The Magical Negro is a supporting stock character in fiction who, by means of special insight or powers often of a supernatural or quasi-mystical nature, helps the white protagonist get out of trouble. African-American filmmaker Spike Lee coined the term, deriding the archetype of the "super-duper magical negro" in 2001 while discussing films with students at Washington State University and at Yale University.
The Magical Negro is a subset of the more generic numinous Negro, a term coined by Richard Brookhiser in the National Review. The latter term refers to saintly, respected, or heroic black protagonists or mentors.
The following list presents examples of the archetype that have been proposed or discussed.