Black Panther is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby , first appearing in Fantastic Four #52 ( cover-dated July 1966) in the Silver Age of Comic Books . Black Panther's real name is T'Challa , and he is depicted as the king and protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda . Along with possessing enhanced abilities achieved through ancient Wakandan rituals of drinking the essence of the heart-shaped herb, T'Challa also relies on his proficiency in science, rigorous physical training, hand-to-hand combat skills, and access to wealth and advanced Wakandan technology to combat his enemies.
Black Panther is the first superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics, having debuted years before early black superheroes such as Marvel Comics' the Falcon (1969), Luke Cage (1972), and Blade (1973) or
DC Comics ' John Stewart in the role of Green Lantern (1971). In one comic book storyline, the Black Panther mantle is handled by Kasper Cole , a multiracial New York City police officer. Beginning as an impersonator, Cole would later take on the moniker of White Tiger and become an ally to T'Challa. The role of Black Panther and leadership of Wakanda is also given to T'Challa's sister Shuri for a short time.
Black Panther has made numerous appearances in various television shows, animated films and video games. Chadwick Boseman portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and voiced the character in the animated series What If...? (2021).
In 2011, Black Panther was ranked 51st overall on IGN 's "Top 100 Comic Books Heroes" list. [1]
Concept and creation
Name
The Black Panther's name predates the October 1966 founding of the Black Panther Party , though not the black panther logo of the party's predecessor, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO), nor the segregated World War II Black Panthers Tank Battalion .[2][3] Co-creator Stan Lee denied that the comic, which pre-dates the political usage of the term, was, or could have been, named after any of the political uses of the term "black panther", including the LCFO, citing "a strange coincidence". [4] He is the first black superhero in American mainstream comic books ; very few black heroes were created before him, and none with actual superpowers. These included the characters in the single-issue, low-distribution
All-Negro Comics #1 (1947); [5] Waku, Prince of the Bantu, who starred in his own feature in the omnibus title Jungle Tales , from Marvel's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics [6][7] and the Dell Comics Western character Lobo, the first black person to star in his own comic book. [8] Previous non- caricatured black supporting characters in comics include U.S. Army infantry private Gabriel Jones of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos .
In a guest appearance in Fantastic Four #119 (Feb. 1972), the Black Panther briefly tried using the name Black Leopard to avoid connotations with the Party, but the new name did not last. [9] The character's name was changed back to
Black Panther in Avengers #105, with T'Challa explaining that renaming himself made as much sense as altering the Scarlet Witch 's name, and he is not a stereotype. [10]
Co-creator Stan Lee recounted that the name was inspired by a pulp adventure hero who has a black panther as a helper. [11] Jack Kirby's original concept art for Black Panther used the concept name Coal Tiger. [12] Influences on the character included historical figures such as 14th-century Mali Empire sultan Mansa Musa and 20th-century Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey , as well as Biblical figures such as Ham and Canaan .[13]
Publication history
Lee and Kirby's creation of Black Panther was inspired by Lee's desire in the mid-60s to include more African and African-American characters in Marvel Comics. In 1963, they included a black character, Gabe Jones , in the ensemble cast of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos , [14] and Lee encouraged artists to include black characters in crowd scenes. [15] In a 1998 interview, Lee explained his motivation: "I wasn't thinking of civil rights. I had a lot of friends who were black and we had artists who were black. So it occurred to me... why aren't there any black heroes?" [16] Soon after Black Panther was introduced, Marvel also added two more recurring black characters: Jill Jerrold in Modeling with Millie , and Bill Foster in
TheAvengerss .
[15]
There was some internal debate at Marvel about how far to go with the commercially risky introduction of a black superhero. In the first version of the cover for Fantastic Four #52, the Black Panther wore a cowl that exposed his face. In the published version, the cowl became a full face-mask. Previews in other comics did not show the cover at all, indicating that Marvel was unsure how much to reveal. [17]
Following his debut in Fantastic Four #52–53 (July–Aug. 1966) and subsequent guest appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1967) and with Captain America in Tales of Suspense #97–100 (Jan.– April 1968), the Black Panther journeyed from the fictional African nation of
Wakanda to New York City to join the titular American superhero team in The Avengers #52 (May 1968), appearing in that comic for the next few years. During his time with the Avengers, he made solo guest-appearances in three issues of Daredevil , and fought Doctor Doom in Astonishing Tales #6–7 (June & Aug. 1971), in that supervillain's short-lived starring feature.
He received his first starring feature with Jungle Action #5 (July 1973), a reprint of the Panther-centric story in The Avengers #62 (March 1969). A new series began running the following issue, written by Don McGregor , with art by pencilers Rich Buckler, Gil Kane , and Billy Graham, and which gave inkers Klaus Janson and Bob McLeod some of their first professional exposure. The critically acclaimed [18] series ran in Jungle Action #6–24 (Sept. 1973 – Nov. 1976). [19]
One now-common format McGregor pioneered was that of the self-contained, multi-issue story arc. [20] The first, "Panther's Rage", ran through the first 13 issues. Critic Jason Sacks has called the arc "Marvel's first graphic novel ":
The second and final arc, "Panther vs. the Klan", ran as mostly 17-page stories in Jungle Action #19–24 (Jan.–Nov. 1976), except for issue #23, a reprint of Daredevil #69 (Oct. 1970), in which the Black Panther guest-starred. [19] The subject matter of the Ku Klux Klan was considered controversial in the Marvel offices at the time, creating difficulties for the creative team. [21]
African-American writer-editor Dwayne McDuffie said of the Jungle Action "Black Panther" feature:
Though popular with college students, the overall sales of Jungle Action were low, [22] and Marvel relaunched the Black Panther in a self-titled series, bringing in the character's co-creator Jack Kirby—newly returned to Marvel after having decamped to rival DC Comics for a time—as writer, penciler, and editor. However, Kirby wanted to work on new characters and was unhappy at being assigned a series starring a character he had already worked with extensively. [23] He left the series after only 12 issues and was replaced by Ed Hannigan (writer), Jerry Bingham (penciler), and Roger Stern (editor). Black Panther ran 15 issues (Jan. 1977 – May 1979). [24] Due to the series's cancellation, the contents of what would have been Black Panther #16–18 were published in
Marvel Premiere #51–53.
A four-issue miniseries , Black Panther vol. 2, [25] (July–Oct. 1988) was written by Peter B. Gillis and penciled by Denys Cowan .[26] McGregor revisited his Panther saga with Gene Colan in "Panther's Quest", published as 25 eight-page installments within the bi-weekly anthology series Marvel Comics Presents (issues #13–37, Feb.–Dec. 1989). [27] He later teamed with artist Dwayne Turner in the square-bound miniseries Black Panther: Panther's Prey (Sept. 1990 – March 1991). [28] McGregor conceived a fifth arc in his Black Panther saga, titled "Panther's Vows", but it failed to get off the ground.
Writer Christopher Priest 's and penciller Mark Texeira 's 1998 series The Black Panther vol. 3 used Erik Killmonger , Venomm , and other characters introduced in "Panther's Rage", together with new characters such as State Department attorney Everett Ross; the Black Panther's adopted brother, Hunter; and the Panther's protégé, Queen Divine Justice. The Priest-Texeira series was under the Marvel Knights imprint in its first year. Priest said the creation of character Ross contributed heavily to his decision to write the series. "I realized I could use Ross to bridge the gap between the African culture that the Black Panther mythos is steeped in and the predominantly white readership that Marvel sells to," adding that in his opinion, the Black Panther had been misused in the years after his creation.[29]
The last 13 issues (#50–62) saw the main character replaced by a multiracial New York City police officer named Kasper Cole, with T'Challa relegated to a supporting character. This Black Panther, who became the White Tiger , was placed in the series The Crew, running concurrently with the final few Black Panther issues. The Crew was canceled with issue #7.
Artist John Romita Jr. signing a copy of the fourth Black Panther series at Midtown Comics in Manhattan
In 2005, Marvel began publishing Black Panther vol. 4, [30] which ran 41 issues (April 2005 – Nov. 2008). [31] It was initially written by filmmaker Reginald Hudlin (through issue #38) and penciled by John Romita, Jr. (through #6). Hudlin said he wanted to add " street cred " to the title, although he noted that the book was not necessarily or primarily geared toward an African-American readership. [32] As influences for his characterization of the character, Hudlin has cited comic character Batman , film director
Spike Lee, and music artist Sean Combs .[32]
Black Panther vol. 5 [33] launched in February 2009, with Hudlin, again scripting, introducing a successor Black Panther, T'Challa's sister Shuri. [34][35][36] Hudlin co-wrote issue #7 with
Jonathan Maberry, who then became the new writer, [37] joined by artist Will Conrad. [38] The Panther was also a featured player, with members of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men , in the Doctor Doom-based, six-issue miniseries
Doomwar (April–Sept. 2010). [39]
T'Challa then accepted an invitation from Matt Murdock, the superhero Daredevil, to become the new protector of New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. He became the lead character in Daredevil beginning with issue #513 (Feb. 2011), when that series was retitled
Black Panther: The Man Without Fear .[40] Under writer David Liss and artist Francesco Francavilla, he took on the identity of Mr. Okonkwo, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and becomes the owner of a small diner in order to be close to the people. [41]
A new Black Panther series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze was launched in 2016 and continues to be published with Coates as the head writer. [42][43][44]
In 2017, the africanfuturist writer Nnedi Okorafor wrote the series Black Panther: Long Live the King . [45]
In February 2018, Christopher Priest, Don McGregor, and Reginald Hudlin each contributed one story to the Black Panther Annual #1. [46]
Fictional character biography
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Early life and background
The Black Panther is the ceremonial title given to the chief of the Panther Tribe of the advanced African nation of Wakanda. In addition to ruling the country, he is also
paramount chief of its various tribes (collectively referred to as the Wakandas). The Panther habit is a symbol of office (head of state) and is used even during diplomatic missions. The Panther is a hereditary title, but one must still earn it.
In the distant past, a meteorite made of the (fictional) vibration-absorbing mineral vibranium crashed in Wakanda, and was unearthed. Reasoning that outsiders would exploit Wakanda for this valuable resource, the ruler, King T'Chaka , like his father and other Panthers before him, concealed his country from the outside world. T'Chaka's first wife N'Yami died while in labor with T'Challa , and his second wife Ramonda was taken prisoner by Anton Pretorius during a visit to her homeland of
South Africa , so for most of his childhood T'Challa was raised by his father alone. [47] T'Chaka was murdered by the adventureradventurer
Ulysses Klaw in an attempt to seize the vibranium mound. With his people still in danger, a young T'Challa used Klaw's sound weapon on Klaw and his men, shattering Klaw's right hand and forcing him to flee. [48]
T'Challa was next in line to be the king of Wakanda and Black Panther, but until he was ready to become the leader of the nation, his uncle S'yan (T'Chaka's younger brother) successfully passed the trials to become the Black Panther. While on his Wakandan
walkabout rite of passage , T'Challa met and fell in love with apparent orphaned teen Ororo Munroe , who would grow up to become the X-Men member Storm. [49] The two broke off their relationship due to his desire to avenge his father's death and to become the type of man who could suitably lead Wakanda, but they would see each other over the years when they could.
T'Challa earned the title and attributes of the Black Panther by defeating the various champions of the Wakandan tribes. One of his first acts was to disband and exile the Hatut Zeraze—the Wakandan secret police —and its leader, his adopted brother Hunter the White Wolf. [50] He sold off small portions of vibranium to scientific institutions around the world, amassing a fortune which he used to arm himself with advanced technology. [48] Later, to keep peace, he picked Dora Milaje ("adored ones") from rival tribes to serve as his personal guard and ceremonial wives-in-training. He then studied abroad for a time before returning to his kingship.
In his first published appearance, the now-adult T'Challa invites the American superhero team the Fantastic Four to Wakanda, then attacks and attempts to neutralize them individually in order to test himself to see if he is ready to battle Klaw, who had replaced his shattered right hand with a sonic weapon. [51][52] For their part, the Four manage to rally and stymie T'Challa in a team counter-attack, enabling the impressed King to stand down and explain himself to the team's satisfaction. After the ruler makes proper amends to the Four, they befriend and help T'Challa, and he in turn aids them against the supervillain the Psycho-Man .[53] T'Challa later joins the Avengers,[54] beginning a long association with that superhero team. He first battles the Man-Ape while with the group, [55] and then meets the American singer Monica Lynne ,[56] with whom he becomes romantically involved. He helps the Avengers defeat the second Sons of the Serpent , and then reveals his true identity on American television. [57] He encounters Daredevil, and reveals to him that he had deduced Daredevil's true identity. [58]
Return to Wakanda
After receiving numerous urgent official letters requesting him to return to his increasingly troubled homeland, [59] the Panther eventually leaves his active Avengers membership to return to a Wakanda on the brink of civil war, bringing Lynne with him. After defeating would-be usurper Erik Killmonger and his minions, [60] the Panther ventures to the American South to battle the Ku Klux Klan. [61] He later gains possession of the mystical time-shifting artifacts known as King Solomon's Frogs. [62] These produce an alternate version of T'Challa from a future 10 years hence, a merry,
telepathic Panther with a terminal brain aneurysm , whom T'Challa places in cryogenic stasis. [ volume & issue needed ]
Later, while searching for and finding his stepmother Ramonda, the Panther contends with South African authorities during
Apartheid. [63] T'Challa eventually proposes and becomes engaged to Monica Lynne, [64] though the couple never marry.
Years later, the Panther accepts a Washington, D.C. envoy, Everett K. Ross, and faces multiple threats to Wakanda's sovereignty. Ross assists him in many of these threats. In gratitude, the Panther often risks much for Ross in return. The first threat he and Ross encounter is "Xcon", an alliance of rogue intelligence agents backing a coup led by the Reverend Achebe. [65] Afterward, Killmonger resurfaces with a plot to destroy Wakanda's economy. This forces T'Challa to nationalize foreign companies. [66] Killmonger then defeats him in ritual combat, thus inheriting the role of Black Panther,[67] but falls into a coma upon eating the heart-shaped herb—poisonous to anyone outside the royal bloodline, which had a hereditary immunity to its toxic effects. [68] T'Challa preserves his rival's life rather than allowing him to die.
Later, T'Challa finds he has a brain aneurysm like his alternate future self, and succumbs to instability and hallucinations. After his mental state almost causes tribal warfare, the Panther hands power to his council [69] and hides in New York City. There he mentors police officer Kasper Cole (who had adopted an abandoned Panther costume), an experience that gives T'Challa the strength to face his illness, reclaim his position, and return to active membership in the Avengers, whom he helps secure special United Nations status.
Marriage and passing the mantle
Main article: Civil War (comics)
T'Challa recounts the story of his ascension as the Black Panther in the fourth volume of his eponymous comic book series. He defeated his uncle during the Black Panther celebration, [70] and during his walkabout when he met and fell in love with a street urchin named Ororo in Cairo, Egypt. [71] Unbeknownst to him the US government is planning a coup in order to get access to the vibranium. They allow Klaw to recruit a team of villains in order to support his totalitarian neighbor, Niganda. Klaw recruits
Rhino , Black Knight , Batroc the Leaper , and
Radioactive Man to lead the invasion. The US government then deploys an army of Deathloks to "support" T'Challa and justify an invasion, but T'Challa kills Klaw and Storm wipes out the Deathlok army in a hurricane.[72]
T'Challa then helps his old flame Ororo Munroe reunite with her surviving family members in Africa and the U.S. [73] Shortly afterwards, he proposes and the two are married, [74] in a large Wakandan ceremony attended by many superheroes. [75] One of the couple's first tasks is to embark on a diplomatic tour, in which they visit the Inhumans , Doctor Doom, the President of the United States , and Namor , with only the last one ending well. [76] After the death of Bill Foster , the Black Panther and Storm side with Captain America's anti-registration forces.[77] During the end battle between both sides, the Wakandan embassy in Manhattan is heavily damaged, though no Wakandans are hurt. [78] After the confrontation, the Panther and Storm briefly fill in for vacationing Fantastic Four members Reed and Sue Richards before returning to Wakanda. [79]
Upon returning to Wakanda alone, leaving Storm in New York to aid the X-Men, Black Panther faces Erik Killmonger, defeating him with assistance from Monica Rambeau (a.k.a. Pulsar). [80] Afterward, Wakanda fends off the alien shapeshifters the Skrulls , who had infiltrated as part of their "Secret Invasion " plan to conquer Earth. [81] Prince Namor attempts to recruit T'Challa for the Cabal, a secret council of supervillains. Attacked by the forces of fellow Cabal member Doctor Doom, T'Challa is left comatose. [82] His sister Shuri is trained as the next Black Panther, with the mantle passing onto her officially after T'Challa awakens from his coma and attempts to recover from his injuries. [83]
In the aftermath, T'Challa loses all of his enhanced attributes given to him by being the Panther totem. As a result, he works with his sorcerer, Zawavari, to accumulate a replacement. [84] He has since made a pact with another unknown Panther deity, returning his attributes to an even higher level as well as placing incantations on his body, making himself highly resistant to most magic and mystic assaults. This has all been done in preparation for the imminent battle with Doctor Doom, [85] which culminated in T'Challa rendering all of the processed vibranium inert to give his people a chance to rebuild without their dependence on the element. [86]
The Man Without Fear
After the events of "Shadowland ", Matt Murdock (the superhero Daredevil ) asks T'Challa to replace him as guardian of Hell's Kitchen, which gives T'Challa a chance to discover himself. With the help of Foggy Nelson , T'Challa assumes the identity of Mr. Okonkwo, an immigrant from the Congo and manager of a diner called Devil's Kitchen, so that he can blend in and learn about the denizens as an ordinary man. He gets on well with two of the Kitchen's staff: Sofija, a migrant from Serbia who was formerly involved in violent Serbian nationalism , and the busboy, Brian. He also gets to know some of the neighbors from his apartment block: Mr. Nantakarn and his son Alec, as well as Iris, a social worker assigned to handle cases of child abuse. [87]
T'Challa finds himself up against an ambitious new crime lord, Vlad Dinu, who styles himself "The Impaler". He also seeks an understanding with the police through Detective Alex Kurtz. During an attempt by Vlad to terminate the Panther, Brian from the Devil's Kitchen is seriously injured by an energy blast from Vlad, and is reported dead. The conflict between Vlad and the Panther becomes more personal, especially after Vlad discovers the Panther over his wife Angela dead from a gunshot wound. [87]
T'Challa learns that Iris was the serial shooter who killed abusers of children—Gabe was abused secretly by Angela. Brian was kidnapped by his doctor, Dr. Holman, at the behest of Nicolae who wanted to use someone who received a dose of Vlad's power.
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