In the first few Marvel Cinematic Universe films, there was a trend of heroes facing a negative version of themselves. Iron Man fought the Iron Monger, The Hulk fought Abomination, & Captain America fought Red Skull. More recently, Ant-Man fought Yellow Jacket who was retooled into being a villain with the same gimmick (size alteration). Many fans and critics alike have expressed disappointment in Marvel’s villain choices, and many were excited about Killmonger until the reveal he’s wearing a suit akin to T’Challa’s Black Panther suit. In the spirit of Black Panther releasing on February 16th, we at Hybrid Network thought it would be a good idea to examine the Golden Jaguar suit which will be worn by Killmonger in the upcoming film.
Before we start, it’s worth mentioning that the suit is actually known as a habit. A habit is an outfit characteristic of a calling, rank, or function. So, for an example, a nun wears a habit as it’s tied to her religious calling. In Captain America: Civil War, we saw T’Challa don a Black Panther habit but it was unknown if that was the same version Black Panther’s have always worn or if it was simply the latest iteration. It had a Vibranium weave allowing T’Challa to tank explosive arrows point-blank (the same type of arrows that sent Loki flying in Avengers) & withstand bullets from a helicopter without even moving. The Vibranium, if used in certain ways to redirect the force, can even help with landing from high falls or leaping distances. The gloves have Vibranium claws & knuckles which was showcased when T’Challa scratched Captain America’s shield. This personally is one of my favorite suits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as the Vibranium woven across the habit gives a non-generic appearance to Black Panther.
In the Black Panther film, T’Challa is given a new suit courtesy of his sister Shuri. This suit is said to be lighter, completely bulletproof, and absorbs energy for redistribution according to Shuri’s dialogue. Another exciting feature is the ability for the habit to manifest around whoever is wearing it. This technology is what Killmonger takes in the film to create his Golden Jaguar suit. An interesting detail is that the Golden Jaguar suit has the Vibranium weave lines, unlike the upgraded Black Panther habit. This could mean Killmonger obtains and tampers with the first Black Panther habit or maybe he bases the creation of the Golden Jaguar suit on technology from both versions of T’Challa’s habit. It’s unknown if he’ll acquire the heart-shaped herb, which was confirmed for the movie, but the capabilities of Killmonger’s suit should make him a match for T’Challa.
Offensively the Golden Jaguar suit, like T’Challa’s new habit, can store kinetic energy and then release it as an energy pulse. This also fits with Killmonger’s comic book counterpart which had an energy blaster. An interesting possibility will be if the energy projection capabilities are enhanced in the Golden Jaguar suit compared to T’Challa’s upgraded habit. Having the villain possess an ability of the hero at a higher level is a theme shared by the Marvel villains, with Yellow Jacket being a good example with his ability to shoot size altering beams.
Even with only a month left for the movie, not much has been revealed. During an interview, Michael B. Jordan refused to answer questions regarding the Golden Jaguar suit & the toy of Golden Jaguar lacked character details. It’s a pretty cool suit, and with the great cast & director this movie has, we can’t wait for February. Let us know what you think about the Golden Jaguar suit and what abilities you think would be cool in the comments below!
