We all know the iconic Avengers franchise, but how well do we know the main behind the stories? Ruth E. Carter, costume designer for “Black Panther,” praised comic book publisher and creator Stan Lee, calling him a “trailblazer” for championing civil rights, dating back to the ’60s when he created the character of Black Panther. The Marvel Comics patriarch, who passed away last week, created many beloved characters — such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and the X-Men — but Black Panther stands out as an example of him (pictured) using his influence to advance civil rights.
Carter, who dressed Stan Lee for his “Black Panther” cameo, celebrated “his idea that the black community needed a superhero.”
Stan Lee called out racism for decades, openly discussing racism and bigotry in his regular column, “Stan’s Soapbox,” which was placed in the back of many Marvel comic books and ran since the ’60s. “Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today,” is one of his quotes that many have remembered and shared in the days following his passing.
Carter has been in the entertainment industry since the late ’80s and has worked as a costume designer on many projects that portray civil rights issues, including “Selma” and “Malcolm X.”
Bold Life asked Carter how she’s seen the industry change in the way it portrays black culture, and she told us, “Well, there are more of us, and there are more stories…There are so many more filmmakers that are doing their thing and breaking ground. And soon we won’t be ‘firsts’ anymore. We’ll be 10th, 12th, 20th.”
Watch Bold Life’s interview with ‘Black Panther’s’ Ruth E. Carter above or on our Facebook page.
For more interviews with costume designers, check this out. And for more on the “Black Panther” movie, check this out.
