With Halloween putting Marvel fans of all ages into Black Panther costumes around the world, one writer has explained that was actually a major reason for his creation of Shuri, sister of King T’Challa, and the female Black Panther of Marvel’s Universe.
Co-creator of Shuri, Reginald Hudlin, shared insight into the Character’s purpose, after seeing a reference to the character on Abbott Elementary. During the Halloween episode of the show, “Costume Contest,” teacher Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) reacts to one of her white students dressing as a Black Panther, prompting Hudlin to cite a similar surprise he found after creating Shuri:
Shuri’s Creator Explains Wanted His Son & Daughter To Both Be Black Panther
Intended to Inspire His Children, Winds Up Inspiring Several Worldwide
Shuri made her debut in 2005, specifically in Black Panther #2 by Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr., with this story establishing early on that Shuri always wanted to become the Black Panther, having planned to fight her uncle for the throne had her brother, T’Challa, not beaten her to the punch. Establishing this early on seems to suggest that Hudlin had plans to anoint Shuri as the Black Panther from the very beginning. Hudlin’s foreshadowing would pay off four years later once Shuri officially gains the cowl in Black Panther #1 by Reginald Hudlin and J. Scott Campbell.
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The foreshadowing adds additional context to Hudlin’s claim that he created Shuri so that both his son and daughter could dress up as the Black Panther for Halloween. The movies that would follow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe would launch the character into an entirely new stratosphere of popularity. Hudlin saw it unfold firsthand in a scenario not unlike that seen in the Abbott Elementary episode, where children of all races dress up as the Black Panther. It showcases the enduring impact that pop culture can have on audiences, even beyond that of the comics.
The Impact of Pop Culture on Black Panther (and Shuri’s) Legacy
Reginald Hudlin’s Dream Fully Realized
The impact of any body of work can be impossible to predict and that is no more true than with the MCU release of the first Black Panther movie. The Black Panther namesake was beloved in its own right, but no one could have imagined it would have amounted to a billion-dollar franchise. The adoration of the movies and the comics has allowed fans to celebrate it in ways that are personal to each and every one of them.
It means a lot for children to see themselves reflected in media they admire, so for Black Panther to do that for both boys and girls brings Hudlin’s dream to fruition in even more ways than he could have expected.