Brie Larson, Serena Williams, And More Celebs Who Are Helping Kids See Black Panther

Black Panther isn't just changing the way we visualize superheroes — it's turning usual people into superheroes!

Fueled by the cultural and social importance of the predominantly black Marvel movie set in Wakanda, a fictional African country, a long list of celebs have stepped up to create ensure as several kids as possible can experience the true magic of the groundbreaking film. Take a look at how Brie Larson, Serena Williams, Octavia Spencer, and even J.J. Abrams have chipped in to make Wakandans of us all.

Brie Larson

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One of Marvel Universe’s newest additions, Larson (who will star as Captain Marvel in the 2019 feature), is already flexing her superpowers. On Friday (February 16), the day of the film’s release, she used an extensive (and impressive!) Twitter chain to connect Black Panther fans in need of ticket funds with fellow fans who aspire to purchase tickets for those in need.

Serena Williams

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Williams surprised an audience of young girls from Black Women Code in San Francisco with a private screening of Black Panther on Thursday night (February 15). In a video posted to Instagram, her spouse, Alexis Ohanian, captured the excitement in room because the tennis champ made her grand entrance. “Obviously this is a large moment for us and for black people. We’ve never had a superhero movie, so we’re so excited. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for this,” Williams mentioned before introducing the film.

Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade

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Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade weren't going to miss out on this fun. The couple partnered with the Males & Ladies Clubs in Cleveland, Miami, Omaha, and Los Angeles's Watts neighborhood to send a total of 400 kids to Wakanda. "Black Panther is more than a movie, it's a movement," Wade wrote on Instagram.

Octavia Spencer

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On January 31, Spencer reported that she could be in Mississippi throughout Black Panther’s beginning weekend, and vowed to buy out a theater so that children in underserved communities “can visualize themselves as a superhero.” She made good on that promise by buying three Saturday afternoon screenings on February 17, complete popcorn and also a drink. Not only that, however she also convinced director Tate Taylor and producer John Norris to purchase a fourth Mississippi screening. (For those keeping score, Spencer did something similar last year any time her film Hidden Figures was released.)

Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith

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The CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment — the label that houses Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Jay Rock — teamed up with Interscope Records to purchase first weekend tickets for roughly 1,000 kids living in Los Angeles-area housing evolution, TMZ reports. Certainly, Top Dawg has an added special relationship to Black Panther, having helped create Lamar’s dope soundtrack for the film.

T.I.

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The rapper joined forces with Walmart to give away 300 tickets for an advanced screening of Black Panther earlier this week in Atlanta. “I think it’s imperative to know that there’s greatness indoor of all of us and our children should know that early — that there’s greatness indoor of those and that they all possess superhero-like qualities that will permit them to change the world. All they have to do is activate it,” T.I. Mentioned at the screening, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Clinton McDonald

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers player and Arkansas native hosted a screening of the movie on first night (February 15) so that kids in Arkansas could adore the movie for free. As a bonus, each child derived a book from First Book as well as their movie ticket.

J.J. Abrams, Ellen DeGeneres, Chelsea Clinton, Snoop Dogg, Viola Davis

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Thanks to New York-based Frederick Joseph’s viral #BlackPantherChallenge on GoFundMe, tons of celebs were inspired get kids in theaters to be able to see Black Panther for free. J.J. Abrams and spouse Katie McGrath, Ellen DeGeneres, Chelsea Clinton, Snoop Dogg, and Viola Davis were among the several heroes who donated and helped spread the word. Thanks to Joseph and other GoFundMe’s inspired by his, over $400,000 has been raised to provide thousands of movie tickets. And that’s the real power of social media.