In both Encanto and Black Panther, we see Mirabel and Erik Stevens dealing with having the sense of not belonging in their respective communities. In Black Panther, the result of this is Erik Stevens aka Killmonger growing up abandoned and in effect, distant from both his culture and extended family, painfully aware that they won’t accept him as warned by his father. In his isolation, he becomes a product of his circumstances living as a black man in America (dealing with the consequences of such) and learning of the injustices that Wakanda could easily prevent whilst they willfully remain uninvolved. Consequently, the present-day Erik Stevens is a morally gray character who’s now vengeful and desensitized to killing- constantly prioritizing …show more content…
The first words we see from the older Mirabel concern her wish to make her family proud and later while she gushes about her family and how proud she is to be a Madrigal, she actively ignores the children’s requests to hear more about her in the song “The Family Madrigal” and seems reluctant to share how she is “not special”. Further, in “Waiting on a Miracle”, her feelings about being unable to compare to her family members and being an outsider compound as she looks on alone while the family takes a family photo without her. Both Erik and her are clearly don’t fully belong. However, they address this differently as Mirabel attempts to fix her issue not by acting angrily or violently but by using a different kind of strength to try to help her family by restoring the miracle. Even as that is her big picture objective, she doesn’t stick strictly to achieving that and prioritizes her family’s general wellbeing. For instance, she says to Bruno she’s bringing him home after saving the miracle, checks on him to make sure he got out safe as the house crumbled even as she was in a dangerous position herself, and despite Mirabel knowing a hug is what completes Bruno’s vision, its Isabela who hugs Mirabel as Mirabel prioritized actually listening and bonding with