1

BLACK PANTHER’S

SUIT TECHNICAL

REPORT

Emily Schettler

Jarod Valvo

Diana Arencibia

Lynn Wokeme

Sierra Britt

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Section Contributors

Iterations

Diana Arencibia

History

Lynn Wokeme

Sierra Britt

Film

Jarod Valvo

Technology

Emily Schettler

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Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Suit Iterations 5

Black Panther and History 16

Fictional History of Wakanda and the Black Panther 23

Black Panther’s Film Suit 29

Black Panther’s Suit Technology 41

Conclusion 48

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Introduction

Black Panther is an iconic superhero movie that has recently

received its own movie installment, Black Panther (2018). The

film has reached the 18th biggest grosser of all time as of April

2018 by earning about $1.11 billion [1]. With the recent rise in

popularity of the Black Panther, it’s important to realize exactly

why this superhero is so well appreciated and to learn about the

intricacies and special things that make the Black Panther,

especially the suit, as impactful as it is. Looking through the

previous iterations of the suit, that will shine light on how the

Black Panther started in terms of design and abilities as well as

how it evolved overtime. The real life historical correlations are

another important piece of understanding Black Panther’s

relevance. The history of Wakanda can help appreciate all the

thought and significance put into the Black Panther’s world, as

well as the fiction history of the suit. The physical suit made for

the 2018 film will also be investigated, detailing the influence on

the silver screen’s version. Finally, the Black Panther suit will be

compared to real life technology, to see if it could be realized as

a possibility in our reality. The Black Panther’s suit has many

reasons as to why it is special, significant, and a large, worldwide

influence. Those reasons will be explored below.

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Suit Iterations

The Black Panther, the first black superhero, made his first

debut in comics in July of 1966, 52 years ago. Throughout the

years he has appeared in other marvel hero comics as well as his

own, and his habit has gone through many revisions and

alterations. In this section, different versions of the Black Panther

habit will be explained. The aspects of the suit that will be

covered are the design and the technology that is involved in the

fictional making of the suit.

The first two designs of suits to be drawn were the original

design and its revision. These suits were not introduced in the

comics but later became the first suit that was introduced into

the Marvel Universe. This first design was thought up for the

character Coal Tiger, the original name for Black Panther. The

suit was designed to look similar to other comic book characters

that were popular and being released at the time. This design

consisted of a black superhero with a yellow and black striped

chest piece and black arm and leg pieces. Attached to the main

body of the suit was a red and black cape. Around the waist of

the character was a black belt with a white T at the buckle. The

details of the suit abilities were never expanded on because the

suit was only a proposed idea and was not elaborated on. Editor

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Stan Lee did not like the idea of this

suit but did like the idea of a black

superhero and thus the suit went

into its first revision. The next suit is

similar to the Black Panther suit

that many people now think of when

they think of the Black Panther. This

suit is an all-black suit including

black shoes, gloves, shorts, and a

cape. Although in this version, the

Black Panther is now given a half

mask that leaves his nose and

mouth showing. Stan Lee liked this

design better but thought that the

character would be better suited

with a full mask, thus introducing

the original Black Panther.

Coal Tiger

The third suit that was

designed was the first suit that made an appearance in the

Marvel comics. This suit made its debut in July of 1966 in

Fantastic Four #52. This version of the suit looks very similar to

that of Batman in the DC Universe (fictional). Similar to the

Figure 1 - http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/dynamics/2012/04/24/9165/

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second iteration of the suit, the habit is all black but with a full

black mask [2]. This first version of the suit is made of cloth,

meaning that the Black Panther can be wounded like most of the

other heroes. Although his suit made him vulnerable, the

character still possessed the training background that prepared

him to become the Black Panther, as well as the mystical

connection to the Wakandan Panther, God Bast. Some of the

abilities explained are, but are not limited to, superhumanly

acute senses, enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina,

durability, healing, and reflexes. As time passed, the character

was developed. More abilities were explained and broadened

upon, and the suit changed.

The fourth suit iteration, the classic design, was introduced

in Fantastic 4 Annual #5 in 1967. With this iteration came the

removal of the suit’s cape, allowing for a sleeker appearance to

the suit. After being introduced, this design became the one that

was used for decades and was only changed for a short period of

time when Black Panther joined the Avengers; this was the fifth

suit design. The fourth suit was still made of cloth similar to the

third suit, and the powers were not changed.

The fifth suit, the Avenger look, was introduced in the

Avengers 1968. Artist John Buscema drew the Black Panther

with a half mask again, similar to the second suit design for four

issues, then reverted to the fourth suit iteration. Once the suit

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was changed back to the full mask and no cape design, this

iteration stayed until the end of the 20th century. During this

four-issue change, there were no alterations done to the powers

or abilities of the Black Panther.

The next suit iteration came when the Black Panther joined

the Marvel Knights. In 1998, Mark Texeira was the artist for

Black Panther Volume 3. For this volume, Texeira brought back

the cape into the design while also introducing gold to the suit.

This design included gold accents around the neck and gloves,

gold daggers on the belt, and gold on the claws that came out of

his fingertips. With this design, the concept of the fictional metal

Vibranium being woven into the fibers of the suit was introduced

for the first time. Working Vibranium into the suit not only made

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the suit bullet-proof but

yielded other benefits such

as the Vibranium in his soles

which would allow the Black

Panther to jump out of a

building and land on his feet.

The Vibranium would also

absorb all the impact. After

introducing this technology

into the suit, the creators

could not simply go back to

cloth. This made Vibranium

mesh a staple in the designs

of future iterations of the

habit.

Black Panther Marvel

Knights

The following iteration is

the post-knights suit. With

this iteration, Black Panther

transitioned into becoming

one of the main Marvel

superheroes. Artist Sal Velluto kept a lot of the design of the

Figure 2 - https://aminoapps.com/c/comics/page/blog/lets-talk-black-panther/jbiK_u8JgGY6xmNZQqjMBk6qP6NGBb

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previous suit iteration with some minor changes. The gold

markings that were previously introduced appeared to look a

little more like teeth. Also, throughout the series, the character

alternated between a caped and not caped look. As the series

continued over time, the not caped look became the more

prevalent of the two, until he joined the Avengers again.

The next iteration came about when Black Panther rejoined

the Avengers in Avengers #66 in 2003. In this iteration, the gold

stylings remained tooth-like, and again he has striped gloves,

boots, and a cape. With this reintroduction of the cape, it was

drawn shorter than the other times.

The ninth iteration is the man without fear. In this story arc,

anti-hero Daredevil from Hell’s Kitchen was possessed by Beast

of the Hand in the Shadowland story arc. During this time, he

passes down his duties to T’Challa, the Black Panther. Artist

Francesco Francavilla reimagined the costume with more of a

SWAT team look, similar to Daredevil’s costume in the 2015

Netflix TV series. This series takes place after the events of the

Doomwar story arc. During this arc, super villain Doom takes over

Wakanda and steals the Vibranium that is stored in a vault. At

the end of the story, Doom has the upper hand until T’Challa

gains control of a device in Doom’s possession that renders all

the Vibranium in the world completely useless. T’Challa makes

the decision to use the device knowing that the nation of

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Wakanda is powered by the metal [3]. After the events of

Doomwar are over, T’Challa leaves behind his nation, his

technology, and his suit. The nation is left to be protected by

Shuri, his half-sister, the Princess Regent, and the current Black

Panther [4]. Leaving behind his Vibranium weave suit, this means

the costume he uses in this arc is made of cloth and has no

technology embedded into it. The man with no fear stays like this

for a couple of issues and then returns to Wakanda.

The tenth iteration is the most current suit in the comic

universe, Marvel NOW. Daredevil had returned to Hell’s Kitchen

and relieved T’Challa of the temporary duties. This allowed the

Black Panther to return to a classic mantle. The suit is now once

again made of Vibranium weave and is drawn to look simpler,

with a stylized necklace for decoration. Also, the colors in the suit

that were gold were changed to silver, and the cape is removed

once again.

The next couple of suits move out of comic books and come

alive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The two films in

which the Black Panther is portrayed is Captain America: Civil

War (2016) and Black Panther (2018). The first suit that is

introduced is T’Challa’s original suit, a Vibranium weave combat

suit. T’Challa started wearing this suit a few years before his

father’s death in the movie. Some aspects of the suit that are

displayed in the movie are that the suit has retractable Vibranium

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claws and it is bullet-proof. One of the disadvantages of the suit

is that it needs to be put on manually. One time that it is clearly

shown in the movie is when T’Challa needs to take off his helmet,

and it can be seen that he needs to grab the back of the helmet

towards the base of his neck. When looking into the design of the

suit, it is shown that the helmet has a latch on the back that

hooks it to the body. This is how the Black Panther is very

minimally introduced into the MCU. He is then expanded on in his

stand-alone movie.

In the Black Panther movie, there are two main suits that

are the focus of the movie. The second suit iteration that is in the

MCU is the upgraded version of the first suit. In the Black Panther

movie, T’Challa, who is the now king of Wakanda, has a sister

Shuri, who is a technical genius who designs the new suits and

gadgets in the fictional realm. The new upgraded habit includes

all the previous features of the first suit and some extra ones.

One of those upgrades is that the suit automatically manifests

itself on the user. With this automatic manifestation, it also

removes the current clothes that the user is wearing. The entire

suit is contained within a single silver necklace and manifests

from there.

Another upgrade is that the suit has the ability to absorb

kinetic energy. When the suit absorbs the energy, it begins to

glow purple. This is achievable in the fictional realm because the

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Vibranium that the suit is made from absorbs any energy that

comes in contact with the suit. This is shown in the movie when

bullets hit the suit and do not ricochet off, but instead they simply

fall to the ground. The suit does not only absorb the energy, it can

also expel the energy in one blast.

A third upgrade that was created for this suit was the new

footwear called "sneakers" by Shuri. The new "sneakers" are

titled so because the shoes nullify all sound when the user walks,

making it so that the user can sneak around unheard. This

version of the suit is nearly identical to the second upgrade

version, the Golden Jaguar. The Golden Jaguar is the second suit

created by Shuri in the Black Panther movie. Like the other suit,

all the features are the same and is encased in a single

necklace, but this one is gold. In the Black Panther movie, the

suit is not worn by T’Challa because he thought the colors were

too ostentatious. It is instead later worn by Erik Killmonger after

he stole it. Another difference between the two suits is when the

Golden Jaguar suit absorbs kinetic energy, it will glow gold

instead of purple.

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Black Panther Suit

Figure 3 - https://www.amctheatres.com/amc-scene/behind-the-seams-of-black-panther

Golden Jaguar Suit

Figure 4 - https://www.sideshowtoy.com/collectibles/marvel-erik-killmonger-hot-toys-903413/

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In conclusion, in this section, different versions of the Black

Panther suit were examined, including the design and the

technology that was incorporated into the suit. Although in this

section, only thirteen different suit iterations were covered, there

are many more versions including one-off issues where the

changes can be subtle.

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Black Panther and History

History of Wakanda

The Journey

To trace the journey from America to Wakanda, we must first

understand the significance of its history. Around the time

Wakanda was introduced to America in the form of Marvel Comic

Books, the country was at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement

(largely between 1954 and 1968). The movement represented

the struggle to secure legal rights such as ending legalized racial

segregation and discrimination in the United States. Although

slavery had been abolished for almost 100 years by that time,

these rights still had not been granted.

Contributions from community invokes communication and

structures social changes. When something dramatic is

happening around us, we often channel that energy into what we

would like to see changes in. If social injustices exist, the

likelihood of the political attention will often be determined by

presence (or absence) of community cohesiveness. The reneging

of the rights prompted by the Civil Rights Movement, caused

others to be more creative in their disagreement of such

disparities. Singers expressed their disdain through song,

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journalists began writing more, and other artists applied their

talents to display their concerns.

Like any other form of art, self-expression generally affects

the media, attitudes of citizens, and what they display. Comic

book writers like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Ta-Nehisi Coates

utilized their platform to indirectly and passively show that they

were aware of social injustices in the community by creating a

black superhero.

Marvel’s Black Panther was introduced by two non-African

American comic book writers during the Civil Rights Movement.

Black Panther was thought to be a well-timed (political)

commentary that went hand-in-hand with a 1965 revolutionary

theme of black power.

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What’s in a Name?

The very closely named

characters have more than just a

name in common. In 1966, Lee and

Kirby decided to introduce a new

superhero to the world in Marvel’s

Fantastic Four Comic Series (1966).

The Black Panther appeared on the

cover of the comic book just months

before the formal announcement of

the BPP for Self Defense founded by

Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in

Oakland, CA.

While the panthers appear to

have no official ties to one another, it is significant to note that

there are a couple of similarities:

• Black Panther’s character was introduced in 1966.

• Black Panther’s fighting force was predominately women

and based on real All-Women African army of Dahomey

• BPP for Self Defense formed in 1966.

• BPP were 60% female and presented protuberant roles for

women

Figure 5 - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/magazine/why-black-panther-is-a-defining-moment-for-black-america.html

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During the time of Black Panther’s introduction, his writers

wanted to make it very clear that they were not in affiliation with

the BPP. They went as far as changing his name from Black

Panther to Black Leopard in more than one comic strip during his

reign. He made sure to explain that the correction was a minor

one and that he didn’t want to condemn nor condone the party

with the same name and that panther and leopard should be

treated as one in the same name since they’re from the same

species.

Figure 6 - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/black-panther-character-wont-go-next-1085194

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Figure 7 - https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2018/2/14/17012374/marvel-black-panther-comics-history

Co-founder of Black Comics Arts Festival Sean Taylor tells

how the serendipity of the name given to a black superhero

invoked a movement for black liberation in the same name. Both

Black Panther and the BPP represent a self-ruled, liberated group

of radicals in a sense. He stated that “This ‘coincidence’ of such

a significant name association was a clear indicator that ideas

are bigger than us.”

Panthers, Power, and Party

At the height of the movement in 1965, Stokely Carmichael

(US Civil Rights Activist and Black Panther) founded the Lowndes

County Freedom Organization because he was not satisfied with

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the response of existing political parties to his previous

registration efforts. Due to a requirement to satisfy political

requirements in government inclusions, the Black Panther was

first utilized as a logo by Carmichael in Lowndes County, AL.

Carmichael also coined the phrase “black power” which is a ‘call

for black people in this country to unite, recognize their heritage,

build a sense of community, define their own goals and lead their

own organizations.’ ‘Black power’ (1966) is, and will remain to

be, everything the Black Panther displays in comic books and

media alike.

Figure 8 - https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2018/2/14/17012374/marvel-black-panther-comics-history

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From Afrohistory to Afrofuturism

Wakanda (although fictitious in native land) displays real ties

to both history and futuristic platforms. The country is fictitiously

located in East Africa between Uganda and Kenya and is only

known for a rare source material, Vibranium. Lead costume

designer Ruth Carter and film director Ryan Coogler connected

African history to the country of Wakanda by including exploration

of African ancient peoples including Xhosa, Turkana, Maasai,

Himba and Zulu. It meant dividing the continent into smaller

representations in order to represent tribes presented as

Wakandans. It was said that the visuals of Wakanda are heavily

based on the country of Lesotho (the southernmost landlocked

country in the world entirely surrounded by South Africa). Lesotho

(like Wakanda) displays a very sparse colonization index and is

also radical in a sense [5].

The idea of colonization would begat resistance, unwanted

attention, and violence. This pushback to change would also

prompt a change in gear and armor. Due to violence and the idea

of realism, Black Panther’s suit (along with other superheroes)

basically went from tights to armor because of a decrease in

hand to hand combat and an increase in weapon usage. This

made advancements of superhero costumes necessary. Their

indestructability contributes directly to their superhero attributes.

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Such a noticeable shift in costume design would create a need

for futuristic tech designs and visuals. Wakanda displays that in

the form of Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism was coined in 1993 by

Mark Dery as an artistic movement. It’s where ancient Africa

intersects with the fantastic. In a sense, it’s Sci-Fi but specifically

black fiction [6].

Black Panther’s history was first prompted by real events in

society. Social and political gaps were abridged through creation

of a black superhero representing liberation from oppression.

Because of his symbolic depiction, progression of peace and

equality may not be as farfetched as the idea of Afrofuturism in

reality, but very much likely.

Fictional History of Wakanda and the Black Panther

How the Black Panther Came to Be

The origin of the Black Panther, the suit, and Wakanda

begins in ancient Egypt. In the early third millennium BCE, the

goddess Bast (B’sst, Ubaste, Bastet) appeared in Egyptian history

[7]. Bast was a goddess who, over time, held different forms of

feline embodiments and many different roles as a goddess.

Some of her roles included being protector of home from disease

and evil spirits, fertility, the dead and much more. She became a

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widespread worshipped goddess in the second dynasty c. 2890

through c. 2670 BCE, even earning a city named after her,

Bubastis [7].

The founders of Wakanda were descendants and travelers

from Egypt who worshipped Bast [8]. These travelers were being

led on an expedition by a man named Bashenga to investigate

the crash site of an alien metal that later came to be known as

Vibranium. There are two different stories relating to how Bast

came to give Bashenga a portion of her powers in order to

protect and hide Vibranium from the world. In one story, there

was a war happening between the neighboring tribes to fight over

who would possess the alien metal. Bast chose Bashenga by

instructing him to eat a heart shaped herb that grew around the

alien metal [9]. This herb granted him super human powers and

senses, granting him all he needed to unite all the tribes into a

nation which would be called Wakanda. In another story, after

discovering the alien metal on his expedition, Bashenga prayed

to Bast to recognize the land the metal had landed on as one of

her “realms,” and she decided to bestow a portion of her power

to him in order for him to protect the land and ensure that

Vibranium would stay hidden from the world [8]. He used this

blessing and founded the Black Panther tribe and Wakanda with

that blessing, making himself the first king of Wakanda and first

Black Panther.

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The heart-shaped herb that was found near the Vibranium

and used by Bashenga is known to enhance the strength,

endurance, reflexes, and senses of its user only if they are of

royal blood, following the bloodline of the first king Bashenga.

The heart shaped herb acts as a poison to anyone who uses it

that is not royalty [10]. The ability to digest this herb safely during

a ritual became the third step in the trials for one to become

king. The first test in the three trials to become king is to defeat

six of Wakanda’s greatest warriors, and the second trial is to

survive in the wilds of Wakanda with only the land itself as

provisions [8]. The third test is to survive a heart shaped herb

ritual in which the one who ingests the herb will be buried in a

ceremonial sand and take on a spiritual journey. While the

entitlement to be the ruler and a Black Panther is inherited, one

must be able to pass these trials that demonstrate their bravery,

strength, intelligence, and combat prowess. The ruler of

Wakanda would be named the chief of the Black Panther tribe as

well as the King of all the tribes within Wakanda [10].

Further down the line the Wakandan king T’Chaka, who is

the father of the current Black Panther T’Challa, followed in

Bashenga’s footsteps of using Vibranium to nurture the nation.

T’Challa decided to advance Wakanda technologically more than

it already was by selling portions of Vibranium to some outsiders

and using the earnings to send select youth to the greatest

schools in the United States and Europe [8]. When these select

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youth, including his only son T’Challa, returned from receiving

their higher educations, the knowledge and technology of

Wakanda flourished. T’Challa is said to have PhDs in physics,

engineering, chemistry, biology, genetics, and mathematics from

prestigious schools such as Oxford, MIT, Harvard and Berkley [8].

As Vibranium became more known to the world the King

T’Chaka attended the Bilderberg conference to discuss

Wakanda’s willingness to share its resources with other

governments. A man named Ulysses Klaue (known as Klaw) was

hired to assassinate T’Chaka at this conference, and he

succeeded using a Vibranium sound-based weapon created from

Vibranium stolen at an early invasion of Wakanda. T’Challa was

only able to destroy Klaw’s right hand using this same weapon

before he was able to escape with the help of the Belgian

government, fleeing the country and vowing revenge [10, 8]. The

event of the King T’Chaka’s death left T’Challa next in line to be

King of Wakanda but he was too young at the time, leaving his

uncle S’Yan to be king until he was of age [8]. This is when

T’Challa went off to school in the U.S. and Europe until he

returned to become king of Wakanda.

The new king T’Challa had a younger half-sister named Shuri

who also had genius-intellect, like the royal blood line and many

other Wakandans. Shuri is his half-sister due to the death of

T’Challa’s mother at child birth. Shuri is an adopted sister from

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the new wife of his father T’Chaka [9]. Shuri is said to be the

smartest person in the world and “smarter than Tony Stark

himself” who is considered to be a super genius with feats such

as creating his own element [11]. With her genius intellect she

earned her place as the head of the design team of Wakanda’s

technology and serves the nation and the king by creating

weapons for them. The advancing suits and technology used in

king T’Challa’s success are created and designed especially for

him by Shuri. Some of these inventions included a lightweight

necklace that would transform into a full body suit made of

Vibranium mesh, Vibranium claws, energy daggers, energy

shields, cloaking technology, and gauntlets that allow

teleportation [10]. The Vibranium that the Wakandans possess is

known as the strongest metal in the world and the most versatile.

It allows the suit to remove momentum from incoming objects

such as bullets, which causes them to fall to the ground before

they come into contact with the suits wearer and unbreakable

claws as well as many other abilities. Some of the other powers

gifted to the Black Panther by Bast is the power of Black Panther

knowledge which allows the current Black Panther to collectively

gain the knowledge and experiences of all past Black Panthers,

super human sense of smell that allows the ability to track and

hunt down scents, and the ability to smell fear or lies [10]. The

Black Panther is also able to lift over 800 pounds and is granted

genius intellect along with a gift of self-healing. There are other

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powers mentioned such as the ability to control the dead, which

is similar to some of the responsibilities of the goddess Bast.

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Black Panther’s Film Suit

This section will be focusing on the conceptualization,

creation, and filming aspects that might’ve affected the physical

suit created for the film Black Panther (2018). Although the

Black Panther had another film costume for Captain America:

Civil War (2016), the Black Panther film is the most recent

rendition of the suit and will be covered in further detail.

Conceptualization

The Black Panther suit for the 2018 movie was initially

conceptualized by Ryan Meinerding (Head of Visual

Development) and his visual development team. In an interview,

Meinerding says that it was Adi Granov, who is a concept artist

known for Iron Man comics and films, that was the artist that

designed and produced the final concept art of the suit depicted

at the top of the next page.

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Figure 9 - https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/qvek9m/the-fashion-in-black-panther-is-an-afrofuturist-vision

The director of the film, Ryan Coogler, was directing the

team along with the vision that he had in mind. Meinerding

states, “What Ryan really brought to it was the idea of upping the

technology of the suit so it was a higher-tech suit than we really

have seen in the MCU so far [12].” He also mentions that Coogler

wanted a more streamlined look for the suit than the bulkier

costume made for him in Captain America: Civil War, adding that

he wanted it to look like a “unified singular skin that almost felt

like a second skin for T’Challa.” What they’re saying is that their

goal was to make the suit appear as if it were not only incredibly

technologically advanced to reflect Wakanda’s futurism, but also

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to make it appear more as a part of T’Challa rather than a clunky

suit that wouldn’t lend itself as well to the slender, sleek panther

style.

Meinerding also specifies some of their inspiration for the

suit. “Meinerding names his ‘two touchstones’…(as) Jack Kirby,

who co-created the character with Stan Lee in 1966, and Brian

Stelfreeze, who in 2016 began work on a critically acclaimed run

for the comic written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. “The ‘Civil War’ design

was really trying to lean into the Jack Kirby comic look,”

Meinerding says.” The team decided to roll with a newer design

rather than sticking to what was presented in Captain America:

Civil War [12]. Perhaps a suit that was presented in the movie

alone would allow more freedom in what they could design, as

well as innovate the suit to further fit what they’d like to do with it

in the film.

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However, nothing comes

to be without possible

variations or scrapped forms

that didn’t make it on screen.

There are pictures of suit

designs that were early

developmental ideas for the

suit’s colors. They

“…experimented with blue

and even red, but ultimately

went with the purple design

seen in the actual movie. It’s

certainly an appropriate

choice, since this particular

power was inspired by the

original comics.” It goes on to

elaborate that the purple in

the comics created by Coates

and Stelfreeze in 2016 was

the ultimate choice with which to go along. Coogler followed

along with Coates and Stelfreeze’s decisions multiple times,

likely due to being a comic book fan himself [13].

Coogler also chose another feature from the 2016 comics

that became prominent in the Black Panther suit design.

Figure 10 - https://screenrant.com/black-panther-concept-art-costume/

33

Meinerding mentioned that Black Panther’s ears were chosen to

point backward instead of upward. This is what Meinerding calls,

“an angry-cat look [12].” It’s likely that this choice was made to

reflect a more menacing and aggressive Black Panther rather

than a feline that’s simply alert.

Making the mask look like a panther was done in more ways

than adjusting the ears. Meinerding says, “In the Brian Stelfreeze

design of the face, there’s this interesting mix of a panther and a

man’s face. Depending on how the light catches it, it can either

look more like a panther or it could look more like a man [12].”

Having this balance is a fascinating way to enforce the idea that

T’Challa is a man with the power and inspiration of a panther,

represented in the mask.

Creation and Construction

Something that Ruth E. Carter had to keep in mind when

physically creating the Black Panther suit was that Chadwick

Boseman, who plays T’Challa in the movie, would need proper

range of bodily motion. Carter says that during filming, “…he was

doing moves and he was telling us, you know, ‘I can’t raise my

arm, and I can’t breathe out of my nose.’ And we’re like, oh, O.K.,

that’s bad, Mr. Black Panther. We’ll change that [14].” When

creating a costume, creators have to keep these things in mind,

34

though often, it’s hard to tell how it will be on the actor until they

can try it on themselves.

The costumers hired a ballet costumer to create physically

versatile suits for the stunt doubles, Black Panther included.

Carter mentions that, “We brought in the head cutter [a.k.a. the

lead costume maker] from the Boston Ballet in to Atlanta,” which

is where Black Panther was filmed, “to give us a new suit for the

stunt guys that’s cut with these special gusset shapes so that

they could perform, like in the ballet [15].” The health and safety

of the stunt doubles needs to be preserved and making sure they

can move to their fullest ability can be important to ensuring

there are no accidents or mishaps.

Carter also mentions where Meinerding’s responsibilities

end as well as where hers begin. She says, “We have our

illustration from [Marvel Studios Head of Visual Development]

Ryan Meinerding. It gives you the language to a point, and then

there’s a point where I take over. All of those things are examined

[15]…” Once she receives the visual development team’s art, it

seems that the responsibility is entirely passed over to Carter to

create the suit and make changes where she sees fit.

Another change that was made to the suit was that the

Black Panther helmet had now become part of the suit. This was

even addressed in the plot itself, the character Shuri changing

35

the suit from having a helmet to the helmet now being

incorporated as part of the suit itself. This change was set in

place due to not only practicality, but because Coogler wanted to

“reveal T’Challa’s face for some scenes to show Chadwick

Boseman’s performance, so the mask was integrated into the

suit’s nanotechnology rather than existing as a separate helmet

[12]” It would be impractical or cumbersome in specific

situations for T’Challa to take off his helmet, so this change

makes complete sense.

The suit itself is made up of specific materials. “The new

design features a layer of silver material beneath a thin jersey

fabric [16]…” so says Carter. She elaborates on this, saying, “I

was a student of the superhero suit on this one, especially since I

had never done one before.” She said that she had very

experienced assistants that showed her Eurojersey that’s used

for superhero suits. “You start with this white, four-way stretch

fabric that comes from Europe

somewhere [15],” Carter says.

The thin jersey fabric mentioned

above is most likely Eurojersey,

and the silver beneath more of

what can be perceived as latex or

thick rubber. A picture of a

Eurojersey fabric is to the left.

Figure 11 - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/410249847299381711

36

Chadwick Boseman, who portrays the Black Panther on

screen, was asked what he thought the suit was made from in an

interview. He said, upon being asked what the suit is made of,

“Latex. I think there’s got to be some kind of rubber in there. It’s

like Under Armour thickened to a certain degree [17].” This can

be used as the closest idea as to what the suit felt like to have

worn. Although there’s also the description of the company itself.

Eurojersey is utilized for most superheroes. Carter says that

“…you’ve gotta get your order in way in advance, because they

run out. There’s so many superheroes being built. We have to

build 12. Some other movie has to build 20. So if we don’t get

our order in, we won’t have the proper material for our superhero

suit [15].” Eurojersey produces the most sought-after materials

for superheroes of a high caliber, it seems. The website of the

company that produces Eurojersey, claims they have bountiful

color choices, large choice of texturing, prints, and more [18].

They work with custom orders, making it desirable for a team

creating a unique superhero.

37

Figure 12 - http://spayce.me/4k/black-panther-wallpaper-4k/

In an interview, Carter details her favorite aspect of the suit

that makes the suit special. There’s a detailed triangle on the

mask, which she calls an “Okavango” pattern. It’s shaped like a

triangle, as seen in the picture above. Carter explains, “that

triangle…made his suit have this character that would, in the

wide shots, make him this superhero but in the close-up, you see

this beautiful pattern that is consistent with a lot of the art of

Africa and would turn him into this African king [19].” Adding

specific details like the “Okavango” pattern adds character to the

suit. It’s admirable to have put so much love and effort into a

38

costume so that it has aspects to it that add depth to the

believability.

Filming

Not everything goes perfectly while filming. No matter how

something is planned, things will go wrong, and unexpected

things will happen that might cause alterations. There are also

aspects to filming that costumers have to keep in mind when

creating costumes. An example of something to remember with

what actors wear, is that some patterns are too busy for the

camera to capture comfortably. Carter says that, “I worry a little

that as we photograph lots of textures, sometimes you get a

buzzing or sensation that happens on film with beads [20].” She

continues to say that she had a lot of beads to include in the film

due to their prevalence in African culture and fashion. She had to

remember to construct the costumes in such a way that they

didn’t bother the camera and create that buzzing.

As for unexpected complications, there was a situation

within the set about the footwear. Carter says around the time of

filming that, “It’s a barefoot culture. So three out of five [people]

can walk around barefoot. In this weather, I don’t know? Maybe

as we keep shooting we’ll get to that [20].” Telling actors to be

barefoot in weather that’s uncomfortable might not be the best

39

environment for them to give the performance needed. Though to

be accurate, making enough people barefoot can properly portray

the culture of Wakanda.

Another circumstance that can change the outcome of a

final product is set design. Carter explains, “…as they’re

developing the sets, seeing what lanterns are going in, the

furniture – and still getting a surprise when I get to set. This

business is always morphing and you’re always tweaking when

you see things finally coming together [20].” That tweaking that

she mentions can affect the outcome of a costume. Upon seeing

the set design, the suit might have been altered slightly to match

it more.

Something that’s also necessary to keep in mind is that

there’s a CG element to Black Panther and his suit. Detailing the

line between costuming and CG, Carter explains, “…for the most

part, what Jeff Bowman, our special effects producer, has told us

is that just be as creative as you envision it. And let us just take it

from there. Don’t try to work in our world. Let us work in your

world [20].” She continues elaborating, saying that there are

cameras in 360 degrees that photograph the suit from all sides,

allowing them to take what the costumer has done and work with

it. What Carter is saying is that she seemingly doesn’t need to

worry much about making sure her costumes are easier to work

with for the computer graphics department.

40

Overall, the film costume is a conglomerate of planning,

ability of creation, and small changes made for filming’s sake.

There are so many stages to go through for this suit to have

happened. There was a lot of inspiration, finding materials, and

adding those special touches that make it something to be

appreciated. Its intricacy and care add to the reasons that even

fictional things like a superhero suit are worth understanding to a

further capacity so as to fully appreciate them and what they

represent.

41

Black Panther’s Suit Technology

Fictional Tech

Before knowing about the suit and the accessories that go

with it, it is important to know what the Black Panther is capable

of without the suit. Before even putting the suit on, the Black

Panther drinks from the Heart Shaped-Herb which endows him

with superhuman abilities. These abilities include knowledge,

experience, and strength from every other Black Panther that has

previously existed. Along with that he can see things at great

distances with clarity and his hearing is also enhanced which

allows him to detect sounds that are inaudible to humans [21].

Suit

The abilities of the suit are separate from the accessories.

Even though the accessories use Vibranium, the suit itself is only

able to do certain things. The suit is laced with Vibranium which

makes it exceedingly durable. The suit is also able to absorb the

kinetic energy from bullets and use the energy to strike enemies.

The suit can change its appearance to resemble normal street

clothes to allow Black Panther to blend in with his surroundings

or even become completely invisible. The suit is able to generate

energy daggers made from Vibranium that can function as a

42

blade or thrown as a projectile. The blades can be set to either

stun or kill his opponents [22].

The suit is virtually unbreakable. It also absorbs all

vibrations from things such as bullets and punches and it can

absorb magic [22]. What about Vibranium itself being able to

counter Vibranium? Vibranium, when hit with something,

becomes much more compact in molecular structure, absorbing

the damage inwardly [23]. If Vibranium hit Vibranium, both would

absorb the damage and nothing much would happen. An

example would be when Black Panther’s Vibranium claws hit

Captain America’s Vibranium shield in Captain America: Civil

War. The claws scratched it, got rid of its paint, and dented it

bluntly. What about anti-metal? Anti-metal is a material in the

Marvel universe found in the savage land in Antarctica [23]. It

can counter Vibranium, but only with an incoming kinetic force.

With that force, it can break down Vibranium’s molecular

structuring [23].

43

Accessories

The suit is also

equipped with

accessories that assist

the Black Panther in

combat. These include

boots, claws, and a

mask. These accessories

are really what help the

Black Panther fight his

enemies.

The boots have

energy regulators that

create varying fields

which enable the Black

Panther to land

soundlessly without any

injury from massive

heights. This same field can also be used offensively to shatter or

weaken objects or defensively to rob incoming objects of their

momentum [21].

Figure 13 - https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/7v9qqa/black_panther_suit_comparison/ (edited by Sierra Britt)

44

His claws can extend from the end of his gloves that he uses

as an offensive weapon, and he can even use them as

projectiles. They can also break down all metals at a molecular

level [21].

Black Panther’s mask gives him the ability to see in ultra

violet and infrared, enabling him to see in near total darkness

while still retaining the same level of clarity [21].

Real Tech

Searching for technology that we have today that could

possibly be used to make Black Panther's suit is a difficult task.

It’s essentially looking for an impenetrable material that not only

is bullet proof but will also hold onto the energy from the bullets

and use it to attack back. While researching, the science that

would be used to make a suit like Black Panther’s was found, but

it didn’t describe any materials that are currently had in this age

that would be along those lines. Also, a website was discovered

whose description of their product sounds like something one

could use to create Black Panther’s suit, but it has been found

out that it’s more of a gel and less of a fabric material [24].

Then there is the product that most people go to when

discussing making superhero items or suits, Kevlar. However,

45

upon further research, another material was discovered called

graphene which would be better suited for this particular use

than Kevlar.

The science behind making a suit like Black Panther’s

describes the conditions that it would need to have to be able to

function properly, and it also describes the types of applications

for both stretchable and self-healing materials. They include

electronics, displays, energy, the environment, and medicine.

What is important to know is that while most organic materials

are flexible, they are not stretchable, which would be an

important factor for Black Panther as he needs to be able to

move around [25].

The Product

An intrinsically self-healing and conductive composite that

self-heals without external aide, such as heat, light, or solvents,

is further desired to obtain electrodes for E-skin. To achieve this,

uniform electrical properties and facile processing are required.

However, intrinsically self-healing conductors are difficult to be

realized. A composite becomes conductive only when the amount

of conductive fillers exceeds the percolation threshold. Therefore,

chemical compatibility and adequate surface area are important.

Moreover, the ratio of the inorganic fillers will also affect the

46

physical property of the composite as well as the self-healing

capability [25].

There is a product currently

available that sounds like it has these

components as well as the

components that Black Panther’s suit

has. It talks about being able to

redirect kinetic energy, a difference

from other products that only absorb it.

It is able to redirect kinetic energy by

“acting as a liquid barrier to rapidly

dissipate energy outward like ripples

through a pond [24]”. To know whether

this product would have been

compatible in making a suit like Black

Panther’s, an email was sent to the

company asking if they thought their

product would work in the production

of it and how much it would cost if it

did. The company sent back a response to the inquiry (above).

Knowing that this product would not work in making a suit in

real life the next step was to find something that could. Most of

the forums that discussed products currently available to create

a suit discussed using Kevlar. However, there is a material even

47

stronger than Kevlar called graphene. This material is made up of

bonded carbon atoms, is super thin, and is capable of being

more bullet-proof than steel. This material is also more

comparable with Vibranium than Kevlar. Graphene is super-fast

compared to other materials and according to Kakalios, a

professor and author of The Physics of Superheroes, “So that

means when you come in with some kinetic energy from some

impacting projectile,” says Kakalios, “that energy gets the carbon

atoms vibrating, but because the speed of sound is so fast, the

vibration energy gets spread out very fast over the plane of the

graphene and the energy then gets diluted and so it doesn’t have

a chance to sit still and break the chemical bonds holding the

carbon atoms together, and if it can’t break the bonds, then the

bullet’s not getting through the material [26].”

Aside from graphene, there is also nanocomposite

structures. Professor Kakalios explains what this is by saying that

“What people are doing is creating structures that have other

little nanoparticles within them, and when the energy comes in

from some sort of blast or some sort of collision, the energy gets

spread out over the nanoparticles,” says Kakalios. “They can

spread out the energy over many many atoms so that no one

atom has to bear all of that burden and so you don’t break any

chemical bonds or create any cracks [26].”

48

Though these materials do exist or are close to existing, it is

important to remember that current technology is nowhere near

what Wakanda has, at least, when it comes to creating a suit like

Black Panther’s.

In the search for a material today that could own up to

Wakanda’s bullet proof, energy-absorbing and self-healing

Vibranium super suit, there were a few candidates found. These

candidates include Kevlar, graphene, and nanocomposite

structures. Each of these materials is a good start on what

science can do and surely will grow to have more possibilities

and knowledge of in the future. While these materials held some

properties that could contribute to the strength, endurance, and

particle regeneration needed for a Black Panther super suit, it is

safe to say that, at this point in time, the world of science is not

yet ready to make an exact suit with such levels of invincibility.

Though, in time, and with more study surely, we could reach

these possibilities. Who knows, the internet was invented only

twenty years ago; maybe in another twenty years from now,

advances in technological possibilities will come to us sooner

than we know.

49

Conclusion

There have been multiple intricate iterations of the Black

Panther that has changed largely throughout history. And

throughout that history, the correlations between Black Panther

and America have been explored. After looking through those, as

well as the intricacies of the suit constructed for the film,

hopefully all the reasons that Black Panther has been such a

cultural impact has been made clearer. There’s so much thought

and care put into a character with such a fascinating

representation and story behind it. As for the technological

comparisons, it’s also interesting to have explored something like

this. Learning about fantasy can often help one reflect on

themselves and learn or be inspired to create. The Black Panther

could have driven someone to create a future iconic character of

their own, to create technology inspired by this fiction, or to just

make it through their day a little more motivated than before. No

matter what, characters like these are full of depth. Just the suit

alone has extensive details and history. Recognizing the deep

aspects that may not have been known before is an important

step to understanding the significance of a character like the

Black Panther.

50

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