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Cam Newton's Superman Persona Has Officially Made Room For Black Panther

BOSTON (CBS) -- For years, after finding the end zone, Cam Newton would pretend to tear open the front of his shirt to reveal an imaginary Superman logo to the world. Now, that celebratory persona has officially made room for the Black Panther.

Newton took the field for warmups on Sunday sporting cleats that fused both superheroes, with the words "Wakanda Forever" on one foot and an image of Superman holding the Black Panther mask on the other.

Superman/Black Panther cleats
A detail of the cleats of Cam Newton shows Superman holding a Black Panther mask. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Newton first made a visual reference to the Black Panther when he scored his first touchdown of the year in Week 1, crossing his arms in an X, signifying the Wakanda salute from the popular Marvel movie. Considering the touchdown was cored just weeks after actor Chadwick Boseman passed away, it looked to be a touching tribute from Newton.

In Week 2, Newton showed that it wasn't just a one-time demonstration, as he morphed the two celebrations into one after scoring a touchdown in Seattle.

Newton hasn't yet been asked about his change in celebration yet, but the display on national television last week and the new cleats this week indicate that it might be a permanent change for the superhuman persona of the Patriots' quarterback.

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