The Magical Negro is a supporting

stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

who, by means of special insight or powers often of a

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

or quasi- mystical nature, helps the white

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

get out of trouble. African-American filmmaker Spike Lee coined the term, deriding the archetype of the "super-duper magical negro" in 2001 while discussing films with students at Washington State University and at Yale University. The following list presents examples of the archetype that have been proposed or discussed.

Film and television

Pre-1990

Uncle Remus Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post-Reconstruction era Atlanta, a ...

( James Baskett) in ''

Song of the South ''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson; produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. ...

'' (1946) *Homer Smith (

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

) in '' Lilies of the Field'' (1963) *Super Soul ( Cleavon Little) in '' Vanishing Point'' (1971) *Grover Muldoon ( Richard Pryor) in '' Silver Streak'' (1976) *Big Jim Slade ( Manny Perry) in '' The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977) *Snoe ( Clarence Muse) in ''

The Black Stallion The Black Stallion, known as the Black or Shêtân, is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series about the Arab stallion and his young owner, Alec Ramsay. The series chronicles the story of a Sheikh's prized stallion a ...

'' (1979) *

Dick Hallorann Richard Hallorann is a fictional character created by Stephen King from his 1977 novel '' The Shining''. He has telepathic abilities he called "the shining" and is the head chef at the Overlook Hotel. He meets Danny Torrance, a young boy who is ...

( Scatman Crothers) in '' The Shining'' (1980) *Mr. Bloom ( Scatman Crothers) in '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983) * Guinan ( Whoopi Goldberg) in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987-1994)

1990s

*Oda Mae Brown ( Whoopi Goldberg) in ''

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'' (1990) *Azeem (

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

) in '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' (1991) *Vinnie ( Laurence Fishburne) in ''

Searching for Bobby Fischer ''Searching for Bobby Fischer'', released in the United Kingdom as ''Innocent Moves'', is a 1993 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Steven Zaillian in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut. Starr ...

'' (1993) *Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue ( Mykelti Williamson) in ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...

'' (1994) *Moses ( Bill Cobbs) in '' The Hudsucker Proxy'' (1994) *Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) in '' The Shawshank Redemption'' (1994) *Ram Dass (Errol Sitahal) in '' A Little Princess'' (1995) *Chubbs ( Carl Weathers) in '' Happy Gilmore'' (1996) *Kazaam (

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

) in '' Kazaam'' (1996) *Arthur Chaney ( Bill Cobbs) in ''

Air Bud ''Air Bud'' is a 1997 sports comedy film directed by Charles Martin Smith. The film was financially successful, grossing $4 million in its opening weekend and totaling $27.8 million in its run against an estimated $3 million budget. Plot After ...

'' (1997) *Ruby Rhod ( Chris Tucker) in '' The Fifth Element'' (1997) *Minerva (

Irma P. Hall Irma Dolores Player Hall (born June 3, 1935) is an American actress who has appeared in films and television shows since the early 1970s. Hall often played matriarchal figures in films including ''A Family Thing'', '' The Ladykillers'' and ''Soul ...

) in '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' (1997) *Allen Strange (

Arjay Smith Arjay L. M. Smith (born November 27, 1983) is an American actor best known for his teenage role portraying the title character of the Nickelodeon children's television series ''The Journey of Allen Strange''. Smith portrayed terrorist Laurent Dub ...

) in '' The Journey of Allen Strange'' (1997-2000) *Lamont (

Guy Torry Guy Torry is an American actor and comedian. He is the brother of actor and comedian Joe Torry Joe Torry is an American actor and comedian. Filmography Film Television References External links * *Joe Torry's Giving Back the Love ...

) in '' American History X'' (1998) * Rastaman (

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...

) in '' Bulworth'' (1998) *G (

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

) in ''

Holy Man ''Holy Man'' is a 1998 American television satirical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Tom Schulman, and starring Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Preston, Robert Loggia, Jon Cryer, and Eric McCormack. The film was a ...

'' (1998) *Albert Lewis ("Doc") ( Cuba Gooding Jr.) in '' What Dreams May Come'' (1998) *Rufus (

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

) in '' Dogma'' (1999) *John Coffey ( Michael Clarke Duncan) in '' The Green Mile'' (1999) * Morpheus ( Laurence Fishburne) and the

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

( Gloria Foster / Mary Alice) in '' The Matrix'' (1999) and its sequels

2000s

*Elliot's cellmate/God (

Gabriel Casseus Gabriel Casseus (born April 28, 1972) is an American actor and screenwriter from Roosevelt, New York. Biography Casseus, born in New York City, is of Haitian descent. Casseus was nominated for the 1995 Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut ...

) in '' Bedazzled'' (2000) *William Bludworth (

Tony Todd Tony Todd (born December 4, 1954) is an American actor who made his debut as Sgt. Warren in the film ''Platoon'' (1986), and portrayed Kurn in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1990–1991) and '' Star Trek: Deep Space Ni ...

) in '' Final Destination'' (2000) and its sequels '' Final Destination 2'' (2003) and ''

Final Destination 5 ''Final Destination 5'' is a 2011 American 3D supernatural horror film directed by Steven Quale and written by Eric Heisserer. It is the fifth installment in the ''Final Destination'' film series and a prequel to the first film. ''Final Dest ...

'' (2011) *Cash ( Don Cheadle) in ''

The Family Man ''The Family Man'' is a 2000 American romantic fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Don Cheadle, Saul Rubinek, and Jeremy ...

'' (2000) *Bagger Vance ( Will Smith) in ''

The Legend of Bagger Vance ''The Legend of Bagger Vance'' is a 2000 American sports film directed by Robert Redford, and starring Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. The screenplay by Jeremy Leven is based on Steven Pressfield's 1995 book '' The Legend of Bagger V ...

'' (2000) * Tommy Johnson ( Chris Thomas King) in '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'', the accompanying guitarist who claims he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his musical skill *The Blind Seer (

Lee Weaver Lee Weaver (born April 10, 1930) is an American film and television actor. Early life Weaver was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the son of Josephine and Primus Jest Weaver, a chef. Weaver was the voice of Alpine in the animated television ...

) in '' O Brother Where Art Thou?'' (2000) *Juba ( Djimon Hounsou) in ''

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

'' (2000) *Reggie Kane ( Andre Braugher) in ''

Duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

'' (2000) *Jezelle Gay Hartman (

Patricia Belcher Patricia Belcher (born 1954) is an American film, stage and television actress, known for her roles as Ms. Dabney in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Good Luck Charlie'', and as United States Attorney Caroline Julian in the FOX crime procedural c ...

), a clairvoyant who sacrifices herself to warn and protect two young, white, twentysomething 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 ''Bruce Almighty'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. The film stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to God ...

'' (2003) and '' Evan Almighty'' (2007) *Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) in '' Hitch'' (2005) *Sam (Morgan Freeman) in ''

Unleashed Unleashed may refer to: Art and entertainment Film and television * ''Unleashed'' (2001 film), a film featuring Jeff Anderson * ''Unleashed'' (2005 film), a 2005 martial arts film starring Jet Li * ''Unleashed'' (2016 film), a film starring ...

'' (2005) *Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) in '' Batman Begins'' (2005) and its sequels '' The Dark Knight'' (2008) '' The Dark Knight Rises'' (2012). *Charles (

Afemo Omilami Afemo Omilami (born December 13, 1950) is an American actor. Early life Omilami was born in Petersburg, Virginia on December 13, 1950. Afemo has not made any public reference to his paternal background, however his name has ties to the Yoruba co ...

) 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), where Carrie Bradshaw's emotional recuperation depends entirely on the labor of her plucky black personal assistant, who is disengaged from the storyline as soon as Carrie starts to feel better.

2010s

* Harry "Red" Newman (

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

) in '' Legendary'' (2010)Seitz, Matt Zoller
"The offensive movie cliche that won't die: 'Legendary' is only the latest Hollywood film to include a mystical, benevolent African-American character,"
Salon.com (Sept. 14, 2010). *Brother Sam ( Mos Def/Yasiin Bey), a character who appears in five episodes of the sixth season of ''

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

'' (2011) *The janitor (

Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele's breakout role came in 2003, when he was hired as a cast membe ...

) and the copier repair man ( Keegan-Michael Key) in a "magic negro" sketch on '' Key & Peele'' (2012) *Henry "Holy Wayne" Gilchrest, Jr. ( Paterson Joseph) in The Leftovers (2014) *Virgil (

Steven Williams Steven Williams (born January 7, 1949) is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on ''21 Jump Street'', Lt. Jefferson Burnett on '' The Equalizer'', Det. August Brooks on '' L.A. Heat'', X on ...

) in The Leftovers (2014-2017) *Evelyn (

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King), ...

) in '' Annabelle'' (2014) *Rich Purnell (

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...

) in ''The Martian'' (2015) *Chief Gus Mancuso ( Laurence Fishburne) in '' Passengers'' (2016) *Keith ( John Legend) in ''La La Land'' (2016) *Mr. Church (

) in ''

Mr. Church ''Mr. Church'' is a 2016 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Susan McMartin. The film stars Eddie Murphy as the title character with Britt Robertson, Xavier Samuel, Lucy Fry, Christian Madsen and Natascha McElhone also ...

'' (2016) *Denver Moore ( Djimon Hounsou) in ''

Same Kind of Different as Me ''Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together'', published in June 2006, is a book co-written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, with Lynn Vincent, telling about Hall ...

'' (2017) *Ron Strickland (

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

) in '' Fist Fight'' (2017) *Don Shirley ( Mahershala Ali) in ''Green Book'' (2018) *Elizabeth Howard (

Crystal R. Fox Crystal R. Fox (born January 1, 1964) is an American actress and singer. Fox performed in many stage productions during her career, and is best known for her television roles as Luann Corbin in the NBC/CBS police drama series '' In the Heat of ...

) in ''Big Little Lies'' (2019) *The Salesman ( Samuel L. Jackson) in ''

Unicorn Store ''Unicorn Store'' is a 2017 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Brie Larson (in her feature film directorial debut). It stars Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, Bradley Whitford, Karan Soni, Mamoudou Athie, Mary H ...

'' (2019) *

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu is a comic book mysticism, mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Lady of the Lake, Nimue, the magician (fantasy), sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Thomas Malory, Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Mo ...

(

Jeryl Prescott Jeryl Prescott Sales is an American actress, best known for her role as Jacqui in the AMC series '' The Walking Dead''. In 2019, she had series regular role of Madame Xanadu in the short-lived DC Universe series ''Swamp Thing''. Life and career ...

) in '' Swamp Thing'' (2019) *Jasper John ( Wayne Dehard) in ''

The Peanut Butter Falcon ''The Peanut Butter Falcon'' is a 2019 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, in their directorial film debut, and starring Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and John Hawkes. The plot fo ...

'' (2019) * Genie ( Will Smith) in ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

'' (2019)

2020s

* Peter (Yashua Mack) in '' Wendy'' (2020) *Ebo Odom (

Leslie Odom Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him a Tony Award f ...

) in '' Music'' (2021) * Fab G ( Billy Porter) in '' Cinderella '' (2021) *'' The American Society of Magical Negroes'' (2024)

Literature

* Jim in

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's 1884 book the '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' and its adaptations. *A recurring archetype in

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s as well as some adaptations of his work: **Dick Hallorann in '' The Shining'' (1977) novel, the 1980 film adaptation ( Scatman Crothers), and the 1997 TV miniseries ( Melvin Van Peebles) **

Mother Abagail The following is a partial list of characters from Stephen King's novel ''The Stand''. The novel was published in 1978, with its narrative set during the 1980s; however, a second edition was released in 1990, is considerably longer than the firs ...

in '' The Stand'' (1978) novel and the 1994 TV adaptation (

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (19 ...

) **Lester "Speedy" Parker in ''

The Talisman A talisman is an object which is purported to possess certain magical properties. Talisman may also refer to: Art and entertainment Fictional characters * Talisman (comics), a superhero from Marvel Comics who was a member of Alpha Flight * Tali ...

'' (1984). **John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1996) novel and its 1999 film adaptation (played by Michael Clarke Duncan)

Video games

*'' Far Cry 3'': according to writer John Walker, the plot follows an inverted 'Magic Negro' trope.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Magical Negro occurrences in fiction, List of African American-related lists