The thrilling true story Judas & The Black Messiah recounts the activism and violent suppression of the Black Panther Party's Illinois chapter in the late 1960s, leading to the death of leader Fred Hampton. Judas & The Black Messiah tells the real-life story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), an FBI informant working for the Bureau to avoid jail time who infiltrated Hampton's inner circle.

Judas & The Black Messiah brings into focus a chapter of civil rights history. Along with Kaluuya and Stanfield, the cast of Judas and the Black Messiah brings several of the real-life figures surrounding the true story, from Hampton's allies to his powerful enemies. As with any movie based on a true story, there are elements that are created as Hollywood fiction while also a lot of details that stay true to the real events. However, examining the fact and fiction of Judas and the Black Messiah further reveals an incredible bit of American history.

How Accurate Judas & the Black Messiah Is

The Movie Was Forced To Make Assumptions About The FBI Aspects Of The Events

While Fred Hampton may not always be discussed as prominently as other Civil Rights leaders, his story is vital to understanding the pivotal movement as it emerged from the tumultuous 1960s. Filmmaker Shaka King and fellow writers Kenny and Keith Lucas understood this and sought to keep as faithful as possible to the true events, reaching out to the family of Fred Hampton among others for information.

In an interview, the writers told Decider that the biggest assumptions they made involved FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's knowledge of the raid that took Hampton's life (which was recently confirmed) and William O'Neal's relationship with his FBI handler, Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons). For the latter, they had to fill in some gaps, as O'Neal's information - available via the docu-series Eyes On The Prize featured at the end of Black Messiah - is understandably unreliable.

It is not surprising that there are the elements the movie had trouble confirming, as the people who knew and were close to Fred Hampton would be more willing to speak out on the events compared to the FBI, who would obviously not it to an assassination like the one depicted in the movie.

What Happened After Judas & The Black Messiah's Ending

The Legacy Of Fred Hampton Continues

After raiding the apartment of Fred Hampton, police immediately reported that their arrest team had been attacked by the "violent" and "extremely vicious" Panthers, even commending officers on their restraint for not killing all the Panthers present. Though shots fired by the police outnumbered those fired by Panthers 99 to one, it was the surviving Panthers who faced criminal charges instead of the police.

Former attorney general Ramsey Clark alleged with fellow activist Roy Wilkins that the Chicago Police unlawfully killed Hampton and fellow Black Panther member Mark Clark during what constituted an illegal search and seizure, and that the Department imposed summary punishments on the remaining Panthers.

As for O'Neal, the film's epilogue states that he continued to serve within the Panthers through the early '70s. He later itted his involvement with the FBI in their plans to dismantle the Panthers shortly before taking his own life on January 25, 1990. of the Weather Underground launched a retaliatory bombing spree against police days after the raid. Hampton's widow Deborah gave birth to their son, Fred Hampton, Jr., 25 days after the assassination. He would go on to become Chairman of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee and the Black Panther Party Cubs, titles he still holds today.

Did O'Neal Really Drug Fred Hampton (& What With?)

The Movie's Assertion That Hampton Was Incapacitated During The Raid Has Been Suggested By Others

Reports indicate that this part of the film's conclusion is true. In Outlaws of America: The Weather Underground and the Politics of Solidarity, it is alleged that O'Neal slipped "a substantial dose of secobarbital in a glass of kool-aid" the night of the planned raid, rendering Hampton comatose at the time of his murder. He had fallen asleep mid-sentence while speaking with his mother on the phone, further corroborating the presence of a sleeping agent. Deborah Johnson had to be forcibly removed from Hampton's side, as he was unresponsive to the commotion.

The FBI failed to find such evidence in their own tests, but then, their involvement presents a conflict of interest.

In The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther, it was reported that Cook County chemist Eleanor Berman ran two separate tests that presented evidence of barbiturates in Hampton's blood, though he was not known to take drugs. The FBI failed to find such evidence in their own tests, but then, their involvement presents a conflict of interest.

Why Hampton's Death Doesn't Free O'Neal From The FBI

O'Neal Continued Working For The FBI After Hampton's Death

Throughout the film, O'Neal makes several attempts to declare himself "out" of this scheme. At every turn, Roy Mitchell reminds him that the sentence for his felony crime, which he's avoided by agreeing to work with the Bureau, isn't over simply because of Hampton's death. This is indicated by his final line of the film, in regards to O'Neal's statement that he isn't a Panther anymore: "You sure about that?" O'Neal continued to work for the Bureau within the Panthers until 1973 when he was relocated to California with a changed name under the Witness Protection Program.

How Did O'Neal Really Feel About Betraying Hampton?

O'Neal's Surviving Relatives Hinted At His Guilt

William O'Neal has spoken of his involvement in the FBI's infiltration of the Black Panthers and his role in the raid, but conclusions about his level of regret for what he did are complicated. Because he was caught in a threatening position between the intimidating Panthers and the even more intimidating Bureau, his personal testimony may be affected by fear of retribution from either of these two organizations. In an article from the Chicago Reader titled "The Last Hours of William O'Neal," O'Neal's uncle Ben Heard details his nephew's fear, saying:

"He said they had someone tied up and they were pouring hot water over his head. They were trying to get him to do something."

Heard went on to suggest O'Neal was plagued by guilt for the rest of his life after Hampton's murder:

"I think he was sorry he did what he did. He thought the FBI was only going to raid the house."

The movie certainly makes O'Neal out to be a complex character who is genuinely torn between staying loyal to Hampton or betraying him. While only O'Neal himself knew for sure his true feelings about what happened to Fred Hampton, many have taken the fact that O'Neal eventually committed suicide as a suggestion that he was filled with guilt over his role in Hampton's death.

Fred Hampton's Black Panther Legacy (& How It Continues)

Hampton's Son Carries On His Work

Jeffrey Haas, who wrote the book The Assassination of Fred Hampton, remarked that Chicago was worse off without the young Black Panther's strong leadership, with many young people on the West Side falling victim to drugs and gang violence. In its epilogue, the film describes the lawsuit from the families of the slain Hampton and Mark Clark, which was the longest of its kind and eventually settled for $1.85 million. Hampton's widow, Akua Njeri (formerly Deborah Johnson), and son, who took his father's name at age 10, survive him and continue the fight for racial justice.

Judas & Black Messiah's Modern Parallels

The Period Movie Remains Relevant In The 21st Century

Judas and the Black Messiah takes place in the 1960s, presenting a glimpse at this pivotal time in American history when the Black community was fighting for rights that they had been denied for so long. Despite the fact that it is a period piece, the movie came out during the Black Lives Matter movement and increased discussions on police brutality toward the Black community, making its parallels shockingly relevant. Director Shaka King said of his film during a virtual press event:

"Our goal was to really make a movie that captured 1968. But so little has changed between 1968 and 2021, that we don't really have to draw parallels to the present."

In an interview with The Daily Californian, the cast of Judas & The Black Messiah discussed the relevance of their film in today's sociopolitical climate. Darrell Britt-Gibson, who played Black Panther Party Illinois Chapter founder Bobby Rush, touched directly on how the story relates to the present:

“Fifty years ago, Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated in his sleep, in his apartment, minding his own business. And just last year, Breonna Taylor was assassinated in her sleep, in her apartment, minding her own business. And in both cases there was no justice served, so the parallels are right there.”

The Real Meaning Of Judas & The Black Messiah's Ending

There Are Biblical Implications Throughout

While Judas and the Black Messiah is not a biblical movie, the title highlights the way in which the movie's ending reflects a biblical story. J. Edgar Hoover was the man who gave Fred Hampton, who he considered an enemy of America, the nickname "the Black Messiah." It is a title that refers to Jesus and the way his people were devoted to him, leading them to the salvation that was promised. However, also like Hampton, Jesus had a traitor in his midst in Judas.

The movie implies that O'Neal fulfilled the rest of his role as Judas, killing himself out of guilt as well.

While William O'Neal clearly fills the role of Judas, the ending of the movie shows further parallels. Following his betrayal of Jesus which led to his crucifixion, Judas is overcome with guilt and kills himself. The movie implies that O'Neal fulfilled the rest of his role as Judas, killing himself out of guilt as well. However, the movie also suggests Hampton's legacy has allowed him to continue to be that "Messiah" figure even in death.

How Judas & The Black Messiah's Ending Was Received

Hampton's Death Scene Was Highlighted By Critics

Judas and the Black Messiah was a critically acclaimed movie, earning five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Among the things the film was praised for was the ending. While anyone familiar with the true story of Fred Hampton knew where this movie would eventually lead, the filmmakers still found a way to depict the scene without being gratuitous and still having a deep emotional impact in the final moments. Specifically, Den of Geek discussed the movie's decision not to show Hampton's death but rather Deborah's (Dominique Fishback) reaction:

Off-screen and out of focus, police officers glibly taunt Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), who is still incapacitated in his bed despite all hell having just broken loose in his home. Then there’s that sickening noise: two shots are fired into Hampton’s head. We only bear witness to the anguish on Johnson’s face. She tells it plainly enough to us: Fred Hampton was just executed.

Judas And The Black Messiah Oscar Nominations:

While Kaluuya was the one who earned an Oscar for his powerful performance as Hampton, it is his costars that help sell the impact of Judas and the Black Messiah's ending with their performances. Fishback was praised for her devastating yet reserved performance in the harrowing raid sequence, with Redditor eidbio suggesting:

She deserves more praise for sure. Her final scene was heartbreaking.

LaKeith Stanfield's performance as William O'Neal in the movie's end was also praised, specifically the moment in which he chooses to go through with setting Hampton up for his execution. Redditor trimonkey shared:

Stanfied's performance was reserved but he nailed it, the tears in his eyes when he has to put Hampton to sleep was excellent.