History Main / MagicalNegro

* ''ComicBook/WhatIf ... CaptainAmerica Fought In [[TheAmericanCivilWar The Civil War]]?'' reduces ComicBook/TheFalcon to a cross between a MagicalNegro and a MagicalNativeAmerican (in this version he was raised by the Shawnee tribe and became a shaman). He gives Steve Rogers a [[WhoopiEpiphanySpeech speech about seeing the similarities in people]], uses his [[ReligionIsMagic mystic abilities]] to give Steve superpowers, and then gets killed.

* Morgan Freeman:
** ''{{Wanted}}''. [[spoiler: Actually a subversion, since he's manipulating the Fraternity for profit, and all his talk about "destiny" and "duty" turns out to be a smokescreen.]]
** ''DrivingMissDaisy'' is very close to this trope, but Freeman's character gets a bit too much of his own character development to qualify.
** The ''[[BruceAlmighty Bruce]]/EvanAlmighty'' films, where the main characters are selfish white guys who need his assistance to find wisdom. He's almost literally magical in this case, as he's playing {{God}}.
** Interestingly enough, this is ''inverted'' in the film ''TheShawshankRedemption.'' Red is the narrator, everyman, and a murderer, while a fellow white prisoner, Andy Dufresne, is the suffering saint that re-ignites his hope.
** He finally won the Oscar for playing this in ''MillionDollarBaby''.

** Freeman's version of Nelson Mandela in the film ''{{Invictus}}''.
** The literally magical Vitruvius in ''TheLEGOMovie'' serves to play with this trope.
* ''WalkHard'': the Dewey Cox Story. Drummer Sam played by Tim Meadows introduces Dewey to various drugs, saying "You don't want no part of this shit". He also introduces Dewey in the film’s prologue saying to a TV producer: “You’ll have to give him a moment, son; Dewey Cox has to think about his entire life before he plays.’

* The mortician in ''FinalDestination'' subverts this trope, not only in the fact that his advice essentially boiled down to [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption "you're all screwed, but have fun trying to stay alive"]], but also by the AlternateCharacterInterpretation that he [[TheGrimReaper is death]] taunting them for giggles.
* Lamont in ''AmericanHistoryX''.
* Harry Mitchell in ''TheAdjustmentBureau'', the Adjuster who decides to help David.

* ''{{Dogma}}'': Rufus is somewhat of a parody. And according to Rufus, {{Jesus}} is the UrExample. Taking in consideration the Brazilian movie ''O Auto da Compadecida'', it could be taken literally.

* Inverted in ''Finding Forrester'', when SeanConnery plays a mysterious ''white'' man with incredible writing ability that helps a clueless inner city youth (black) become a famous writer and [[MemeticMutation the man now, dog]].
* Moses the clock worker in ''TheHudsuckerProxy''. He provides sagely narration in a stereotypical patois, is satisfied coaxing the protagonist to success, and apparently has the [[spoiler:unexplained power to stop time by obstructing the gears of the Hudsucker Building's clock]]. He's a bit of a parody of the trope, though, by being a blatant, ''literal'' Magical Negro.

* In the second ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' film, the black voodoo lady Tia Dalma seemed to be a MagicalNegro. However, the third film revealed [[spoiler:Tia Dalma to actually be the sea goddess Calypso]] who is searching for a way to [[spoiler:be freed from her mortal body]], and she's [[ChaoticNeutral not necessarily on ]]''[[ChaoticNeutral anyone]]''[[ChaoticNeutral 's side but her own.]]

* ''Film/TheMatrix'' has some interesting cases. Morpheus comes ''very'' close to being one, but he does ultimately have his own goals and character arc independent of helping Neo. The Oracle, however, is an absolutely textbook example in the first movie, although the sequels give her a wider role.

* ''NotAnotherTeenMovie'' has a parody of a MagicalNegro in the "Wise Janitor"...played by Creator/MrT.
* In M Night Shyamalan's ''{{Unbreakable}}'': Elijah Price (Creator/SamuelLJackson), the black and physically-handicapped mentor to BruceWillis' is one of these. [[spoiler:Until the ending when it's subverted. He is revealed to be an EvilGenius who has been murdering and destroying in the hope of finding a "True Superhero," and [[UnwittingPawn any help he gives Bruce is purely manipulative]]. All he wanted to do is find his opposite, because it meant there was a ''reason'' for someone like him to exist.]]
* ''{{Hitch}}'' manages to subvert this trope just by changing the focus. WillSmith plays a character whose job is ''literally'' teaching white guys how to be as cool as he is - he's a "date doctor" who coaches socially clueless men on how to woo women. However, since Hitch himself is the protagonist, not the white guys -- and, accordingly, he gets a real character arc instead of remaining a static figure -- he's really not at all a Magical Negro.

* Averted in ''TheVerdict''. Deprived of his star expert witness, Frank brings in Dr. Thompson, a Simple Country Doctor type from the East Hampton Women's Hospital. He's an older black man whose slightly bumbling affect makes you think he's doing ObfuscatingStupidity. He's not. When he leaves, you have a strong sense that his parting words ("People have a great ability to hear the truth") are going to give Frank a brilliant idea. Nope. He's just a nice guy who picks up a little extra cash by being an expert witness for hire. However, if anyone had really been listening to his testimony, he reveals everything that must have happened (and in fact did happen).

* This is essentially the role of Zecora the zebra on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', though she doesn't always have the answer (for example, she was unable to solve the Parasprite problem in "Swarm of the Century"). Originally discriminated against, has an African-esque accent, has a hut filled with tribal masks and the like, and has potions and magical artifacts that have a more "ancient tribal magic" feel than the usual magic seen in the series (which is "unicorn points horn, stuff happens.")

* This is essentially the role of Zecora the zebra on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', though she doesn't always have the answer (for example, she was unable to solve the Parasprite problem in "Swarm of the Century").

* In M Night Shyamalan's ''{{Unbreakable}}'': Elijah Price (SamuelLJackson), the black and physically-handicapped mentor to BruceWillis' is one of these. [[spoiler:Until the ending when it's subverted. He is revealed to be an EvilGenius who has been murdering and destroying in the hope of finding a "True Superhero," and [[UnwittingPawn any help he gives Bruce is purely manipulative]]. All he wanted to do is find his opposite, because it meant there was a ''reason'' for someone like him to exist.]]

** ''Literature/TheDarkTower'': Sheemie Ruiz, the slightly retarded [[spoiler: psychic and teleporter]]. Avoided, however, with Susannah.

** ''Literature/{{Dreamcatcher}}'': Dudditz, saintly brain-damaged kid.

* Gloria in '' Literature/{{Because of Winn-Dixie}}'' is a [[TwoferTokenMinority fourfer:]] [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged blind]], black, female, and a dry alcoholic.

* ''DresdenFiles'' falls into this trope in ''Small Favor'', when the folksy, magical, African-American janitor provides philosophical and religious advice to Dresden when he is praying in the hospital chapel. [[spoiler:It turns out that the janitor is actually the angel Uriel, but to add insult to injury, when Uriel is in his angelic form, he is white, young, and blonde.]]

* This is one trope that ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' did not subvert for the first time, though they did have fun with it. Lisa Simpson had her own personal Magical Negro in the form of Bleedin' Gums Murphy, who noted that she should listen when people tell her to brush her teeth and that she sang the blues pretty good for someone with no actual ''problems''.

->''"[[TropeName Friendly black optimistic advice]]"''

* In the 2004 film ''Film/ThePunisher'', Candelaria the local Witch Doctor is a textbook example.

* Rafiki in ''Disney/TheLionKing''.

With such [[CloserToEarth deep spiritual wisdom]] (and sometimes -- though not always -- actual [[EthnicMagician supernatural powers]]), you might wonder why the Magical Negro doesn't step up and save the day himself. This will never happen. [[IncorruptiblePurePureness So enlightened and selfless is he]] that he has no desire to gain glory for himself; he only wants to help those who need guidance...which ''just happens'' to mean [[WhiteMaleLead those who are traditionally viewed by Hollywood as better suited for protagonist roles]], not, say, his own oppressed people. In fact, the Magical Negro really seems to have no goal in life other than [[BlackBestFriend helping white people]] achieve their fullest potential; he may even be [[MentorOccupationalHazard ditched or killed outright once he's served that purpose]]. If he does express any selfish desires, it will only be in the context of helping the white protagonists realize their own racism and thereby become better people.

** In Film/BatmanBegins, he plays Lucius Fox, a GadgeteerGenius who has hit a career dead-end in Wayne Enterprises' Applied Science Department, the resting place for advanced products that never made it into production. Nevertheless, he still happily agrees to give Bruce Wayne the gear he needs to become Batman, no questions asked. [[spoiler: Subverted at the end when Bruce repays him by promoting him to CEO of Wayne Enterprises.]]
** Freeman's versión of NelsonMandela in the film {{Invictus}}.

* Solomon from ''Film/HandThatRocksTheCradle'' is an example of this character type as well.

* Rafiki in Lion King

* The acclaimed French film "Les Intouchables" (The Intouchables) falls into the Magical Negro trap, being the story of a jaded and rich (although disabled) white man who magnanimously hires an unqualified poor black man as a caretaker who, with his sassy urban ways, teaches the white man to appreciate life again, subsuming his entire existence to that goal. This movie is based on a true story, but it is worth noting that in real life, the caretaker was not black.

* Viola Davis plays a literal magical negro mammy/librarian in "Beautiful Creatures" whose only purpose and desire in life is to help the white characters solve their problems.

* Mr. Fortune in {{Rudy}}.

** ''Literature/TheStand'': Mother Abagail, elderly and black; Nick Andros, deaf-mute; Tom Cullen, mentally disabled. Abagail is arguably an aversion, since she's pretty much the single most powerful person in Boulder. Also averted in that we spend quite a lot of time inside Mother Abigail's head, and her self-doubt complicates the situation for the heroes in the second act. Joe, a twelve-to-fourteen-year old who, due to trauma, regressed into a non-speaking, sometimes violent savage. Larry at one point realizes that Joe is ''reading his mind''.

* The title character in Bernard Malamud's short story ''The Angel Levine'' is an early (and very blatant) example.

* Stuart "Straight" Rathe in the Literature/UndergroundZealot series. Straight leads Paul, the white (and atheist) hero to Christ. He then spends his time driving Paul to chess tournaments, giving him Biblical advice on his relationship, and getting him in touch with other Christians.

** In the short story upon which the episode is based, author Creator/HarlanEllison states, "One of these men was black, the other white" and refuses to say which one is which. Of course, for a visual medium, they had to make a choice, and it seems that they deliberately chose to avoid the Magical Negro trope.

* Larry Wilmore, "Senior Black Correspondent" on ''Series/TheDailyShow'', explicitly referenced the trope one episode. A disbelieving Jon Stewart repeated, "Magical...?" "Negro. It's okay, you can say it." "Magical...I'm sorry, I'm a little uncomfortable--" "Good. That was a test."

** Earl Sigma in the following story "The Happiness Patrol"

* Played in the first season of ''Series/TrueBlood'' were Tara's mother; [[AbusiveParents an abusive alcoholic ultra-catholic woman]], becomes a "normal person" after an [[MagicalNegro afro-american voodoo lady who lives in the middle of the forest]] exorcises the "demon" she had inside. [[spoiler: Subverted; she is just a normal person who works on a drug store; she uses the voodoo thing to maintain her children; the exorcism wasn't real ... Or was it?]]

* ''TheVampireDiaries'' is known for its portrayal of Black Witches. Witches on the show are predominantly Black, and most Black characters are witches. Witches, the most powerful supernatural characters, are shown to be descendants of slaves, although this is not openly acknowledged or referenced. Although they are incredibly powerful, witches- or Black witches are subservient to the Caucasian characters. What rare insights we are given to the world of witches, we are made to understand that most magic is done selflessly for the benefit of white characters, or to "preserve the balance" of nature. Notably, Emily Bennett worked as Katherine's handmaid. In addition, she used her powers to provide her and other vampires immunity from sunlight. ''Why'' she would do this despite obviously not approving of the "vampire lifestlye" is apparently a IOweYouMyLife situation that is never expanded on. The subtext isn't really helped by the series being set in the American South.

* TheComicsCurmudgeon's description of "Clambake" from ''GilThorp'':

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWrongCoast'' had one movie parody with the title ''Magical Black Men''. Starring Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Don Cheadle and Lawrence Fishburne (all four of whom are or have been typecast into this trope) teaming up to solve the problems of white men in a moral crisis.

* ''Waiting...'' had Bishop, a [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculously blatant execution of this trope]]. Seriously, he existed only to give complex advice to everyone's social and psychological problems, and did so with a calm, deep-voiced, wise demeanor.

* This is essentially the role of Zecora the zebra on ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

** ''Literature/TheShining'': Dick Hallorann, although he's much more proactive than some of King's other examples and is a hero in his own right. Also, as a chef in high-class hotels, he's actually richer than the protagonists.

** ''Literature/TheShining'': Dick Hallorann, although he's much more proactive than some of King's other examples and is a hero in his own right.

** In the short story upon which the episode is based, author HarlanEllison states, "One of these men was black, the other white" and refuses to say which one is which. Of course, for a visual medium, they had to make a choice, and it seems that they deliberately chose to avoid the Magical Negro trope.

* How about the Bogo-Matassalai from ''Arthur and the Invisibles''?
* Gloria in ''Because of Winn-Dixie'' is a [[TwoferTokenMinority fourfer:]] [[InspirationallyDisadvantaged blind]], black, female, and a dry alcoholic.

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** ''Literature/{{It}}'': Mike Hanlon. While everyone else in the Loser's Club leave Derry, and many of them lead successful lives, he's the only one who stays and lives in poverty as a librarian. Even more egregious because he was one of the smartest of the group. And in the end [[spoiler: he doesn't even participate in the final battle, having been hospitalized]].

** The ''[[BruceAlmighty Bruce]]/EvanAlmighty'' films, where the main characters are selfish white guys who need his assistance to find wisdom.