T'Challa's Mask

T'Challa's mask from his Black Panther armor symbolizes the tension between the traditional sensibilities of the Black Panthers who came before him and then new way of governing he knows he must employ to save Wakanda from falling apart. The end of Book 1 saw T'Challa putting on his mask in rage and declaring war on The People for attacking The Golden City. This is the way Black Panthers of old postured themselves within Wakanda: an independently acting monarch whose sole concern is protecting and avenging his country as whatever the cost. While this way of leading has gone unquestioned for generations, the current tumultuous state of Wakanda leads T'Challa to learn he must lead Wakanda as one of the people, not as a protector who sits separated from them.

In multiple instances throughout Book 2, T'Challa removing his Black Panther masks indicates him shifting into his...