The episode begins with two quotes , the first being : And the second : Huey Freeman tells an alternate version of history regarding the " attempted " assassination of Martin Luther King , Jr . On April 4 , 1968 King is shot and critically wounded . Instead of dying , he falls into a coma in which he remains for 32 years , waking up significantly aged in a hospital bed on October 27 , 2000 . He shows up to vote for the 2000 U.S. presidential election , but is " turned away due to voting irregularity " . While walking along a city street which happened to bear his name , gunshots go off , causing the gathered crowd to flee . He thus learns that " streets named after him were n't the very safest . " King experiences a resurgence of popularity , obtaining a book deal and agreeing to a biopic of his life ( starring Cuba Gooding , Jr. as King ) . The movie is directed by Oliver Stone , " pissing off " Spike Lee ( a reference to Lee 's anger that Norman Jewison was initially supposed to direct '' Malcolm X '' ) . Unfortunately , the movie is released the week after the September 11 attacks , making it a flop . Soon after , King appears on '' Politically Incorrect '' , stating that his Christian faith teaches him to " turn the other cheek " , even with respect to enemies such as Al-Qaeda . His commentary receives severe scorn from the White House Press Secretary , CNN and '' Time '' magazine , and causes his popularity to plummet
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Return of the King (The Boondocks)