Avengers Makes a Major Upgrade to Black Panther's Costume

WARNING: Spoilers for Avengers #53 follow. Black Panther is the current ambassador/leader of the Avengers, but they may have finally come across an enemy they have no hope of defeating. The Multiversal Masters of Evil are laying siege to the Marvel 616 Universe, executing a multi-pronged attack against Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Avengers #53 by Jason Aaron, Juan Frigeri, David Curiel, and VC's Cory Petit picks up the fight as Black Panther, Namor, and Jane Foster try and defend Avengers Mountain against Kid Thanos and a Doctor Doom who has mastered the dark arts. One last effort to defeat these Masters of Evil results in Black Panther donning a new version of his Wakandan costume.

Fighting alongside our trio of heroes in Avengers Mountain is a Deathlok sent by someone it refers to as "Avengers Prime." This mystery figure sent Deathloks out into the Multiverse to warn other worlds of the danger they face. The Deathlok reveals that it needs to connect to Avengers Mountain, but is aware that Black Panther won't trust someone it only met moments ago. However, Deathlok pleads its case, stating how Avenger Prime said Black Panther would know it spoke the truth. Black Panther says "the dead cannot lie to their king," which is apparently enough to gain his trust.

While Namor and Jane Foster/Valkyrie battle Doctor Doom, Black Panther is shown meditating and gearing up to join his comrades. When he finally makes his grand entrance, Black Panther's normally black armor is now red. Avengers Mountain reveals some secrets about this upgrade, such as "Thrice blessed Vibranium Dambe boxing cords" on Black Panther's fists; "Stones from the Wakandan Necropolis" utilized as brass knuckles; "Armor of metallicized Orisha-blood" to give it that shiny red sheen; and "Antimagic defense protocols" to defend against Doctor Doom's evil spells.

Black Panther may be leading the Avengers now, but that might change in this summer's Judgment Day event. Promotional art and covers for the Avengers, X-Men, and Eternals crossover has Black Panther missing from the festivities. Also, Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley and artist Juann Cabal launched a new volume of Black Panther in November. The comic's opening story arc revealed how Black Panther has several sleeper agents scattered around the world, waiting to be activated by their king to serve Wakanda. A group has somehow discovered the existence of these agents and has started assassinating them, forcing T'Challa to go out into the field in order to solve the murders. 

The final page of the first issue teased some events that will happen in Black Panther's future, including a meeting with the X-Men on the planet Arakko, and a fight with his Avengers teammate Captain America. Something that came up in Black Panther #1 was how the Avengers will react to the news that one of their own was plotting against them in the shadows. Apparently, it may lead to Black Panther no longer leading the team into Judgment Day and the Avengers' crossover with the X-Men and Eternals.

Are you a fan of T'Challa's new Red Panther armor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!