Filmmakers tasked with adapting comic book icons for the big-screen have their work cut
out for them.
After all, redesigning a universe filled with flashy super suits and living planets can
be a bit of a challenge.
Plus, screwing up the balance of "faithful" and "creative" means inspiring the fiery wrath
of comic book fanboys — and nobody wants that.
Luckily, the Afro-futuristic nation of Wakanda and its denizens have been given one badass
makeover for the big-screen.
And even though we're super into the aesthetic that director Ryan Coogler's bringing to the
table, let's take a look at what the cast of Black Panther should really look like.
T'Challa/Black Panther
The man behind the Black Panther mask, T'Challa has been the king of Wakanda since his father's
death during the signing of the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War.
Like his Avengers ally Tony Stark, T'Challa isn't afraid to switch up his gear every once
in a while.
Since going toe-to-toe with Bucky Barnes, also known as Winter Soldier, in his MCU debut,
T'Challa's snagged a spiffy new costume — a lighter, energy-absorbent vibranium suit.
This one boasts a more "tribal" aesthetic reminiscent of illustrator Andy Park's early
concept design of the butt-kicking king's Panther Mantle.
Black Panther's new suit remains relatively faithful to recent comic runs, and T'Challa
himself looks pretty close to his comic book counterpart too.
Where Chadwick Boseman's interpretation of the character isn't afraid to rock the scruff,
however, his comic book equivalent is all about keeping that chiseled jaw fur-free.
Still, Boseman's T'Challa is a near-perfect real-life interpretation of the king cat in
black.
Ulysses Klaue
While Black Panther's titular hero is more or less identical to his comic book double,
its main antagonist, Ulysses Klaue, has undergone quite an overhaul.
Portrayed by master of motion capture Andy Serkis, Klaue has swapped out his comic counterpart's
bulky sonic blaster for a souped-up, retractable prosthetic.
But by far the biggest difference between the charismatic arms dealer and his sinister
supervillain namesake is the fact that Serkis' Klaue is obviously not a being made entirely
of living sound.
Technically, Marvel Comics' Klaw was also once a bearded human jerk.
But his eventual redesign as a red-n'-purple baddy and frequent nemesis of the Fantastic
Four is the far more memorable incarnation of the one-armed heel.
Shuri
Sister of T'Challa and smartypants Vibranium tinkerer, Princess Shuri is a force to be
reckoned with.
Not only is she the greatest scientific genius this side of Stark Tower, but, in the comics,
she's taken up the Panther Mantle on a number of occasions in her brother's absence.
In other words, like T'Challa, she's consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb and reaped the same
superhuman powers.
Shuri, portrayed by Letitia Wright in MCU's Black Panther, has undergone a dramatic redesign.
Chief among the differences is her outfit, a sleeveless tunic and a full mantle with
neck coverage along with what appears to be a chin guard.
While comic book Shuri doesn't wear much makeup save for the occasional strip of paint over
her chin, the MCU's Wakandan princess adorns herself with a series of white dots across
her forehead, brow, cheeks, and chin.
She also wears her hair in a braided updo while her comic book counterpart typically
wears her hair short under an ornate headdress or her Black Panther mask.
Killmonger
In the comics, the exiled and shamed warrior N'Jadaka adopts the pseudonym Killmonger,
blaming both T'Challa's bloodline and Klaw for his parents' demise.
In an intriguing twist, Michael B. Jordan's interpretation of the character — a former
American black ops soldier named Erik Stevens — teams up with the South African supervillain
Klaw.
Instead of, y'know, beating him to a bloody pulp the first chance he gets.
The MCU sees Killmonger — who earned his nickname on the battlefield — transformed
from a Herculean behemoth to a buff badass with a sense of style.
The MCU's Erik Stevens may have lost his source material's straight-up murder-y aura — but
he more than makes up for it with hip sensibilities, combat know-how, and his very own Gold Jaguar
suit.
Nakia
If Lupita Nyong'o has proven anything since her award-winning breakout role in 2013's
12 Years a Slave, it's that she can do no wrong.
So casting her among Black Panther's pantheon of brilliant actors must've seemed like a
no-brainer.
Nyong'o portrays Nakia, a secret agent summoned back to Wakanda at the behest of T'Challa.
In the Black Panther comics, Nakia teams up with Killmonger and eventually adopts the
villain persona Malice after her obsession with the titular Wakandan king lands her in
hot water.
While her comics counterpart is known for her bead-adorned hair and jewelry, Nyong'o's
take on the character wears her hair in tight curls and dons a variety of getups — including
full Dora Milaje armor.
M'Baku
Thankfully, the Black Panther comics' problematically named Man-Ape will be sticking with his birth
name — M'Baku — for his film debut.
Producer Nate Moore, however, admits that the gorilla gods are important to M'Baku's
tribe, the Jabari.
Thus, while he's ditching the name, the Wakandan throne-seeker and potential unlikely ally
to T'Challa will retain a touch of white fur along his arms and legs.
His revamped wardrobe is a nod to his source material's gruesome costume — a white gorilla
hide that he donned after hunting a mythical ape, skinning it, devouring its flesh, and
bathing in its blood.
Yikes.
Ramonda
"My son, it is your time."
Matriarch of Wakanda, wife of the late T'Chaka, and mother of T'Challa and Shuri, Ramonda
has suffered greatly at the hands of her husband and son's political rivals.
Yet despite years of family tragedy, she's proven herself to be a vital asset to the
Wakandan high council.
In the Black Panther comics, Ramonda has been depicted with both black and white hair.
The MCU's film, on the other hand, sees Angela Bassett's take on the character at her most
regal, rocking ivory dreadlocks and a wardrobe fit for the Queen Mother of Wakanda.
Zuri
In the Black Panther comics, Zuri was a personal attendant to T'Chaka before the elder ruler's
death.
He would go on to serve the same role for his son, the young King T'Challa.
That is, until the warrior's untimely demise at the hands of Morlun, an energy vampire,
in a sequence of events that's way too complicated to talk about here.
Suffice to say, Zuri plays a slightly different role in the MCU.
A spiritual "Obi-Wan" type, the Wakandan shaman-like figure is something of an advisor to T'Challa
and his kin.
Appearance-wise, these two interpretations look like entirely different characters.
While the Marvel Comics iteration of Zuri is a hulking behemoth complete with bursting
abs and a neck thicker than most men's waists, Forest Whitaker … isn't.
That's not to say the acting veteran doesn't look rad in his own right: trading his comic
doppelganger's black mane for a bald dome and adding a splash of color to his drab robes,
Zuri's big-screen interpretation calls to mind a wise elder figure.
Everett Ross
Let's face it: Martin Freeman doesn't exactly stand out in a crowd — and neither does
Black Panther comics' Everett K. Ross.
He's without question the least interesting and least-super-powered guy in the mix.
But personality-wise, the cold, no-nonsense CIA operative we met in Captain America: Civil
War is a total 180 from the Chandler Bing-inspired diplomat tasked with escorting T'Challa onto
American soil in the comics.
In the Black Panther film, Ross finds himself involved in a conflict between Ulysses Klaue
and T'Challa, causing him to team up with the Wakandan King and become one of his most
trusted allies.
While these two versions of Ross are polar opposites in terms of attitude, personality,
behavior, and just about everything else, the suits at MCU did a bang-up job nailing
his clean-cut style — or, at least they did in Civil War.
Sure, they may both be average-looking, middle-aged white dudes, but the perpetually-suited, too-sarcastic-for-his-own-good
diplomat who once sold his soul for a pair of pants wouldn't be caught dead in a t-shirt
and casual jacket.
OK, that's a stretch, we know.
But there's really not much to say about this guy.
Could he be any more nondescript?
Ayo
Like Everett Ross, we briefly met Ayo in Civil War during a confrontation between T'Challa's
feisty head of security and Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a Black Widow.
While we learned little to nothing about Ayo's character from her short scene, her single
line of dialogue ...
"Move.
Or you will be moved."
...shined a light on what we could come to expect from the Dora Milaje agent.
Keeping Black Panther safe is her top priority.
Ayo's onscreen presence seems more or less in line with her comic book counterpart — they've
both vowed to protect their king and loved ones on many an excursion across Wakanda and
beyond.
That being said, comic book Ayo has a bit more pizazz than her film doppelgänger, who
keeps things simple with a shaved head and traditional Dora Milaje armor.
In the comics, Ayo rocks a sick sci-fi shaved head/ponytail combo along with glyph-like
ink down her forehead and across her cheeks.
Okoye
Like Ayo, Okoye is a member of T'Challa's personal bodyguard unit, the Dora Milaje.
And while a number of the fearsome sisterhood soldiers wear their ink proudly in the comics,
MCU Okoye's shaved head and unique angular tattoos has her standing out from the squad.
Danai Gurira's look is as close as you can get to the comics' portrayal of the royal
band of butt-kickers — depending on the run, that is.
Black Panther comic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates' contemporary take on the troop sees them rocking
their infamous facial tats and hip haircuts.
But Christopher Priest was the brains behind their comic book debut, and his interpretation
of the bodyguards was more in line with your typical femme fatales, impractical tight dresses
and all.
W'Kabi
Daniel Kaluuya's W'Kabi shares his comic book counterpart's primary responsibilities as
chief of Wakandan border tribe security.
In the Black Panther comics, W'Kabi would prove to be an invaluable ally to T'Challa,
even becoming his second in command before dying alongside Zuri at the hands of Morlun
— again, that dude whose arc we're not even getting into.
Like Zuri, W'Kabi's MCU interpretation differs from his source material's incarnation so
dramatically that the uninformed might mistake him for a brand new character.
While the Black Panther comics depict W'Kabi with a bundle of wild dreadlocks and little
clothing — so as to not restrict him while he's bashing skulls — Kaluuya's character
of the same name sticks to a relatively reserved look, appearing more like an angry puppy than
the grizzled, bionic-armed warrior we've come to love — and mourn.
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