Hey guys!
Welcome back to Top 10 Nerd, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Kelly did a video on the Alternate Versions of Black Panther a few days back.
We’ll link it here if you haven’t seen it already.
But today I’ll focus solely on T’Chala from good ol’ Earth 616, and go over some
of the different costumes he’s had over the years.
Have they changed a ton?
Not really.
But if you’re looking to delve deeply into the world of Black Panther, this video will
help get you up to date.
If you finish this and want more, check out Kelly’s video on the Top 10 Superhero Techs
next!
It’s a winner.
But first, get ready, it’s time for the Top 10 Alternate Black Panther Suits!
Number 10: The First Planned Design.
Originally, the plan was to give T’Challa a half mask.
Well, originally he was supposed to be coal tiger, but you all know that if you watched
Kelly’s Alternate Versions video.
But his original Black Panther design had him with his mouth showing, being more similar
to other heroes at the time.
However, Stan Lee made a last minute decision to fully cover his face, and I am totally
behind that decision.
This look did eventually make it into the comics, but you’ll have to stay tuned to
number 7 for more on that!
Number 9: The Original Design.
This is the design that they ended up going with when he was first revealed in Fantastic
Four #52 in 1966.
It was an all black bodysuit not unlike batman’s, even with a billowing black cape, but with
the aforementioned covered mouth.
Covering the mouth was a great call, it really gave him more originality, and made him look
a lot more intimidating and… pantherish.
Number 8: Classic Design.
The next time we saw Black Panther after his two issue debut was in Fantastic 4 Annual
#5 in 1967, and it seems Edna Mode managed to make him see reason, because the cape was
gone.
This sleek, capeless design would remain for decades, only changing for a very short time
when he joined the Avengers.
Speaking of which…
Number 7: The Avenger Look.
At the start of Black Panther’s time in The Avengers in 1968, it seems artist John
Buscema (bew-semma) missed the meeting where they decided the half mask looked dumb, because
the first 4 issues saw a half-masked Black Panther.
However, he got the memo pretty quickly and changed it back, and Black Panther returned
to the classic look, which he would keep right up until the end of the 20th century.
He kinda saw a drop in popularity for a while… and then Marvel Knights came along…
Number 6: Marvel Knights.
Marvel Knights was huge for Black Panther, and a part of the resurgence in popularity
was the awesome change to his looks.
Thanks to artist Mark Texeira, his new suit in 1998’s Black Panther Volume 3 brought
back the cape, and added a bunch of gold to the outfit.
They literally pimped him out, and it worked.
The whole series written by Christopher Priest, the first black writer hired to Marvel or
DC, was super well-received.
Probably the most important part of this costume change was that it was the first suit to have
the vibranium woven into the fibres, something that has since become a staple.
Nice.
Number 5: Post-Knight Suits.
When Marvel Knights Black Panther transitioned into the main Marvel Universe, new artist
Sal Velluto made a few changes to T’Challa’s suit.
He made the gold markings toothier, something that I personally think looks really cool.
The series alternated between a caped version of the suit, and a version with no cape.
As time went on, the no-cape look became more and more prevalent, until it became the norm.
But then he joined the Avengers again, and things changed once again.
Number 4: Avenger Once Again.
When T’Challa rejoined the Avengers in Avengers #66 from 2003, he saw yet another costume
change.
The gold stylings remained, still looking pretty toothie with subtle alterations, he
again had the striped gloves and boots, and most importantly, the cape was back.
Cue the Incredibles reference…
Although to be fair, the cape was a lot shorter than it used to be.
I think the short cape looks lame, but that’s just my opinion.
Other than the cape, this is probably my favourite of his suits.
Number 3: Man Without Fear.
While Daredevil was possessed by the Beast of the Hand in the Shadowland story arc, he
did a bunch of stuff he didn’t like, that led him to pass the Daredevil mantle onto
T’Challa.
Artist Francesco Francavilla reimagined his costume with more of a SWAT look, similar
to Daredevil’s costume in the Netflix series.
Not my favourite, but it was a cool change!
Number 2: Marvel NOW.
Daredevil did eventually come back, which saw Black Panther return to a classic mantle,
with a more classic look.
The suit was made to look much more simple, with just a stylized necklace for decoration,
but the colour changed from gold to silver which made a surprisingly large difference.
And, of course, this version had no cape.
NO!
Stop it.
Sometimes capes are okay.
I’m tired of you.
Number 1: The Black Panther Movie.
The live action films saw a pretty wicked version of Black Panther.
Civil War saw him with a very sleek costume with silver accessories, and by far the coolest
mask he’s ever had.
Then in his own movie, his suit was upgraded by Shuri, with slightly simplified add-ons
and textures, and a more feline-looking mask.
I’m not sure which I prefer, but I kinda like the Civil War version a bit better.
Just a bit.
That’s it for today!
Hope you guys enjoyed, if you did please smack that thumbs up button and subscribe to Top
10 Nerd for more videos!
Let me know which outfit is your favourite in the comment section down below!
And use #cape or #nocape so we can figure out what the nerd squad prefers!
I’m completely on the fence with it, the cape looks awesome but he looks so much more
sleek and pantherish without it.
And if you want a playlist to watch so you can just relax and enjoy the nerdiness, check
out our Top 10 Alternate Versions playlist on the channel!
Until next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Top 10 nerd.
Later nerds!