Black Panther: 30 Easter Eggs & References You Probably Missed

7. Killmonger Becomes The Panther

After throwing T'Challa from the Falls and apparently killing him, Killmonger takes over the mantle of Black Panther and the throne of Wakanda and gets his own suit in the process.

Him becoming the Panther is a nod to Christopher Priest's Black Panther run, in which he temporarily became the new Black Panther after defeating T'Challa in the same sort of tribal combat.

The gold-tinged costume is clearly a reference to his original look in the comics and to the designs from Priest's run, while the leopard aesthetic is clearly also a reference to Preyy, his pet leopard from the comics.

Interestingly, it also references the alternate name for the Black Panther comic, which was changed briefly after the rise of the Black Panther Party to Black Leopard to avoid confusion. It didn't stick as the creators and readers didn't like it as much.