are, with dealing with the BS of living in the modern world.

28 July 2021

Ranking of All MCU "Infinity Saga" Films (Part II)

Every movie on this particular half of the list is a good one - so much so that outside of the top three it was hard putting them in order.  So after the long delay between the first part of this list and now, let's get right to it:

 


#11 - IRON MAN 2 (2010)

I'll admit that Iron Man 2 is not the easiest MCU film to re-watch, especially since pretty much all of the first half scenes feature Whiplash.  But sometimes, you have to appreciate a movie for its initial impact instead of how it ages.  And this was actually one of the most-revolutionary in the Infinity Saga.

For instance, if you were to put together a list of Tony Stark's most-iconic scenes throughout the entire saga, about half of them would come from this movie.  The dynamic between he, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan and the Black Widow, as well as the occasional Nick Fury outing, were even more entertaining than the fights.  This was also the film that introduced us to Don Cheadle as Rhodey, another actor who has maintained a compelling on-screen relationship with Robert Downey Jr..

Some of the fight scenes in this movie haven't aged well at all.  In fact Iron Man 2 marks one of the MCU's poorest performances as far as special effects go, now looking at them over a decade later.  But before the chastisements begin, there are a couple of important facts that need to be taken into consideration.  First is that prior to the MCU, effectively putting two superheroes on the screen simultaneously was virtually unheard of.  But here we got to see not only Iron Man, but him actually battling alongside War Machine, a character many of us never really thought we'd ever see in a movie.  And that brings me to the second point.  Some viewers were actually comic book fans even before the MCU came out.  And for such individuals, just seeing the aforementioned heroes duke it out with those robots (the first time around) was a major treat in and of itself.  So it's like give respect where respect is due.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: RHODEY (DON CHEADLE)

No one likes a major casting change after a series has already been established.  But in this case, I would say that Don Cheadle proved to be a better Rhodey than Terrence Howard probably would have been.  And that's taking nothing away from Howard, who is more lead-role kinda material.  And that's taking nothing away from Cheadle either, who has proven to be a mainstay of the MCU even more than some of its headline actors.


#10 - ANT-MAN & THE WASP (2018)

The first Ant-Man and second Ant-Man are like equal in entertainment value.  So the first one has to be ranked higher on the list since it was the original.

One major gripe I have with Ant-Man & the Wasp is that we all know, as mature adults, there's really no such thing as a realistic superhero movie.  But having a film where some giant dude is traipsing around New York City, with onlookers barely even gasping (and some not reacting at all) - on top of buildings shrinking down to the size of toys with no one noticing - is like an insult to the audience's intelligence.  This one is more like a Disney film in the truest sense of the word.


MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: HANNAH JOHN-KAMAN (GHOST)

Hannah John-Kaman isn't necessarily the most-talented actress, but man is she a pleasure to look at, just like in Ready Player One (2018).  And for the record she is mixed, i.e. her dad being Nigerian and her mom Norwegian.

Honorable Mention: Laurence Fishburne (Bill Foster)

According to IMDB, T.I., who is also Black and plays the role of sidekick negro Dave, is billed higher than Laurence Fishburne.  But still, the latter's character had a more profound effect on the plot and just as much, if not more, screentime.  There may have never been a movie that Fishburne starred in where he didn't make an impact.


#9 - ANT-MAN (2015)

Hollywood has a history of making movies based on people shrinking which predates 2015's Ant-Man.  And in all of such cases, it isn't so much about the storyline as it is effectively pulling off the related special effects.  And in that regard, nothing I've ever seen beats Ant-Man.

Yes, Paul Rudd did his thing.  But this movie wasn't the first MCU film, nor will it be the last where audiences are treated to the lovable, wise-crackin' White male protagonist.  Robert Downey Jr. had already successfully set the mode for others to follow.

But what it does hold the distinction of is perhaps being the MCU's first comedy, i.e. the first in which they employed a straight-up comedian in a major supporting role - that being Michael Peña.  And Marvel Studios also gets props for once again proving that they could take an antiquated character that no one has really cared about for decades and actually create an interesting movie based on hm.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: T.I. (DAVE)

Whereas T.I. may have gotten more screentime in the sequel, he played a more memorable role in this one.  In fact out of the handful of times he's acted that I've seen, this is his best performance.

Honorable Mention: Michael Peña (Luis)

In the 'hood no one really differentiates between Blacks and Latinos anyway.  And it's almost impossible to imagine this Ant-Man (as well as the sequel) without Michael Peña's presence.

 

#8 - AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)

Infinity War could have been better, but it could have easily been worse also.  Whereas having all of these different, diverse characters in one movie may have been a dream for comic book fans, it must have also been a logistical nightmare for those tasked with putting them there.  For instance 2015's Age of Ultron, which proceeded this in the Avengers' timeline, features a lot less characters but is whack AF.

The best parts of Infinity War were actually those that featured Thor.  That may be one of the reasons why out of all of the original MCU series (besides Avengers), his is the only one getting a fourth installment at the moment.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: LETITIA WRIGHT (SHURI)

There are a number of Black/ethnic characters, most of whom have already been acknowledged on this list, that have higher billing in Infinity War than Letitia Wright.  But I had to give the trophy to her as, besides for maybe Zoe Saldana, her scenes were the most memorable.  And even if you do feel that Saldana played a more noteworthy role, keep in mind that the best Gamora scenes, unlike those of Shuri, were buttressed by the presence of Thanos himself.


#7 - THOR (2011)

Being released during May of 2011, Thor was only the fourth film that the MCU had ever put out.  And unlike now, where the cinematic universe can survive a cornball or two or three, back during the early goings a project proving successful was more critical.  And this was the movie that established the fact that the first two Iron Man films and even the Hulk weren't flukes.  Marvel Productions was also able to make Thor a hit, unlike the other MCUs that had come out prior, without putting an established actor in the lead role, and Chris Hemsworth fit in perfectly.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: HEIMDALL (IDRIS ELBA)

Back in the day Heimdall was one of the coolest characters in the MCU.  And Marvel must've known it, considering the love they showed him on the movie's poster.  I'm not sure what happened to the character since, though I think he perished in Ragnarok.


#6 - MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS (2012)

The Avengers was not the first movie to do a respectable job of putting a bunch of superheroes into one film.  That distinction rather belongs to Fox's X-Men series and perhaps more specifically X2 (2003).  But it accounts for some of the best acting scenes the MCU has to offer, such as the exchange between Tony Stark and Loki inside Stark Tower.  There was a whole lotta hype leading up The Avengers, and unlike some other films in the MCU's canon, it actually lived up to it.


MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: NICK FURY (SAMUEL L. JACKSON)

I'll admit being skeptical upon first hearing that Samuel L. Jackson was cast to play Nick Fury.  And it's not only because the character is traditionally White, but also Sam is kinda old to be portraying an active action hero.  And accordingly the fights scenes involving Fury, such as the one on the Helicarrier, do appear elderly-considerate.

But when it comes time for Nick to preach to an Avenger or two, which is actually his main occupation in the MCU, it's hard to imagine the people who cast Jackson having made a better choice.  And at this point it's also impossible to imagine the MCU without him, especially as far as the Infinity Saga is concerned, as he has appeared in almost half of the movies.


#5 - SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017)

The first Spider-Man film had a number of advantages over most other Infinity Saga flicks.  First is that the special effects are gorgeous.  Second is the appearance of Iron Man in the ferry scene, which is perhaps the coolest MCU cameo to date.  Third is the fact that the main character had already experienced plenty of Hollywood trial and error under Fox.  And fourth would be the performance of Micheal Keaton as the Vulture.  That scene where he's threatening Peter Parker in the car makes your skin crawl, not to mention him taking an outdated villain and transforming him into perhaps the most-relatable bad guy in MCU history.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: MICHELLE (ZENDAYA)

The trophy would once again go to Zendaya in the role of Michelle, or whatever her name is supposed to be in the MCU.  And as I sit here writing this post, the latest big news is that she and Tom Holland are actually dating - a movie romance turned real life.  So perhaps what MCU fans are hoping for in the back of their minds is that they manage to stay together at least until the completion of the trilogy, with the third Spider-Man slated to be released about five months from now.


#4 - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)

Out of all of the films the MCU has put out, this was the one that was the most-surprisingly good, even if a bit racist.  Characters such as Iron Man and Ant-Man may have been anachronisms when their movies were released, but at least their powers are intrinsically compelling.  Such cannot be said for the Guardians of the Galaxy, give or take.  But this proved to be one of the best space action movies ever.  Moreover, Lee Pace's depiction of Ronan the Accuser is underrated.  And you also have to give to it Chris Pratt for adding new flair to the never-too-serious, reluctant White hero trope.  And another thing Guardian of the Galaxy doesn't get credit for is starting that (increasingly annoying) trend of movies using old songs for their soundtracks.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: KORATH (DJIMON HOUNSOU)

I almost forgot that Djimon Honsou was in this movie until I just looked it up on IMDb.  Whereas his character was pretty interesting during earlier parts of the show, as the movie progressed he became more and more generic - more or less your typical African lackey.

Honorable Mention: Gang of Black Dudes in The Kyln

I'm looking at Guardians of the Galaxy like damn, niggas is even getting locked up in space?  Indeed, it's rare that you come across any movie with a prison scene where there isn't at least one Black dude locked down, even if the facility is like in Siberia... or galaxies unknown.  I tried to look up the actors who actually played said prisoners via IMDb but was unable to track them down.


#3 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)

I know I already mentioned a couple of times how much of a wonder it is that now that we're able to enjoy comic-book movies that put virtually-unlimited characters into a single film.  But Civil War is when Marvel really let the world know that, theoretically, they can feature as many quality superheroes in a movie as they'd like.  And it wasn't one of those cases where they all have the same power.  Instead we were treated to a wide range of personalities and abilities.

In terms of the former, such would be the result of Marvel hiring serious actors.  So then you can afford to have someone like Paul Rudd, who is able to carry a movie as a leading man, rather getting less than six minutes screentime.

This movie also sports some of the MCU's best fight scenes - the introduction of Black Panther, Avenger vs. Avenger and Captain America vs. Iron Man - and is actually one of the more consequential stories in the canon.  The only downside is that Daniel Brühl's Baron Zemo is boring with a capital B.  In fact the only MCU villain who was less-interesting is Red Skull from the first Captain America.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: BLACK PANTHER (CHADWICK BOSEMAN)

Both Sam Mackie and Don Cheadle are apparently billed higher than the late Chadwick Boseman, who played the Black Panther.  And respectively, both War Machine and Falcon had notable moments in the battle.  But overall, the Black Panther was more memorable, maybe because this was his introduction, and Marvel brought him into the mix really well.  In fact during this point in time, it almost felt like the MCU couldn't fail even if they wanted to.  Indeed, little did we know that future stinkers such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017) and the ambitious yet sleep-worthy Captain Marvel (2019) were on the way.


#2 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)

Civil War is actually the Infinity Saga film I saw last.  One reason for the delay was being so turned off by the first Captain America that I just wasn't interested.  Also, Sebastian Stan simply doesn't have a bad guy's face.  Marvel Productions perhaps recognized this when casting him, considering how his character arc has developed.  Anyway, The Winter Soldier probably has a higher general re-watchability than any other movie in the cinematic universe.  It's like a Fast & Furious, Mission: Impossible and MCU film all rolled into one.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: NICK FURY (SAMUEL L. JACKSON)

I could've easily went with Sam Mackie on this one or both he and Samuel L. Jackson, but the latter gave a more-memorable performance.  This may be the best depiction of Nick Fury in the entire MCU, a fact that lends to the movie's overall greatness.  And even though Zoe Saldana may have gotten more Infinity Saga screentime than any other Black actor, Samuel L. Jackson, who doesn't lag too far behind on the list, actually appears in more of the films.  Also considering that Jackson has had just as many appearances as any other actor (i.e. Robert Downey Jr.) in the Infinity Saga, then he can also be considered the main Black character of the first 23 films altogether.


#1 - DR. STRANGE (2016)

I bet you didn't see this one coming.  Most MCU rankings I've come across didn't appreciate Dr. Strange at all - the ingrates.  And no, this movie isn't perfect.  For instance, the hand-to-hand combat scenes are lacking.  And Mads Mikkelsen's portrayal of Kaecilius seems as if it were intentionally designed to be dull.  But everything else is on point, even down to the casting and music.  In fact, Dr. Strange is the only movie I've ever watched where afterwards I looked up its score.  I'm not talking about the soundtrack, like songs from other artists that are featured - I'm talking about the score, i.e. the instrumental designed specifically to be featured in the film.  And my favorite is the end credits:

But of course this music is way better, as intended, with the associated visuals and within the context of the movie.

MAIN BLACK ACTOR: MORDO (CHIWETEL EJIOFOR)

This is something I wasn't even thinking of when I first started this list, but Chiwetel Ejiofor, taking nothing away from the likes of Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, etc. is the best Black actor to ever work for the MCU.  In fact he may be the second best in Hollywood after Denzel, even if he doesn't get a lot of high-profile leading roles.  And man did he kill it in this one, like that scene where he's arguing with Stephen Strange in the New York Sanctum.  In other words, his performance is one of the reasons this movie came off so well.  In fact, considering the performances of Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams and even to some degree Benedict Wong, this may be the best-acted MCU to come out thus far.


CONCLUSION

Black Widow (2021), the first MCU Phase 4 (i.e. post-Infinity Saga) film, finally came out a few weeks back.  And whereas it wasn't a bad movie per se, it did suck as an MCU outing.  Then there was the surprisingly-whack Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), as well as the snoozefest known as Loki (2021), not to mention that the Infinity Saga closing out with the dreadful Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).  So isn't like a good MCU film is a surefire thing.  And whereas Armor Wars, Shang-Chi and Dr. Strange 2 may be something to look forward to, for all we know the best may already be behind us.  So all that really remains is for the MCU is to come up with a role appealing enough for Denzel Washington to agree to.

Last modified on 12 October 2023

11 May 2021

Ranking of All MCU "Infinity Saga" Films (Part I)

I'm sure that you've come across rankings of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films before.  My personal problem with those that I have encountered is that they tend to be pretty uniform, regardless of which website is publishing it.  In other words they seem to be based largely on public consensus and IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes scores as opposed to the writer's own opinion.  And yes, some MCU flicks are universally terrible, while others undeniably good.  But let's just say that this particular ranking is truly from my heart, not an attempt to  make friendly with advertisers or pacify the viewing audience.
 

Also, since this is the Black Arts Review, I will make an attempt to identify and critique the main Black character(s) from each of these films.  Keep in mind that I haven't seem some of these movies in years.  But I do believe I have watched every MCU Infinity Saga flick at least once.  So I'll do my best based on memories of each one, as some of them you couldn't even pay me to watch again anyway.  And with that being said let's start at the very bottom of the barrel, which would be...

 


#23 - THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)

The first Thor movie was one of the most surprisingly-good films the MCU ever put out.  But by Odin's beard, was the second installment whack AF.  In fact it was shockingly-corny considering that the main cast members which made the first part so interesting all returned.  Yes, Thor: The Dark World featured some impressive special effects, as big-budget scifi films tend to do.  But perhaps the makers of the flick were banking too much on visuals as opposed to, say, presenting an interesting and easy-to-follow storyline.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: HEIMDALL (IDRIS ELBA)

I don't necessarily remember seeing Heimdall in this movie but know by all means that he had to be in there.  It may have even been, to my limited remembrance, one of the best portrayals of the character in the MCU thus far.  But all of that gets lost behind the overall awfulness of the flick.  And just to note, Idris Elba isn't overly fond of the movie either.

 

#22 - CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019)

Out of all the movies on this list, Captain Marvel is arguably the most-disappointing due to the sheer potential of the character.  Currently she's supposed to be the most-powerful hero in the MCU; she's intergalactic by nature, and her powers are colorful.  So if nothing else, this movie was supposed to have some ill special effects.  And it did have its moments, albeit painfully few and far between.  Moreover it seems that in this particular case, the critical and public response have agreed that the movie wasn't all that, even though I have come across quite a few articles arguing the contrary.


MAIN BLACK CHARACTERS: NICK FURY (SAMUEL L. JACKSON)


MARIA RAMBEAU (LASHANA LYNCH)

This is perhaps the only entry on this entire list that has two main Black characters.  Nick Fury may have enjoyed more screen time than Maria Rambeau, but by the middle of the flick they were both all over the place.  And whereas they didn't portray gangsters or prostitutes or anything negative, their characters still fulfilled another Hollywood stereotype, that of the Black engineer/scientist/computer genius.
 

21 - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. II (2017)

This may be the first controversial ranking of this list, as Guardians of the Galaxy 2 enjoys a positive rating amongst critics and even moreso as far as fans are concerned. But for me personally, watching it was painful.  They totally bastardized Ego, one of the most-unique characters Marvel ever created it.  And relatedly, it was a total and complete waste of a Kurt Russell feature.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: GAMORA (ZOE SALDANA?)

Genetically speaking Zoe Saldana is by and large Latina, with some Black and even Middle Eastern mixed in.  But the Latino and Black are evident just by looking at her.  So the reason I put a question mark next to her name isn't in regards to her Blackness.  Rather she paints her skin dark green to portray Gamora, more or less in keeping with the character's appearance in the comic books.  Also, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly ethnic about Gamora within the MCU, besides how her mom was depicted, as sort of a Rasta woman, in Infinity War (2018).  But imagine if like Saldana had used her natural skin color in the movies?  That would have probably been more interesting than the green.

 

#20 - SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019)

You know those type of movies where every time you try to watch it you fall asleep?  Well that has been my Far From Home experience.  The special effects, as expected, are top-notch.  But this is a poor follow-up to Avengers: Endgame (2018).  And that's saying a lot, considering that Endgame wasn't that good either.  But I would presume Marvel hasted its release to capitalize on Endgame.  And in that regard the movie succeeded, as it had a box office take exceeding $1 billion big ones.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: MJ (ZENDAYA)

Like Guardians of the Galaxy, the Spider-Man series is another case of the MCU using a non-White female lead.  In this case that would be Zendaya, who takes on the role of Michelle Jones.

In the movie though she is not referred to as such but rather the character's initials, MJ.  And of course when traditional fans of Spider-Man hear "MJ" they think of Mary Jane, Spidey's long-time love interest (in the comic books), who is in fact White.  So the presumption would be that Michelle Jones is a bi-racial re-imagining of Mary Jane.  And as with Zoe Saldana, Zendaya also brings a certain flare to the series even though, once again, her character is not presented as being ethnic in any sort of way.

 

#19 - IRON MAN 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3, as to be expected, was very impressive visually.  It also featured one of the most-entertaining and even meaningful interpersonal relationships in the MCU, between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and that little boy (Ty Simpkins).  So it says a lot that it has fallen this far down the list.  What the movie actually suffers from is a convoluted storyline.  In fact it is the most politically-charged MCU film to date.  But unfortunately the execution didn't match the ambition.


MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: DON CHEADLE (RHODEY)

Another interesting part of the film that wasn't mentioned above is the Iron Patriot subplot.  And overall, Don Cheadle's depiction of Rhodey / War Machine, etc. has proven to the most-consistent Black character in the "Infinity Saga".


 

#18 - AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)

You know a movie is bad when you're actually happy when one of the heroes gets killed. Failures may be far and few between as far as the MCU is concerned.  But this time around they took one of the coolest powers ever, superspeed - one that also happens to translate well on film - and just, I don't know.  One theory is that they tried to introduce too many characters simultaneously.  And truth be told, at the time I wasn't sold on Scarlet Witch either and had kinda wished that both Maximoff twins perished (though since then, well, WandaVision was the bomb).  Also that scene where Captain America shot the fair one with Ultron was semi-insulting on the audience's intelligence, considering how much power the latter is supposed to possess.


MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: HEIMDALL (IDRIS ELBA)

This film was partially set and filmed in South Africa.  And I remember there being a lot of Black extras but no main Black characters.  According to Wikipedia Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Heimdall and Nick Fury all appeared in the film.  I can remember Heimdall from that unforgettably-WTF scene when Thor was hallucinating (which later accidentally proved to be of some significance).  I also kinda sorta remember Nick Fury on the helicarrier or whatever.  But I don't recall Falcon being in the movie at all, though now that I think about it he may have popped up at the very end.  Indeed, it's been quite a few years since I saw Age of Ultron.  And I have absolutely no intention of watching it ever again unless maybe I'm really intoxicated (i.e. to enjoy the special effects, which are spectacular).
 

#17 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)

It feels kinda strange putting the The First Avenger so far down on the list, because out of all of the MCU's series thus far, i.e. trilogies or what have you, overall Captain America has, oddly enough, proven to be the best.  But I'd rather face the Red Skull on the desolate plains of Vormir than to watch this movie again.  But who knows?  Maybe now after Winter Solider and Civil War, etc. re-watching would be more edifying, even though they totally wasted dude from the Matrix.  But for now, the only thing I remember being really cool about this movie is when they made Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) appear mad skinny.  Like that scene where he jumped on the grenade is stuck in my mind forever.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: GABE JONES (DEREK LUKE)

I don't remember there really being any Black people in The First Avenger.  But I do know that one of the Howling Commados, as portrayed in the MCU, was Black.  And this character, Gabe Jones, did in fact appear on screen.  This has been his only notable appearance thus far in the MCU, and he was portrayed by an actor from New Jersey named Derek Luke.

 


 #16 - AVENGERS: ENDGAME

It also feels weird putting Endgame down here in the bottom half of the list because, after all, it is the most visually-stunning of all MCU films to date.  However, it also happens to perhaps be the best of the lot to fall asleep to, which is a good thing under some circumstances.  But for the most part when viewers sit down to a movie, they intend to actually do so from beginning to end.  And accomplishing that task as far as Endgame is concerned is a true act of endurance, even for a professional athlete.  Also it was like a slap in the face - at least to me - for Marvel to introduce time travel, alternate timelines and what have you into the MCU.  That's because when it comes to science fiction and comic books especially, doing so is that like the opening a can of worms.  And also, that was like the cheesiest way possible to undo The Snap.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: DON CHEADLE (RHODEY)

Don Cheadle has developed into an MCU mainstay.  In fact as of the writing of this post, he is slated to star in an upcoming Marvel / Disney+ series called Armor Wars, which I'm ultra-excited about.  He has become sort of like the MCU's backup Iron Man when Tony Stark himself may not be around.  In fact keeping in mind that the MCU recently introduced a Black Captain America, it wouldn't be totally surprising that a Black Iron Man proper is also soon to follow.

#15 - THE INCREDIBLE HULK

I remember The Incredible Hulk being a pretty-good addition to the early days of the MCU.  The special effects weren't always the best, but it was still exponentially better than the first time Marvel put out a Hulk movie.  Also that scene where the Hulk was fighting against the army was one of the most-memorable in MCU history.

But what really messes up the legacy of this film up more than anything is the fact it features Ed Norton as Bruce Banner, who has since been replaced with Mark Ruffalo.  So it no longer feels like canon, even though it is.  And whereas I've grown to appreciate Ruffalo's portrayal of Banner, I can't help but to salivate fantasizing about Ed Norton retaining the character and interacting with Robert Downey Jr., as Ruffalo did, in movies like The Avengers (2012).  That probably would have been too much for us to bear.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: PETER MENSAH (GENERAL JOE GRELLER)

There weren't any memorable Black characters in this film.  According to IMDb, the one that gets top billing is General Joe Greller, who was portrayed by Peter Mensah.  Like I know Peter Mensah but again don't remember him being in the film, since I haven't seen this movie in a minute. But such is understandable considering that he's only afforded 14 seconds of screentime.

 

#14 - BLACK PANTHER (2018)

I know some Black people may view what I'm about to say as sacrilege, but all things considered I actually thought Black Panther was quite whack.  Things that cheesed me off was stuff like the late Chadwick Boseman's flat performance and the killing off Ulyssues Klaue halfway through the film despite he, even according to director Ryan Coogler, being one of the most-entertaining characters therein.  And also, the sh*t was racist.  For instance if someone made a movie 100 years ago with Black dudes half-dressed, holding spears and making ape sounds, the likes of W.E.B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey would have probably been doing backflips.  But one good thing I can say is man, do I love Lupita.


MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: BLACK PANTHER (CHADWICK BOSEMAN)

Looking back, I guess Chadwick's aforementioned less-than-inspiring performance had something to do with the fact that he deadass had cancer.  However no one reportedly knew at the time, as he opted to keep the diagnosis a secret.

 

13 - THOR: RAGNAROK (2017)

This is another movie that receives what feels like an unfairly-low ranking, as Ragnarok is actually one of the most-rewatchable films in the MCU.  I guess we can say that this marks the official halfway point of this list, i.e. the juncture that separates the bad from the good, with this movie being both good and bad at the same time.  For instance the chemistry between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), adding Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to the mix, made for a special moment in MCU history.  Also the special effects, such as the treatment of Surtur, were amazing.  But then again, the may have done Skurge even worst than they did than they did Kurse in the Dark World.  And only the first half of the movie, which focuses on the relationship between Thor and Hulk, is entertaining.  So it's like only half of the flick is good.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: TESSA THOMPSON (VALKYRIE)

Tessa Thompson did her thing and established herself as the first recurring Black (yet also mixed) female character in the MCU, even if the one she portrayed is a bit outlandish.  In fact if I remember correctly Thor pretty much made her the queen of Tønsberg (aka New Asgard) at the conclusion of Endgame, thus setting her up to perhaps one day headline an MCU film of her own. And the dynamic between she and Chris Hemsworth was so notable that they went on to co-headline Men in Black International in 2019.  But unfortunately, that particular outing proved to be one of the worst big-budget sci-fi comedies of all time.  However as expected, she will be showing up in the forthcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, which is good news.



#12 - IRON MAN (2008)

Iron Man (2008) is supposed to be higher on the list than this, if for no other reason than out of respect, because it's the one that actually started it all. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark served as the prototype for what proved to be the MCU's main formula for success, which is to actually make the movie interesting even when no superheroes are on the screen (a concept that the DCEU still has yet to grasp).  But this one got knocked down, even lower than Ant Man (2015), once again due to canonical issues, i.e. the actor playing Rhodey, one of the main characters, having been replaced.  Also it features one of the most-forgettable villains in the MCU.

MAIN BLACK CHARACTER: TERRENCE HOWARD (RHODEY)

And that aforementioned actor would be Terrence Howard, one of the best overall performers to ever grace the MCU.  It's almost like he was too pretty to play Rhodey anyway.  To my remembrance, he never actually suited up as War Machine.  But there was that memorable scene when he, a Blackman, was contemplating putting on a gold Iron Man suit, which was pretty cool.  And in terms of him being one of the best actors of the MCU this isn't something I'm just making up, as he was reportedly paid more than even the actual star of the show.  In fact according to Howard he actually got Downey Jr. the job, only to be stabbed in the back when it came time for Robert to likewise stand up for him.

CONCLUSION

It took me a whole lot longer to write this article than I had anticipated.  So there's no telling when I'll get around to completing Part II.  But I will endeavor to do so in the near future.