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List of Magical Negro occurrences in fiction facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The "Magical Negro" is a type of stock character often seen in stories, especially in movies. This character is usually a Black person who has special wisdom, powers, or a mystical way of understanding things. Their main role is to help the white main character solve their problems or achieve their goals.

The term "Magical Negro" was first used by African-American filmmaker Spike Lee in 2001. He used it to talk about this kind of character in films when he was speaking to students at Washington State University and Yale University. He pointed out how these characters often exist just to help the white hero, without having their own detailed story or struggles.

Characters in Movies and TV Shows

This character type has appeared in many films and television series over the years.

Characters Before 1990

Characters from the 1990s

Characters from the 2000s

  • Elliot's cellmate/God (Gabriel Casseus) in Bedazzled (2000)
  • William Bludworth (Tony Todd) in Final Destination (2000) and its sequels Final Destination 2 (2003) and Final Destination 5 (2011)
  • Cash (Don Cheadle) in The Family Man (2000)
  • Bagger Vance (Will Smith) in The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
  • Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a guitarist who says he sold his soul to the devil for his music skills.
  • The Blind Seer (Lee Weaver) in O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
  • Juba (Djimon Hounsou) in Gladiator (2000)
  • Reggie Kane (Andre Braugher) in Duets (2000)
  • Jezelle Gay Hartman (Patricia Belcher), a clairvoyant who helps and protects two young white siblings in Jeepers Creepers (2001)
  • Abou Fatma (Djimon Hounsou) in The Four Feathers (2002)
  • Mateo (Djimon Hounsou) in In America (2002)
  • God (Morgan Freeman) in the films Bruce Almighty (2003) and Evan Almighty (2007)
  • Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) in Hitch (2005)
  • Sam (Morgan Freeman) in Unleashed (2005)
  • Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) in Batman Begins (2005) and its sequels The Dark Knight (2008) The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
  • Charles (Afemo Omilami) in Hounddog (2007)
  • August (Queen Latifah), May (Sophie Okonedo) and June (Alicia Keys) in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
  • Louise (Jennifer Hudson) in Sex and the City (2008), who helps Carrie Bradshaw feel better.

Characters from the 2010s

Characters from the 2020s

Characters in Books

This character type also appears in many novels.

Characters in Video Games

  • Far Cry 3: Some people say the story in this game shows a different version of the 'Magic Negro' idea.

See Also

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List of Magical Negro occurrences in fiction Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.