Left-leaning website Salon got absolutely roasted on Twitter when they made the claim “Black Panther is the first blockbuster-format release featuring a black hero front and center.”
“Black Panther” is the first blockbuster-format release featuring a black hero front and center https://t.co/WVMrYmoECd
— Salon (@Salon) February 6, 2018
A number of folks pointed out a number of movies that came out before Black Panther including Blade, Spawn, and Hancock.
Uh, You folks do realize that Blade was first major marvel movie, right? Every Marvel movie out before that was low budget, direct to DVD.
Also… Spawn came out a year before.
I'm seriously hoping Black Panther is great. Please don't drag it down with this nonsense.
— Shaun Maden (@MadenIndustries) February 6, 2018
Because saying it is the first film to feature a black hero as the lead is factually incorrect. Be excited for it but don’t pretend it is something it is not. I’ve been dying for a Spawn remake for years and I’ve wanted them to do the same with Blade.
— John Klein (@ThatJohnKlein) February 7, 2018
do better research. BLADE. Three movies. You could call it the "proof of concept" if you want but it wasn't. be better at this.
— Game of Thornes (@GeoffThorne) February 7, 2018
Ummm, how about blade, spawn and hancock??
— Loops (@loops73) February 7, 2018
One user pointed out Salon “reduced an actor’s talent and the success of a movie to the color of his skin.”
It's so sad that the whole media has reduced an actor's talent and the success of a movie to the color of his skin. It only makes me feel more ashamed to be an African-American, as if I were an idiot incapable and despised for anything other than the color of my skin.
— Jr. (@thejuniorcosta) February 7, 2018
Never feel ashamed of who u are! These clickbait "Journalists" are throwing ones who should feel shame! They have forgotten blade!
— Ford Freestar (@I_AM_IRON_VAN) February 7, 2018
Others pointed out Salon completely ignored every Denzel Washington movie and even the more recent Django: Unchained starring Jamie Foxx.
No. Not it's not. What about Django: Unchained? Blade? Literally every Denzel Washington movie?
— Christopher Craven (@FlyWhisperer) February 7, 2018
— Scott Allen Perry (@thesap) February 7, 2018
Another of others brought up Will Smith.
How dare you discredit virtually all Denzel movies ever made. And don’t bother bringing up Will Smith.
— Benjamin Buhlman (@benjaminbuhlman) February 7, 2018
— ?Horngry On Main? (@bloodycowards) February 7, 2018
Did they forget Independence Day too?
— Ruben Pfau (@RubenInIllinois) February 7, 2018
This twitter user hit it on the head, “Shaquille O’Neal would not agree…”
Shaquille O'Neal would not you agree… pic.twitter.com/z0ipWvgsDV
— Charles (@Charles_Unamuno) February 7, 2018
Salon completely discredited Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop.
— △? Deep State Secret Society Wisco ?☠️ (@Wisco) February 7, 2018
They even forgot Blazing Saddles!
$119 million box office IN 1974 pic.twitter.com/w7fZ9b28ga
— Jim McIlvaine (@JimMcIlvaine) February 7, 2018
Michael Jai White’s Black Dynamite was also completely forgotten.
— Just Matt (@TheMattRTR) February 7, 2018
While many pointed out examples showing how untrue Salon’s claims was, others just flat out called their claims what they are.
— King Chad (@Dprofound1) February 7, 2018
Nooooooooooooooooooooo pic.twitter.com/FGC5Pq1pq6
— Weeki1 (@weeki1) February 7, 2018
This is just not true at all.
— rybread (@EmperorPalpy) February 7, 2018
— Dallas Greer (@DalGreer) February 7, 2018
gawd yinz lie about everything don’t ya?
— Beanfrompa?? (@BeanfromPa) February 7, 2018
Have you been under a rock? This won't even be the first MARVEL movie to meet those requirements hoss
— Spencer Stone (@StoneAge1987) February 7, 2018
Facing significant blow back Salon issued a number of corrections, but did not delete their original claim. One of those corrections tried to deflect responsibility onto critics. They claim their quote is what the critics are saying. Yet, if you actually search the updated article for “blockbuster,” the quote is simply not there. Where did it come from?
CORRECTION: A Feb. 7 story, “Here’s what the critics are saying about ‘Black Panther’ — it’s a ‘masterpiece,'” said that Black Panther was “the first blockbuster-format release featuring a black hero front and center.” (1/2)
— Salon (@Salon) February 7, 2018
Their next correction just describes the cast of the movie and what the film is based on. It still doesn’t actually admit their original Tweet was factually wrong.
We have corrected this story to read that “Black Panther” is centered on an iconic black comic book figure, and features a predominantly black cast and has a director and black writers, and is being distributed to a wide audience. (2/2)
MORE HERE: https://t.co/lRfTGvojOI
— Salon (@Salon) February 7, 2018
Black Panther debuts in theaters on February 16, 2018. The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross.