Authentic, Black, Power: ‘Supacell’ Review

Intro Supacell is putting Black superpower numbers on the board in a real way. The runaway Netflix hit from the mind of British rapper/filmmaker Rapman delivers a well-worn story with a fresh lens and heaps of authenticity. If there was ever a conversation around ‘superhero fatigue,’ Supacell puts that to rest easy, innit? The Rundown Supacell centers around a group of five Black Brits from South London. They come from all walks of life and have three things in common: they’re about to get superpowers, they all share a connection to a blood disease, and they’re all Black! Their lives weave in and out of proximity as they learn more about why their powers exist. All in all, it gives the feel of a well-thought-out, sci-fi version of Academy Award Winner, Crash. But better. Black Heroes From 1998’s Blade slicing its way onto the scene (while also laying the groundwork for the Marvel Cinematic Universe), through to CW’s Black Lightning, and Marvel’s Falcon/Captain America – mainstream audiences are no longer ‘strangers’ to marquee Black characters in the superhero/sci-fi/speculative fiction spaces. For Supacell to run it up and have a whole squad and, subsequently, a world full of only Black people with powers is not only impressive but overdue. Yes, one of them has lightning powers – but dammit, it’s a byproduct of him being a speedster and not a byproduct of lazy writing.

Calvin Demba as Rodney, he’s a speedster. You can tell because of the lightning power– Image courtesy of …