Top 10 Most Powerful Black Male Characters in Film

[Blunt]

Ivan Dixon's beaten-down-but-never-broken "Duff Anderson" in Malcolm X's favorite film, 1964's ...

 

[PsiBorg]

"Cutty" played by Clifton Powell in Dead Presidents

 

[Jaguar2G]

Mouse.....

Go watch Devil in a Blue Dress......

The Hardest ever.

 

[Mr MajestiK]

All of which has nothing to do with this topic. Dude is using "powerful" literally, in some of these cases. As if being a loud boxer or having some kind of super-strength makes you a "powerful black character." There's more to it than that.

(And those you listed above aren't "anti-heroes" either. They're memorable screen villains.)

^^^Anti-heroes/memorable screen villains?

Same difference to me.

The cult of the superhero who jumps in to save the day is quite strong and prevalent in Western cinema as well as other types of cinema around the world.

Some of these myths feed back into the psyche of the people these superheroic characters usually resemble namely white people and if you think this isn't the case then you're living in a fantasy world.

One.

 

[Big Philly]

lol blade...


Let’s be honest. In real life, Black men have it pretty tough. Of all human species in America, Black men have the lowest mortality rates of all nationalities, with the exception of Native Americans. Jails from coast to coast are still filling with Black men at an alarming rate, and they have become a part of the business plan as the prison system has become privatized.


Many Black men only see entry points to wealth and opulence though Hip-Hop and sports, and even then they are faced with profiling, persecution, victimization. And then there are the frequent times when the Black men are their own worst enemy.

With that, I want to present the Top 10 Most Powerful Black Male Characters in Film. Why? In Hollywood, there are innumerable examples of White male man power. Superman, Batman, Luke Skywalker, Spiderman, nearly every character Tom Cruise has played and the list goes on and on. Here is a list to inspire all, in particular Black men, and offer a different authority for a new era.

1) “God” as played by Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty & Evan Almighty (2003)

For a decades Five Percent Nation rappers like Rakim and King Sun have maintained that the Black man is god (along with the Black woman being the Earths), but having Hollywood co-sign the notion felt vanglorious. In Bruce Almighty, a whiney complainer played by Jim Carey gets a visit by the Big Guy. God came back for an encore in 2007's Evan Almighty and got another White brother to do something Biblical.

2) “Robert Neville” as played by Will Smith in I Am Legend (2007)

In I Am Legend Will Smith took his block-buster heroics to new heights – he saved the human race after a White woman’s failed attempt to cure cancer nearly wiped everybody out. But, not only did he save the race, he fended off a new breed of humanoid zombies that were the result of the jacked up cure. In the movie, Robert Neville was a scientist, military man and ultimately a martyr.

3) “Candyman” as played by Tony Todd in Clive Barker’s Candyman (1992)

He said, “Say my name, say my name, say my name, say my name, say my name” way before Beyonce came around to make it a pop tune. This name: Candyman. The game: horror. Candyman is the only horror flick to have a Black man as the frightening lead. In most horror flicks, the Black people were the first to die in the most disrespectful way possible. Candyman offered his prey to “be my victim” and they accepted. Moreover, the Candymen I knew were drug dealers!

4) “Morpheus” as played by Lawrence Fishburne in The Matrix trilogy

In mythology, Morpheus is the Greek god of dreams. In The Matrix, he was a cool cat that was designated help Neo tap into his unknown abilities. Morpheus, a war captain, helps to lead about 100,000 soldiers in a revolution against the Matrix. Some might argue that Morpheus was the real Neo, but his job of finding and cultivating the “One” is just as important as being one. Without Morpheus, the “One” is a big zero.

5) “Del Spooner” as played by Will Smith in I, Robot (2004)

Who are you going to call when hordes of humanoids up and decide to think for themselves one day? Not Ghostbusters. You call a robo-hater, techaphobic named Del Spooner. Spoonie was the one they called to prevent the created from implementing martial law on he creators. He hate turned into love as the robots were eventually freed like slaves and Del embraced his left arm, which was bionic. If Del wasn’t Black, you would almost accuse the movie makers of symbolic racism.

6) “Thulsa Doom” as played by James Earl Jones in Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Before Arnold was the governor of California, or even The Terminator, he was Conan the Barbarian. In the movie of he same name, cult leader Thulsa Doom was the ruler of the savage world and gave Conan a lust for revenge after he murdered his whole entire family and village just for living. Blessed with evil, Thusla Doom was able to turn himself into a giant snake and his followers would donate virgin girls to him as the ultimate sacrifice. Furthermore, Doom could take a pet snake and turn it into an arrow for his mighty longbow. In the literary world, he was immortal, so he is still alive somewhere…even if only in our hearts. Word to the Children of Doom.

7) “Mace Windu” and “Lando Calrissian” as played by Samuel Jackson and Billy Dee Williams in the Star Wars franchise.

First there was Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) in The Empire Strikes Back, (1980) who was a very powerful brother/ hustler/ entrepreneur/ gambler from another galaxy. Sadly, he caved in to Darth Vader and passed his friend Han Solo over to a bounty hunter. He lost some of his respect, but Lando did go back and help rescue Solo later so he was redeemed. So, we move forward to another Black man from a land far, far away – Mace Windu. Windu was one of the most prominent warriors in the High Jedi Council in Star Wars when they started those kooky prequels like 1999’s Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Strong, bold and demanding and Windu was just outstanding. A true Jedi Master, he was, with a light saber style the girls love and the foes hated.

8) “The Black President Tom Beck” as played by Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact (1998)

Generally, the president of the United States is considered the leader of the free world. What if a gigantic comet strikes the Earth and creates and extinction level event? That was the dilemma faced by President Tom Beck. Guess what? He wasn’t late to saving the Earth. He didn’t have one fight with his baby moms, and he didn’t appear in a rap video. He sent out a crew of astronauts to land on that seven-mile wide meteor and blow it up with a nuclear explosive. Through it all, some of the damn thing still hit the Earth and thousands and thousands were killed. The president ends up making a speech about rebuilding the world. Imagine what Beck would do with something like Katrina.

9) “Spawn” as played by Michael Jai White in Spawn (1997)

Before Al Simmons turned into Spawn, he was an assassin for the U.S. Government. After his murderous spree ends, a governmental official orders his death. After he is killed, Simmons goes straight to Hell, where makes a deal with the Devil just so he can see his wife again. See how much a man can love his wife? On Earth, as an agent of the Lord of Darkness, Spawn makes for an interesting and conflicted hero. There is Hell on Earth and Hell in Hell for a Black man.

10) “Blade” as played by Wesley Snipes in Blade

Wesley Snipes might be having issues with the government on tax charges, but he sure was a bad dude in 1998’s Blade. Blade was a half-vampire, half-mortal man that was all Black! He was bequeathed himself with the weighty responsibility of guarding the entire mortal race from murderous and evil vampires. He certainly had to face a lot of prejudice, being a Black vampire, but that didn’t stop him from protecting all.

HONORABLE MENTION

11) “Clubber Lang” as played by Mr. T in Rocky III

We all know when Mr. T played Clubber Lang in Rocky III, there was no way in bloody hell Rocky Balboa would really beat his hulking nemesis if it was anywhere near reality. Fortunately, the guy that created Rocky was the same guy that starred it in. After Clubber Lang inadvertently slays Rocky’s trainer Mickey and then demolishes Rock, you would think that would be the end of it, right? No. Rocky eventually comes back to win after he gets inspired, but every step of the way Clubber Lang was the man of men, down to inviting Rock’s wife to see a “real man” in his apartment. Chuuuuch!


LINK: http://allhiphop.com/stories/lifestylefilm/archive/2008/01/10/19097985.aspx

About 25 years ago James Earl Jones played a black man who became president throught a series of wild circumstances. I think the movie was called "The Man". And we shouldn't forget James Earl Jones in the Great White Hope, Paul Robeson in "Emporer Jones" or Muhammad Ali as himself in "The Greatest". Levar Burton as Kunta Kente, Louis Gossett as Fiddler and Ben Vereen as Chicken George in "Roots". Gossett was also great as the Drill Sergeant in "Officer and a Gentleman". Howard Rollins as the black Captain and Adolph Ceasar as the bujois Drill Sergeant in the Soldier's StoryDenzel Washington was best as the title role in "Malcolm X".

 

[Big Philly]

Numero Uno - Virgil "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) In The Heat Of The Night (for the slapping of Endicott alone)

Yep number 1

 

[Big Philly]

And theres always Richard Roundtree as Shaft.

Roundtee's Shaft is another number 1

 

[Big Philly]

And Howard Rollins as Colehouse Walker in Ragtime.

Yes, held up all of New York because some racists threw shit in his car and then killed his baby mama. Great one

 

[Big Philly]

ima say it like this Will SMith is the actor of the future....

u gotta give morgan freeman credit also...he did play a black president and god and like no white people rioted.

all we need is a black jesus ina major movie. and will smith can be perfect for that role.

I grew up with Willard Smith, he's not a young boy, he's class of 86, 40 years old.

 

[da_monumental_1]

Nothing But A Man (torrent)

 

[Big Philly]

God as portrayed by LL Cool J in "In too Deep"

Odel as portrayed by Samuel L Jackson in "Jackie Brown"

Nino Brown as portrayed by Wesley Snipes in...shit you know

NO black man in a Quentin Tarrantino movie can make this list. It is obvious from watching his movies that he is scared of black men and will go to all type of lengths to degrade them in his films. He had Sam Jackson, a hardened hit man, finding religion and talking like a fool in Pulp Fiction and Ving Rhames getting sodimized in the same movie. Sam Jackson was evil in Jackie Brown and Chris Tucker was a nut. Even Fred Williamson turned into the worst type of Vampire in From Dusk til Dawn. And Resevior Dogs degraded black men so bad they used the N. word a billion times and there was not one black guy in it. So Sam from Jackie Brown could not be considered a strong black figure.

 

[Duck Dastardly]

I'm rollin' wit this cat.

Shaka Zulu - R.I.P. Henry Cele

 

[Big Philly]

Ivan Dixon's beaten-down-but-never-broken "Duff Anderson" in Malcolm X's favorite film, 1964's ...

cosign and he was a great director that was best known as the black guy on Hogan's Heroes.

 

[MYSTIC]

yall didn't say positive! lol

 

[Blunt]

yall didn't say positive! lol

One step forward, TEN STEPS backward.

 

[hustleman08]

I was just bout to post that one.

 

[cuzz]

All this talk and nobody remember this cat -

My Favorite movie.

 

[hustleman08]

 

[hustleman08]

 

[Blunt]

One of the all-time great, and too little appreciated, powerful (in muscle and wisdom) black men ever depicted on screen. Yaphet Kotto's brawny, self-assured and philosophical auto worker "Smokey" (who understands the game "The Man"'s playing only too well) from the '70s classic ...

 

[higherthenyall]

Freeman from Spook that sat by the door is number 1

 

[Blunt]

None of those guys. All are weak in various ways. Gotta be Fishburne's "Furious Styles."

 

[Peanutbutta]

Lame list ('cept for "Morpheus"). All characters from cheesy POPCORN movies. Dig deeper.

I agree with you The OP list is probably indicitive of his age but I can applaud the thread topic this is a great subject.

i mean if u cant call ALi a great preformance then i dont kno what to tell you.

Ali was a great Performance but so was Pursit of Happyness but neither beats out Denzel in Glory or X Or training Day. In my Opinion

One thing that I see that's happening in this thread (While I'm eating) is people are comparing FICTIONAL acting roles with "BASED ON/INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY" acting roles. Let's get a unanimous agreeance with sticking with SOLELY ONE OR THE OTHER!

Why cant you use both to come up with a composite list of 25 then like 10 honorable mentions using agreed upon critera
I would love to see how this list would turn out on BGOL. I think a lot of these performances are being based upon the ages of the people posting I think older crowd is going with Denzel and younger crowd is going with Will. I would just like to offer the following performances into consideration

Richard Pryor "Which way is up"

Max Julian "the Mack"

Danny Glover "the Color Purple"

Eddie Murphy "Beverly Hills Cop"

Sidney Potier "Guess whose coming to dinner"

Spike Lee "Do the right Thing"

 

[Blunt]

Spike Lee "Do the right Thing"

You think "Mookie" was a powerful character? He was probably the weakest person in the film. Now Bill Nunn's "Radio Raheem," (a part Fishburne turned down), .... yes!!

 

[godofwine]

This character initially came to mind.

Professor Phipps: One's primary purpose at university level is to learn how to think.

Jason 'Furious' Styles, also played by Fishburne in BNTH.

Most of the powerful black male characters that are portrayed on screen or not fictional characters. I'd rather deal with reality than fantasy anyways.

I never knew his name was Jason. This list is questionable, and it is too late for me to dispute it. Denzel in Man on Fire was pretty good also.

 

[Dannyblueyes]

I can't beleive nobody brought up this man here

Sorry I couldn't find a better pic

 

[SmuTTy_RaNKS]

This whole thread was fucked after "Spawn"

 

[motorock]

Here's my List in no specific order and my reason for picking them:

Furious Styles (Lawrence Fishburne): Boyz in the Hood
Reason: The mirror image of what every black father should be

Capt. Davenport (Howard Rollins Jr.): Soldier's Story
Reason: black Army Captain takes on White Racist sterotypes in 1940's South

Joe Clark (Morgan Freeman): Lean on Me
Reason: black man in charge, bucking the system, encouraging kids to learn

Blade (Wesley Snipes): Blade
Reason: First screen super hero who I didn't feel was just a black man in a white character, Blade was a bad muthafucka!

Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier): In the Heat of the Night
Reason: First authority type black character in a major motion picture (slapping a rich white man in the deep South, in the 1960's is worth watching this flick over and over.

Muhammad Ali (Will Smith): Ali
Reason: Obvious, the greatest boxer of all time and a true black hero.

Malcolm X (Denzel Washington): X
Reason: A self-made black man preaching education and self-reliance, a no-brainer.

Priest (Ron O'Neal): Super Fly
Reason: A hood soldier, hustling, beating the white man at his own game with no respect to white authority and rules.

Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson): Unbreakable
Reason: It's good to see a black character that's not only evil, but devious as well, Sam's best role

Lyedecker (Jim Brown): 100 Rifles
Reason: Beside being the first black man to make love to a white woman on screen (and Jim went top of the barrel with Raquel Welch!), Jim was strong, independent, smart and heroic.

 

[blaccsteel]

Lame list ('cept for "Morpheus"). All characters from cheesy POPCORN movies. Dig deeper.

I agree..I was reading that shit thinking he cant be serious!

 

[Tony Soprano]

"Cutty" played by Clifton Powell in Dead Presidents

Yeah you got a point there.

 

[DaleMabry]

Illest black gangster ever.

Co-sign this one!

This one too!

And this one.

Others...

 

[Imhotep]

Put the pipe down. When's the last time Will Smith was "funny" (if ever)?/QUOTE]

Movie: Hitch, the bee sting incident..........

 

[Blunt]

Movie: Hitch, the bee sting incident..........

Terrible, trite movie. Smith moved backwards in his acting, to the overly-broad, mugging style of his TV days. Basically did the lightweight, silly, commercial Adam Sandler thing here. The more comedically-creative Kevin James stole the film.

 

[Imhotep]

Terrible, trite movie. Smith moved backwards in his acting, to the overly-broad, mugging style of his TV days. Basically did the lightweight, silly, commercial Adam Sandler thing here. The more comedically-creative Kevin James stole the film.

“When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.”

 

[Makak69]

no one dropped darth vader wtf?

No Darth Vader?

You forgot Darth Vader