Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is a visual feast, full of flying robotic suits, underwater warriors and next-level technological wonders. And one of the most eye-popping aspects of Ryan Coogler’s ambitious sequel are the next-level costumes by legendary designer Ruth E. Carter. Carter elevates the look of both Wakanda and the submerged kingdom of Talokan and sets the gold standard for costumes in superhero movies going forward. And we are so thrilled to debut an exclusive look at Carter’s costumes, which you can watch below.
The featurette allows you to luxuriate in the specificity of the costumes she had to create (Nakia’s new costume, in particular, feels like it should be hanging in a museum) but also makes you appreciate the scope of what she had to do. It wasn’t just a new Black Panther costume, but it was outfitting all of the inhabitants of Talokan, creating a distinct look for a new, Iron Man-ish prodigy (Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams) and giving the Dora Milaje a superhero look all their own in the Midnight Angels.
“Ruth Carter took the initiative and pushed the film further than I could have ever imagined. I just keep my eyes and ears open to her bringing it to life,” co-writer/director Ryan Coogler says in the featurette.
Angela Bassett, who gets some of the boldest, most memorable costumes in the new movie (and is an Oscar frontrunner herself) said, “She has given us PhD level – the embroidery, the capes, the headdress, she just took it up a notch. Ruth will exhaust every possibility, in terms of her research, to build Wakanda.”
Carter herself described the handoff between the rigorous research to something more playful. “We went from historical reference to imagination,” Carter said in the featurette.
And Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia, put it well when estimating the cultural impact Carter’s designs will have. “Working with Ruth is really fascinating because she’s the calmest creator I know. She’s so humorous and light when she’s creating these really intense costumes that are going to inform cosplay to a decade or more to come,” Nyong’o said.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is in theaters now and will be on VOD and Disney+ on Feb. 1 and on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra 4K Blu-ray on Feb. 7.
