History Main / MagicalNegro

* In ''ComicBook/SouthernBastards," blind Big is clearly this to Euless Boss, helping the young man use football to escape his hard life with a criminal father. However, it ends up being subverted as Big realizes he's turned Boss into a monster willing to kill to keep in power as the high school coach and lets out a literal MyGodWhatHaveIDone.

See also WhoopiEpiphanySpeech, TokenBlackFriend, and {{Mammy}}. For a similar trope about women, see ManicPixieDreamGirl (as well as DisposableWoman and UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest); the MagicalGirlfriend may play a similar role for her love interest, but is not necessarily an example of this. For the gay version see MagicalQueer ([[TwoferTokenMinority who may also be black]]). The disabled version of this is InspirationallyDisadvantaged. When a non-minority character is portrayed this way, the character is usually a SidekickExMachina. Similar in vein to the MagicalNativeAmerican, though that trope tends to be more explicitly magical. Also similar to MagicalAsian, when an Asian character, often with supernatural abilities, fulfills a mentor role to a white character. Another related trope is WhiteMansBurden, where the plot is about an ordinary white person who befriends an underprivileged minority character. Related to MagicalRomani, which is about Romani characters having magical abilities (or otherwise associated with the supernatural).

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 [[GoodSamaritan 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.

See also WhoopiEpiphanySpeech, BlackBestFriend, and {{Mammy}}. For a similar trope about women, see ManicPixieDreamGirl (as well as DisposableWoman and UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest); the MagicalGirlfriend may play a similar role for her love interest, but is not necessarily an example of this. For the gay version see MagicalQueer ([[TwoferTokenMinority who may also be black]]). The disabled version of this is InspirationallyDisadvantaged. When a non-minority character is portrayed this way, the character is usually a SidekickExMachina. Similar in vein to the MagicalNativeAmerican, though that trope tends to be more explicitly magical. Also similar to MagicalAsian, when an Asian character, often with supernatural abilities, fulfills a mentor role to a white character. Another related trope is WhiteMansBurden, where the plot is about an ordinary white person who befriends an underprivileged minority character. Related to MagicalRomani, which is about Romani characters having magical abilities (or otherwise associated with the supernatural).

* In LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek ''Series/OddGirlOut'' the bullied protagonist's BlackBestFriend Emily shows up in the plot to warn her not to trust the bullies, to tell her how wonderful she is after she tries to kill herself, to speak up on her behalf in class and to lead the assembled teenage crowd in a round of applause when she finally tells the bullies off at the end of the movie.

* Guinan in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', played by Whoopi Goldberg, is an El-Aurian, a member of a race with an almost supernatural sense of time and space. She's Picard's BlackBestFriend, but she's happy to give a WhoopiEpiphanySpeech to anyone who asks--or anyone else she thinks needs one. She can tell when history has been altered, has centuries of experience and accumulated skills, is a better shot than the Enterprise's chief of security, and is the only person on the ship who scares Q. Despite the fact that she could probably replace anyone on the crew, she chooses to work as a bartender in Ten Forward.

%% Image moved from MagicalNegro to resolve duplicate image issue with ManInWhite.
%% See Image Pickin' thread for reference: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1320188211012925900

* ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie'': In "Kick the Can", Mr. Bloom is an African-American man who has the ability to make elderly people young again so that they can live their lives over again. Prior to his arrival at Sunnyvale Retirement Home, he had previously done so at six or eight other retirement home.

* Mr. Bloom, Scatman Crothers' character from the "Kick the Can" segment of ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie''.

->''"Hey, this is the Magical Negro. Like in the movies, where the black character is just there to help the white guy on his journey. And he mainly speaks in folksy sayings. ‘I don’t know much about'' blah blah.'' But a man’s gotta have his ''blah.[='=]''”''

* ''Literature/DresdenFiles'' plays with this trope in ''Literature/SmallFavor'', including a folksy, semi-magical, elderly African-American janitor called Jake, who provides philosophical and religious advice to Dresden when he's in the hospital chapel having a RageAtTheHeavens moment. So far, so standard. Then, at the end of the conversation, he suddenly comes out with something that's less spiritual advice, more tactical information, then literally vanishing before Dresden can turn around. This is immediately followed by TheReveal that he's actually [[spoiler: the Archangel Uriel]], and 'Jake' was just AFormYouAreComfortableWith - and his occasionally vague remarks are a product of the fact that he's TheFettered and has to be very careful about not crossing certain boundaries. In following appearances, he mixes it up, appearing as 'Jake' (to Dresden's mild incredulity, since he ''knows'' who he's talking to and there's no point in a disguise), a blond young white man (i.e. the traditional Western image of [[spoiler: an angel]]), and most recently, in ''Literature/SkinGame'', as a young man with greenish eyes from somewhere in the Middle East.

* ''Film/NotAnotherTeenMovie'' has a parody of a Magical Negro in the "Wise Janitor"... played by Creator/MrT (shown above).

->''"Hey, this is the Magical Negro. Like in the movies, where the black character is just there to help the white guy on his journey. And he mainly speaks in folksy sayings. ‘I don’t know much about'' blah blah.'' But a man’s gotta have his ''blah.'”

In order to show the world that minority characters are not bad people, one will step forward to help a "normal" person, with their pure heart and folksy wisdom. They are usually black and/or poor, but may come from another oppressed minority. They step (often clad in a clean, white suit) into the life of the much more privileged (and, in particular, [[WhiteMaleLead almost always white]]) central character and, in some way, enrich that central character's life. If the Magical Negro (also known as Magic Negro or Mystical Negro) is from a society of [[NobleSavage Noble Savages]], expect an {{Anvilicious}} [[AnAesop Aesop]] about the failings of the protagonist's society -- which usually leads to the [[MightyWhitey protagonist]] "GoingNative".

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 [[GoodSamaritan 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.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho:''
** In the Creator/SylvesterMcCoy episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]" the Doctor is helped out by a black man who serves tea in a cafe while inexplicably offering philosophical insights based on the enslavement of his ancestors.
*** The Doctor DID start the philosophical train of thought, however, by commenting on how the demand for sugar started off a long string of events. Also, that was in an era where random extras would suddenly go on prolonged philosophical digressions (culminating in the immortal exchange: "What are you doing here?" "That's a very difficult question. Why is everyone around here so preoccupied with metaphysics?").
** Earl Sigma in the following story "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E2TheHappinessPatrol The Happiness Patrol]]".
** Carmen from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E15PlanetOfTheDead Planet of the Dead]]", a psychic who only exists to amp up the dread with her predictions of death (particularly the Doctor's).

* ''Literature/DresdenFiles'' falls into this trope in ''Literature/SmallFavor'', 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 blond.]]

See also WhoopiEpiphanySpeech, BlackBestFriend, and {{Mammy}}. For a similar trope about women, see ManicPixieDreamGirl (as well as DisposableWoman and UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest); the MagicalGirlfriend may play a similar role for her love interest, but is not necessarily an example of this. For the gay version see MagicalQueer ([[TwoferTokenMinority who may also be black]]). The disabled version of this is InspirationallyDisadvantaged. When a non-minority character is portrayed this way, the character is usually a SidekickExMachina. Similar in vein to the MagicalNativeAmerican, though that trope tends to be more explicitly magical. Also similar to MagicalAsian, when an Asian character, often with supernatural abilities, fulfills a mentor role to a white character. Another related trope is WhiteMansBurden, where the plot is about an ordinary white person who befriends an underprivileged minority character.

** He plays a textbook example in the film adaptation of Literature/SameKindOfDifferentAsMe.

** In the GrandFinale of, ''Series/AshesToAshes'' [[spoiler: he turns out to be an angel.]]

* In the pilot episode of ''Series/{{Community}}'' Jeff poses a question at a random black cafeteria worker and then apologizes by saying,
-->'''Jeff''': Oh jeez, I'm sorry. I was raised on TV, and I was conditioned to believe that every black woman over 50 is a cosmic mentor.

* The doctor in ''Webcomic/{{Pockett}}'' seems to be one of these.

---> Chef: "Hello there, children!"\\

** They finally did outright subvert this in the episode "Brawl in the Family", with the character Gabriel, an apparent Magical Negro (who Homer thinks is an angel) and social worker assigned to help the family with their dysfunction. He's also voiced by Delroy Lindo. Homer expressly compares him to the aforementioned Bagger Vance example. Gabriel, confronted by Homer's [[NegativeContinuity long lost Vegas wife]], gives up on the family, telling Homer, "Your seed should be wiped from the Earth!"

---> Stan: "Chef, how can I get a girl to like me?"\\
Chef: "Oh, that's easy! You just have to find the clitoris."

Stan: "Hey, Chef! What would a priest wanna stick up my butt?"\\
Chef: "...G'bye!"

* Mr. Bloom, Scatman Crothers' character from the "Kick the Can" segment of ''Film/TheTwilightZoneTheMovie''.

* Dobby from the HarryPotter franchise plays this to a T: oppressed ethnic minority (house-elf), kept as a slave, speaks pidgin English, is eternally grateful that main character (Harry) treats him decently, has enormous magical powers but rarely uses them, later freed by main character and basically becomes his slave, eventually sacrifices his life to save Harry.

** The ''[[Film/BruceAlmighty Bruce]]/Film/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}}. It's arguably not a true example as his character's race is just an appearance of convenience since he's not a minority human or any human at all but quite literally God Almighty, creator of the Universe, helping one of his creations.

See also WhoopiEpiphanySpeech, BlackBestFriend, and {{Mammy}}. For the gay version see MagicalQueer ([[TwoferTokenMinority who may also be black]]). The disabled version of this is InspirationallyDisadvantaged. When a non-minority character is portrayed this way, the character is usually a SidekickExMachina. Similar in vein to the MagicalNativeAmerican, though that trope tends to be more explicitly magical. Also similar to MagicalAsian, when an Asian character, often with supernatural abilities, fulfills a mentor role to a white character. Another related trope is WhiteMansBurden, where the plot is about an ordinary white person who befriends an underprivileged minority character.

** The ''[[Film/BruceAlmighty Bruce]]/Film/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}}.

* ''Blog/TheComicsCurmudgeon'''s description of "Clambake" from ''Gil Thorp'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Zecora fits the bill in a way. She is the only Zebra in a world of ponies and other mythical creatures with a whole episode about not judging someone because they're different. Plus, Zebras are from Africa. Lampshaded since she's not a unicorn with inborn magic, but rather a shaman/witch doctor with access to magic the unicorns do not have. She also happens to live in a hut ... in the forest ... with a cauldron ... and tribal masks...