Russo Brothers Tease Magic Powers In Black Panther's Ring

Ryan Coogler will be heading up the solo Black Panther film, but that doesn't mean the Russo Brothers aren't keeping up with the project. Anthony Russo may be busy with Avengers: Infinity War at the moment, leaving him booked for the foreseeable future. However, he did take some time to hit the Internet and tease fans that Black Panther might be getting some new powers soon.

The director answered a fan's question on Quora that asked whether the hero's ring had any magical powers or abilities. Anthony said, "Black Panther's ring is special to him because it was worn by his father, the king."

"When he puts it on for the first time in Civil War, it's symbolic of him taking on his father's role. As for it's powers, we will all have to wait for the Black Panther movie."

Of course, this tease may take comic book readers by surprise. Black Panther does have plenty of tech and gear to power him up, but his hand-me-down ring has never been amongst those accessories. Instead, the ring symbolically connects T'Challa to his father and every other Black Panther before him. The legacy ring acts almost like a crown that entrusts its wearer with the weight of Wakanda - but could that piece of jewelry be getting some special powers on-screen?

Well, perhaps.

If Anthony's words ring true, Black Panther might be gifted with a new power in his standalone film. Rumors about this began swirling back when Captain America: Civil War hit theaters and fans saw Black Panther take on a triggered Winter Soldier. The two soldiers fight dirty, but when Black Panther grabs onto his opponent's cybernetic arm, it seems as if there's some sort of reaction between it and the king's ring. Both characters look surprised by the interaction as T'Challa holds his father's ring against the metal arm momentarily before the Winter Solider wriggles out of the Black Panther's grip.

Fans have scrutinized the scene and asked whether the ring now has special properties. However, many assume the Civil War scene is just showing off the ring's rare makeup. After all, the jewelry is made of Vibranium, a rare and powerful metal sourced primarily from Wakanda. The material has certain reactions to other metals when it comes to close combat, so perhaps that explains the scene's magnetic mishap?

For now, fans can only wait and see what Black Panther has in store for the iconic character. In a recent interview with ComicBook.com's Jim Viscardi, Chadwick Boseman did tease that the solo film will explore the origins of Black Panther - all of them.

"There is definitely more of his origin in Black Panther. You're going to learn about Wakanda, its culture, its traditions, the past," he went on. "You can go through all the comic books and know that there's more Panthers that have existed in the past - that's origin."

Black Panther has been an important character in the Marvel universe for 50 years. He is the king of the technologically-advanced nation of Wakanda, and Panther has served as a member of the Avengers in addition to his many solo adventures.

The film is being directed and co-written by Creed and Fruitvale Station filmmaker, Ryan Coogler. The cast features Chadwick Boseman (42) as Black Panther/T'Challa, Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead) as Okoye, Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four) as Erik Killmonger, and Lupita Nyong'o (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Nakia.

Black Panther will slash into theaters on February 16, 2018.