10 Best Unused Black Panther MCU Designs

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Summary

Zuri's alternate outfits showcase the variety of clothing worn by Wakandan citizens, combining traditional and formal attire for a wise shaman.
T'Chaka's Black Panther suits have a more classic superhero look, featuring an open-mouthed cowl and the iconic upturned-collar-and-cape combo from the comics.
The Ancestral Realm's true appearance, depicted as a mystical savannah resting upon a central trunk of spiritual energy, adds a powerful image that didn't make the final cut.

Black Panther left a lot of great designs on the cutting room floor, the creative team responsible for forging the identity of Wakanda having plenty of great concepts that never made it into the final film. As one of Marvel's highest-grossing hits, part of what made Black Panther so special was the excellent world building and costume design that made Wakanda feel like a real place. It's no wonder that Marvel Studios' concept artists had plenty of extra ideas that unfortunately weren't able to materialize for the final cut.
An often overlooked art book released in 2020, Art of Marvel Studios Black Panther, gave fans a peek behind the curtain on the creative process of creating Wakanda from the ground up. The book details how the team sought to take inspiration from the pre-existing culture of various African nations, combine it with ideas from the original comics and sprinkle in a healthy dose of the MCU's signature art style to create a living, breathing world of Afrofuturism. Many of the locations and characters of Black Panther had some drastically different, but equally awesome designs compared to what the finished product looked like.
10 Zuri's Alternate Outfits The Wakandan Advisor Had Some Wildly Different Possibilities Close A close trusted advisor and public servant of Wakandan royalty, Zuri is a wise shaman whose clothes needed to convey an air of wisdom. Described as a taller, more imposing figure in the comics, the art book states how Zuri's design was formulated on before his character was cast, resulting in an incredibly wide array of possible looks featuring intricate masks, jewelry, and lavish robes. Zuri's alternate outfits provide a great insight into the variety of clothes the average Wakandan citizen might wear, a mix of traditional and formal attire.
9 T'Chaka's Black Panther Suits T'Challa Wasn't The Only One To Take The Mantle Of The Black Panther. Close Black Panther: Wakanda Forever explored how The Black Panther is a title rather than an individual, passed down from generation to generation through the consumption of the heart-shaped herb. While T'Chaka, didn't get much time in the suit via flashback in the first Black Panther film following his death in Captain America: Civil War, concept art reveals what his tenure as the Black Panther could've looked like. The original Wakandan king's versions of the suit have a more classic superhero look than T'Challa's, including an open-mouthed cowl and even the iconic upturned-collar-and-cape combo from the comics. Though they didn't make it into the final product, these are some of the coolest Black Panther suits around.
8 The Ancestral Realm's True Appearance Zooming Out Of The Mystical Location Reveals A Powerful Image

The Ancestral Realm is an ethereal, spiritual plane connecting all the users of Wakanda's sacred heart-shaped herb, letting their consciousness persist even after death. In Black Panther, T'Challa is able to reunite with his father from beyond the grave, arriving to see the plane appear as a peaceful savannah with mystical purple skies. But unused art reveals what the Ancestral Realm looks like in macro, the landscape resting upon a central trunk of spiritual energy in a way that resembles a Baobab tree. It's a shame that this view of the otherworldly location in-macro never made it into the final edit.
7 T'Challa's Alternate Suit Designs The Black Panther Costume Was Almost Much More Feline Close While T'Challa's final suit designs were striking and functional in a way that befit his status as a monarch, the final designs the Marvel movies went with were unmistakably MCU. The kevlar-like texture and 135-degree angles brought The Black Panther to be more in-line with the likes of Captain America's costumes. It's surprising to see just how different T'Challa's suit almost was, with alternate versions being more slender, form-fitting, and organic in appearance, emphasizing the "Panther" in Black Panther. These more cat-like designs with swept back ears, muscular detailing and lensless eyes that betrayed T'Challa's expression may have turned off some viewers, but they certainly would've made an impression.
6 The Camouflaged Black Panther Suit Wakanda's Protector Could've Had More Than One Color

One striking image among the concept art for T'Challa in-action suggests an ability to camouflage his black suit to be green, better blending in with the jungle. Concept Artist Alex Mandradjiev describes taking inspiration from the Predator movies when depicting T'Challa prowling through the trees, stalking his prey under the cover of the foliage. Whether this simply conveys a green suit, color-changing capabilities, or straight-up cloaking technology is unclear, but the film made the ultimate decision to set the action scene in which Black Panther extracts Nakia from her assignment in Nigeria under the cover of darkness instead, keeping things simple.
5 Okoye's Falconer Design The Head Of The Dora Melaje Almost Had An Animal Companion

Okoye has become a beloved character in Wakanda, seeing almost as much action as Shuri and T'Challa combined over the course of their appearances in the MCU. While many clear elements of her original designs shone through in her final outfit, images from Art of Marvel Studios Black Panther show off a battle suit that implied a very different fighting style. With twin blades stowed on her back, a dynamic visor, and even a pet Falcon, Okoye's role on the battlefield was almost unrecognizable from her traditional spear-based martial arts she sticks with throughout her escapades in Marvel movies.
4 Original Dora Melaje Concepts The All-Female Strike Team Could've Been More Gilded

The Dora Melaje are Wakanda's elite team of special forces operators, consisting only of hand-picked warrior women. Their duties as royal guards gave their ultimate outfits a fair amount of bling, but earlier drafts of their designs almost took this to the next level. Concept art for the Dora Melaje paints a very different picture, incorporating far more jewelry and artistry worked into the practical aspects of their work, complete with elaborate facial coverings and wrist blades delicately woven into decorative arm-bands. These concepts have a more quiet, mysterious air about them compared to the final product.
3 Nakia's Alternate Outfits The War-Dog Showed Off Some Classy Looks

T'Challa's childhood friend and on-again-off-again romantic interest, Nakia is a seasoned veteran of international affairs, working behind enemy lines as a spy for Wakanda. Alternative versions of her Wakandan outfit evoked her skills in espionage, with elegant, yet futuristic dresses that were perhaps more Western-looking than most of Wakanda's other denizens. This subtle visual language clearly references Nakia's time overseas as an agent of the state, coming across in this formal attire as someone sauntering straight out of a Bond movie.
2 Shuri's Claw Gauntlets The Tech Genius' Weapons Were Once More Close-Range

Though primarily serving as the Q to T'Challa's James Bond in the first film, Shuri has never been a stranger to combat, not afraid to jump into the fray and utilize her dazzling high-tech weaponry against Wakanda's foes. Before taking on the role of the Black Panther herself, Shuri utilized blasters in the shape of Panther heads, firing concussive blasts out of their mouths. The prodigal inventor nearly used a different type of weapon, however, with concept art showing off more claw-like gauntlets that appeared to carry an electrical charge. Notably, these enhancements let Shuri keep use of her hands, making them a more practical if closer-ranged choice to take into battle.
1 Killmonger's Alternate Masks The Villian's First Appearance Could've Been More Menacing

Erik Killmonger's first moments in the film were the perfect introduction to one of the MCU's most celebrated villains, as the vengeful Wakandan expat burst on to the scene with an explosive Vibranium heist at an art museum. While making a daring getaway, Killmonger wears a more traditional, tribal mask, but unused designs painted a very different picture. Concepts for Killmonger's mask include a haunting skull-like version, with demonic horns and open eye-slits that allowed the villain's cold stare to shine through. This frightening mask perfectly describes just how threatening Killmonger is, though it didn't make it into the final cut of Black Panther.
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