Black Panther’s First Costume Wasn’t Black

Black Panther has possibly one of the greatest costume designs in the Marvel Universe. Sleek, regal, and menacing. The Vibranium suit immediately informs opponents that the Panther is not someone to be trifled with. Those who’ve followed T’Challa’s adventures in the MCU also know that his sister Shuri regularly updates his suits to make them more powerful and stealthy.

In the comics world, the Black Panther’s costume design went through several evolutions as well, showing the road to his iconic look took several detours. It might sound ridiculous, but the Black Panther’s original look wasn’t even black!

This makes more sense when one realizes that Jack Kirby, who came up with the original concept for the Black Panther, didn’t originally name the character “Black Panther.” Instead, Kirby wanted to name the new superhero “Coal Tiger,” a name that was ultimately rejected along with some of his early costume designs as Kirby and Stan Lee developed the new character.

Kirby’s original suit for the Black Panther was considerably more colorful. While the Panther’s sleeves and leggings were indeed black, he also wore a bright yellow striped tunic, yellow trunks, yellow boots, and yellow gloves. The striped look reflected his original “Coal Tiger” name as he also wore a large belt with a “T” emblem in the center. The original design also didn’t include a mask to emphasize that T’Challa was a black character.

T’Challa also wore his famous “Panther cape” (which was abandoned in the movies), but the original design gave it a more swashbuckling look as it had a red lining and was attached to the suit by a large red strap across his chest. All in all, the suit was rather flamboyant and would not have helped T’Challa blend in with the shadows.

Once the character was renamed “Black Panther,” Kirby drew a cover design for his debut in Fantastic Four #52 which featured a greatly redesigned costume. Again, however, the suit was far from what people now associate with the Black Panther. For one thing, the costume was more grey than black. T’Challa did wear a mask, but the panther “ears” were more rounded and gave him an almost teddy bear look. Kirby also made the mask expose the lower portion of T’Challa’s face to once again reveal his black skin tone.

By the time the character did debut, Kirby had finally established the Black Panther’s iconic, stealthy look, although T’Challa’s eyes did sometimes show through his mask, making him look less threatening. The Panther proved popular with audiences and T’Challa began appearing in other comic books, most notably the Avengers. Like many heroes, however, T’Challa would alter his suit as different artists tried out new designs. In Avengers #52, he sported a dark blue suit that once again exposed the lower portion of his face. The effect made him look a bit like a male version of DC’s Catwoman.

For the most part, however, T’Challa retained the basic look that Jack Kirby had settled on in his debut. There were a few minor cosmetic changes – the Black Panther ditched the cape he wore in early adventures, only for it to return now and then. He would don a more elaborate cape for ceremonial occasions and would sometimes wear a yellow belt and neck piece to offset the basic black of his costume. A few of his suits also adopted more armored plating, giving him a bulkier look.

One fairly recent change that has made it into the MCU and will likely be part of the Black Panther’s “default” look from now on is the neck piece the Panther wears, which now resembles a necklace made up of claw-shaped pieces. In the MCU movies, the necklace, built by his T’Challa’s sister Shuri, actually contains the entire Vibranium suit and can manifest it over his body via thought command. It’s a useful and stylish accessory to the Black Panther’s look that has since become a popular item in pop culture, showing how there’s always room for innovation even in classic designs.

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

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