Black Panther's 'Civil War' Outfit Was All CGI, According to Directors' Blu-ray Commentary Track
Of the many, many superheroes who appeared in Captain America: Civil War, perhaps none made as big an impression as Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther (just ask Leslie Jones). What we didn’t know, however, is that when we were watching Boseman don his sleek outfit for some running-and-leaping-and-clawing action, what we were really seeing was the hard work of countless digital effects artists.
Related: Behind the Scenes of That Epic Airport Battle in ‘Captain America: Civil War’
That’s because, as Screencrush’s Matt Singer posted yesterday, every single frame of Black Panther in Civil War was CGI. In the commentary track on the film’s new Blu-ray release, directors Joe and Anthony Russo reveal that making an actual Black Panther suit was impractical, and consequently, Industrial Light and Magic technicians were responsible for constructing Black Panther’s costume in post-production:
“[They] really did a ton of work on that outfit. I mean, we had an outfit that we used on set. It’s impossible when you’re talking about an otherworldly outfit like the one that the Panther wears, which has a certain luminescence to it because it’s made of a woven metal. We could never afford to construct an outfit like that that an actor or a stunt player could move around in without sweating to death or that would capture the luminescence that we need. So what we ended up doing in post is ILM came in and painted over Chadwick and the stuntman. The outfit is completely CG.”
Related: A Comprehensive List of Every Avenger vs. Avenger Fight in ‘Captain America: Civil War’
An article at The Verge discussed the process back in May, reporting that originally “ILM had planned to just do some touch-up work and wire removal on the photographed suit, until Marvel decided that Black Panther’s proportions should look a little more… hero-ey.” Meanwhile, in a Vanity Fair article posted last week, Boseman talked about the costume he did wear on set, stating that he wasn’t “a fan of that process, in terms of how it feels.” As for the ultimate design, though, he praised it as “an amazing piece of art” with its blend of various samurai, ninja, and African stylistic traditions.
It remains unknown if the same CG strategy will be used for Boseman’s solo outing as the character, which is being directed by Creed’s Ryan Coogler — although given that so much of Civil War relied on CG, including its centerpiece airport battle sequence (watch the clip below), it’s easy to imagine that it will be. Regardless, it’s further confirmation that these days, almost anything is possible on screen if you have access to the right digital tools.
Watch the ‘Captain America: Civil War’ cast and crew discuss the airport battle scene in a clip from the Blu-ray release:
