Black Panther's Costume Designer Recalls Exactly How Incredible It Was To See Chadwick Boseman Step Into The Suit

Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-growing place, but there are a handful of characters who stand out among the rest as fan favorites. Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa was certainly one of those, especially following the release of Ryan Coogler's massively successful Black Panther. The 2018 movie was a pop culture sensation, breaking box office records and earning a whopping seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter took home an Academy Award for her work on the blockbuster, and recently spoke to the incredible moment where she saw the late Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther's signature suit.

One of the most devastating celebrity deaths of 2020 came recently when T'Challa himself Chadwick Boseman died after a private battle with colon cancer. Since then plenty of his collaborators have spoken out in tribute to the late actor, especially considering how much his Black Panther role meant to Black moviegoers young and old. Ruth E. Carter shared how magical it was to see Boseman in the character's costume, saying:

I had the pants suit in my office and it was dressed on a mannequin, and I thought, this thing doesn't look all that great, partly because the mannequin was weird. I called Chadwick in and I asked him to put the suit on — we needed to see if there were any problems or anything — and when he put on the suit and the helmet went on, it was like magic. I could see the power of these superheroes. I could see how they have an effect on people just because it's like they are a superhero.

Well, that sounds like a private moment of bonafide movie magic. Ruth E. Carter understood the power of the superhero genre and specifically the costumes when seeing Chadwick Boseman step into the Black Panther suit for the first time. Her assessment of the movie's importance to People was obviously spot on, as Black Panther ended up making a whopping $1.3 billion at the box office.

Marvel fans can re-watch Chadwick Boseman's tenure in the MCU on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

Chadwick Boseman's legacy is all the more clear in the wake of his unexpected death. Countless tributes began pouring in on line, from both fans and celebs alike. What's more, the announcement of his passing became the most liked tweet of all time. And there are plenty of Black Panther scenes and interviews of the late actor that have new meaning now.

In addition to his iconic role as T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chadwick Boseman also starred in a ton of other notable projects, all will privately battling colon cancer. Some of those roles include 42, Marshall, Get On Up, all of which showed him fully immersing himself to transform into a figure from history.

Our thoughts are with Chadwick Boseman's loved ones as they continue through this difficult time. These types of tributes will likely keep coming, and CinemaBlend will keep you updated as more of the late actor's collaborators continue to speak to his spirit and talents.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.