It's a Word! It's a Plane! It's Superhero Vocabulary!: "Black Panther" Lingo

Marvel's Black Panther movie is the first blockbuster film to center on a black superhero. Here are some terms relating to T’Challa, a character who’s literally comic book royalty.

Here's the full article: The Royal Lexicon of The Black Panther
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    When Black Panther arrives in theaters on Feb. 16, comics fans will be familiar with the clandestine African nation of Wakanda, a world they’ve been visiting in books for decades. Slate (Feb 13, 2018)
  2. cultural
    of or relating to the arts and manners that a group favors
    “Black Panther” is a stunning visual and cultural achievement that takes superhero cinema where it’s never gone before by not being afraid to embrace its blackness. Washington Post (Feb 12, 2018)
  3. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
    The Marvel Universe has more deities than a religious studies course, what with Asgardian gods, Greek gods, the Celestials, the Phoenix Force, the Beyonder, Bast, and who knows what else might be out there in the cosmos.
    T’Challa isn’t just a political leader: he’s a religious leader too. As the Pope is to Catholics, the Black Panther is to Wakandans, though T’Challa is better in a fight. Wakandans worship a deity named Bast, also known as the Panther God. Deity is synonymous with god.
  4. enhanced
    increased or intensified in value or beauty or quality
    The Black Panther isn’t just a guy with a cool costume and some sweet martial arts moves: he has enhanced speed and strength.
    Anything that’s enhanced has been increased: if you have enhanced agility, you’re more agile than before. Think of athletes busted for taking performance-enhancing drugs which boost skills but break rules. Fortunately, superheroes don’t have to abide by the laws of the NFL or NBA.
  5. guardian
    a person who cares for persons or property
    The Black Panther is the guardian of Wakanda.
  6. hero
    someone who fights for a cause
    But Black Panther matters more, because he is our best chance for people of every color to see a black hero. Time (Feb 8, 2018)
  7. kingdom
    the domain ruled by a monarch
    Directed by Creed's Ryan Coogler, it is set in the mythical country of Wakanda: a hidden African kingdom with incredible technological power, due to its reserves of the world's most useful precious metal. BBC (Feb 8, 2018)
  8. meteorite
    a stony or metallic object from space that hits the earth
    A meteorite was the source of the vibranium that helped make Wakanda so wealthy and advanced.
    Some superheroes and villains have gained powers through crashed space rocks called meteorites, but not the Black Panther. Still, a meteorite—a small meteor—did help him out. A meteorite was the source of the vibranium that helped make Wakanda so wealthy and advanced. Before a meteorite lands, you might see it as a shooting star.
  9. monarch
    a nation's ruler usually by hereditary right
    T’Challa is the monarch of fictional African nation Wakanda, and he came by his kingdom the same way nearly all monarchs do: through their family.
    A monarchy is a government ruled by a king or queen, who is the monarch. T’Challa is the monarch of fictional African nation Wakanda. Other Marvel Comics monarchs aren’t as heroic and noble as T’Challa, such as Dr. Doom and Namor the Sub-Mariner.
  10. myth
    a traditional story serving to explain a world view
    A jolt of a movie, “Black Panther” creates wonder with great flair and feeling partly through something Hollywood rarely dreams of anymore: myth. - New York Times (Feb 6, 2018)
  11. precious
    of high worth or cost
    Directed by Creed's Ryan Coogler, it is set in the mythical country of Wakanda: a hidden African kingdom with incredible technological power, due to its reserves of the world's most useful precious metal. BBC (Feb 8, 2018)
  12. protagonist
    the principal character in a work of fiction
    The issue sold well and by the 1970s Black Panther was a protagonist in his own comic book. BBC (Feb 10, 2018)
  13. secluded
    hidden from general view or use
    Wakanda was a secluded country: hidden from the world, allowing it to develop at its own pace, which was faster than everyone else.
    In Civil War<.i>, which introduced the Black Panther, Wakanda seems to be a known country. But in the comic, people didn’t know about this fantastically advanced nation for a long time. That’s because Wakanda was secluded: hidden from the world, allowing it to develop at its own pace, which was faster than everyone else. If you decided to go into hiding, you could say you went into seclusion.
  14. squadron
    an air force unit smaller than a group
    With help from a female special-forces squadron, he protects his isolated, wealthy and technologically advanced kingdom from threats, including a villain played by Michael B. Jordan. Wall Street Journal (Feb 6, 2018)
  15. substance
    material of a particular kind or constitution
    Wakanda is known for being a futuristic wonderland and the only source of vibranium—a rare, powerful substance.
    A substance is some sort of distinctive material that’s a solid: you can’t call a liquid or gas a substance. Vibranium is the main ingredient in one of the most famous comic book weapons, Captain America’s shield. You can also use substance metaphorically to mean the meat or gist of a topic.
  16. technology
    the practical application of science to commerce or industry
    Partly because of vibranium, Wakanda is a place of amazing technology: far beyond the rest of Earth in the Marvel Universe — or this universe for that matter.
    Technology is the application of science to all sorts of stuff, resulting in everything from surgery-performing robots to fidget spinners.
  17. tribal
    relating to or characteristic of a clan or social group
    Wakanda is not only a monarchy, it’s a tribal society, meaning it’s made up groups of indigenous people.
    In the comics, T’Challa had to defeat champions from other tribes for the honor and responsibility of being the Black Panther.
  18. vengeful
    disposed to take action in return for a perceived wrong
    A few scenes later, a recently orphaned and vengeful T’Challa, swapping his bespoke blue suit for a full-body bulletproof one, reappears as a new Marvel movie superhero. - New York Times (Feb 6, 2018)
  19. villain
    someone who does evil deliberately
    With help from a female special-forces squadron, he protects his isolated, wealthy and technologically advanced kingdom from threats, including a villain played by Michael B. Jordan. Wall Street Journal (Feb 6, 2018)
  20. weapon
    any instrument used in fighting or hunting
    Vibranium is the main ingredient in one of the most famous comic book weapons, Captain America’s shield.
Created on Fri Feb 09 09:41:28 EST 2018 (updated Thu Nov 07 10:24:13 EST 2019)

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