When it came out earlier this year, Marvel’s blockbuster Black Panther was widely regarded as a movie industry game-changer as well as an exceptional film. Rap legend Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs, however, begs to differ.

Describing Black Panther as a “cruel experiment”, the 48 year old star believes that it was just a token effort at inclusion, rather than the full-blown revolution it ought to have been.

“Black Panther was a cruel experiment, because we live in 2018, and it's the first time that the film industry gave us a fair playing field on a worldwide blockbuster, and the hundreds of millions it takes to make it,” Combs told Variety this week.

Sean CombsSean 'P Diddy' Combs believes that 'Black Panther' was a false dawn

He also believes that its huge box office success shows that black people in the creative industries can “over-deliver” when afforded the correct resources.

“You can't do anything without that money, without resources,” Combs explained. “But when we do get the resources, we over-deliver. When Adidas invests in Kanye and it's done properly, you have the right results.”

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“When Live Nation invests in artists and puts them in arenas the same way U2 would be, you have the right results. Black Panther, Black-ish, fashion; it's all about access. If you're blocked out of the resources, you can't compete. And that's my whole thing – to be able to come and compete.”

Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther starred Chadwick Boseman in the lead role alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Letitia Wright, and took over $1.3 billion worldwide, becoming by far the highest-grossing film to be made by a black director.

Marvel boss Kevin Feige has asserted confidence that Black Panther will be recognised at next year’s Oscars – not very usual for superhero blockbusters. “I think there are a lot of amazing artists that helped to make that movie… it would be wonderful if they could be recognised.”

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