Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Black Panther, a film based on a Marvel comic about T’Challa, the young King of fictional African nation Wakanda, who tries to prevent a world war as the Black Panther.
The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars a majority black lead cast including Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett Daniel Kaluuya and Forest Whitaker.
So it’s no surprise that when a picture of a key piece of merchandise, a pin or badge as we would say in the UK, was released with what looked like a white face under Black Panther's mask – people were confused.
WATCH NOW: How I Make It Work: Tobi Oredein On Founding 'The Black Ballad'
The picture was posted on December 31 in a piece on Disney Pins BlogDisney Pins Blog which is a site dedicated to providing news about pins from Disney content – Black Panther will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.* *
The blog later tweeted the photo on January 7, and caused a stir.
People were quick to react.
It would seem that the blog was then forced to look into the pin after people called it out on Twitter, and found that the actual pin apparently does show a black person wearing Black Panther's mask, but the original photo was shot under a bright light and so the skin appeared white.
The excitement for this film is huge, which probably explains some of the backlash.
Many black people are used to, and tired of, main characters in films being white, with people of colour only brought in to provide comic relief, be a loyal sidekick or the bad guy.
A film which sees a black person as a hero, has a majority black cast, a black director, with this big a budget is, unfortunately, a rarity.
The internet nearly broke when the Black Panther posters were released in November 2017, depicting the main characters in their costumes.
Kendrick Lamar produced the soundtrack, and the lead single All the Stars features SZA.
Just like any fan group, Black Panther enthusiasts will be keeping a close eye on everything relating to the film, and aren’t afraid to call out anything that doesn’t quite fit.
*Black Panther *will be in UK cinemas on February 12, 2018.
**Like this? You might also enjoy… **
The Forgotten Story Of The Women Behind The British Black Panthers
5 Bits Of Black British History You Didn't Hear About In School
Why Black British Women Understand The Pain Of America's Race Problems
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.