“Do you know what I used to see when I looked in the mirror?”
[The Black Panther stares at himself in a full length mirror.]
“A fraud.”
“A mirror is an interesting matter of perception. When you look into one, it provides you a relatively accurate reflection of your physical features.”
“But for the longest time, what I saw wasn’t accurate.”
“I looked like a Black Panther.”
[He begins touching the contours of his mask.]
“My helm felt like it represented one.”
“But the mirror only reflects what it can see. What it couldn’t see is what I’d become beneath the reflection. I became nothing, Python. I was taking orders from a futile and redundant machine. I stood in line behind The Red Falcon as if he was somehow superior to me and I swallowed my pride… every… step… of the way.”
[Panther pulls a chair from behind and angrily slumps down in it, remaining before the mirror.]
“Until The Arcadian Censorship Authority put a bullet in me.”
[He points to the stitched section on his suit.]
“And I almost died.”
[Panther scoffs.]
“That sort of situation puts things into a matter of perspective, doesn’t it? I stood there and beat back the tide of Censorship whilst no-one had my back. I protected you and the rest of the Kingdom and almost suffered my final breath because of it.”
[He leans in.]
“Do you know what a Panther is, Python?”
[His voice becomes a whisper.]
“A panther is aggressive and unpredictable. They hide in the shadows, using their darkness to blend into the environment. They’re natural hunters and fierce predators.”
“Guess what they aren’t?”
[His voice returns to normal.]
“They aren’t patsies.”
“They aren’t snakes.”
“What do you see when you look into the mirror, Yella? Because I’d bet credit to a credit that you see the embodiment of a snake. You see it, you feel it and deep down within your soul, you know you represent it. That’s why it was so easy to remain with the Kingdom and fight four members of the ACA whilst I was undertaking a barrage of them on my own.”
“A snake slithers in the grass spinelessly, doesn’t it? Just like a coward. You proved that when I brought The Blue Shark out onto the stage and threatened to kill him. You could’ve came after me. You could’ve stopped me in my tracks.”
[Panther laughs.]
“But that isn’t what a snake would do.”
[He stands up, turns to the side and looks at himself in the mirror.]
“Do you know what I see when I look into the mirror now, Yella?”
“I see a Black Panther.”
“Ruthless aggression.”
“Unpredictability.”
“A hunter in the black.”
[Finally, he punches the mirror with his gloved hand, shattering it.]
“I don’t need to look in the mirror anymore. I know exactly who stares back at me now. I’m content with it.”
“Are you, snake?”