Black Panther

Origin

Long ago, a huge meteorite made of a rare mineral now known as vibranium, crashed landed in Wakanda. The first king of Wakanda, Black Panther Bashenga, harnessed the mineral and used it to nurture his nation. Thousands of years later, under the ruling of Black Panther T‘Chaka, Wakanda’s level of technological and economic achievements continued to excel far beyond those of the modern world.

T’Chaka concealed Wakanda from the rest of world to prevent it from being manipulated by outsiders. His first wife, N’Yami, died while in labor with Prince T’Challa. Years later, a Dutch scientist named Ulysses Klaw found a way into Wakanda, created a vibranium sound-based weapon, and used it to kill King T’Chaka. Prince T’Challa, only a child at the time, managed to turn the sound weapon on Klaw, destroying his right hand. Klaw fled the country, exposed Wakanda to the outside world, and vowed revenge.

Prince T’Challa would later become king after defeating his uncle, King S’yan, in a once-a-year ritual that allowed anyone of Wakandan royalty to become king/queen by defeating the current ruler in hand-to-hand combat. Given the fact that the ruling Black Panther possessed enhanced and superhuman abilities from digesting the Wakandan Heart-shaped Herb, the chance of an average man defeating a Black Panther was slim. However, T’Challa succeeded. He also digested the Heart-shaped Herb, which gave him superhuman senses and provided him with enhanced agility, strength, and over all physical capability.

Creation

The Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. His first comic appearance was in Fantastic Four #52 in 1966.

Character Evolution

Created in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Black Panther, has traditionally been the warrior king of the hyper technologically advanced African nation, Wakanda. Using his superhuman senses of sight, smell, and hearing combined with his enhanced panther-like reflexes, he divided his time as a king and crime fighter. During the characters first debut, Stan Lee scribes the African hero defeating the American superhero team, the Fantastic Four.

Several years later, in 1968, Roy Thomas scribes the character’s first appearance as an Avenger. In 1972, after the first four issues, the Black Panther becomes the titular character of Don McGregor’s Jungle Action. McGregor’s “Panther’s Rage” is one of the most critically acclaimed stories of the Black Panther mythos. The co-creator of the Black Panther, Jack Kirby, would later go on to illustrate and scribe the hero’s solo series in 1977.

In 1998, Christopher Priest began writing the Black Panther’s following series. Priest modernized the character by building and expanding upon the Black Panther mythos mapped out by Lee and McGregor. In Priest’s retcons of Wakanda, he established Bastet (the ancient Egyptian God) as the panther god that the Wakandans built their religious cult of the Black Panther around. Prior to this retcon, the Wakandan panther god did not have a name/origin. Priest’s interpretation of the Black Panther is widely praised.

In 2005, TV/movie scribe Reginald Hudlin began writing the Black Panther. Hudlin’s tenure retconned a lot of what was previously established about the character, as he rebooted the heroes adventures. However, major establishments, like T’Challa being a warrior king, all stayed true to the classic tales of the Black Panther. Hudlin’s tenure on the Black Panther is the most commercially successful series of the Black Panther franchise. He also created Shuri, T’Challa’s younger sister, who he would later scribe becoming the new Black Panther in 2009.

Major Story Arcs

Defeating The Fantastic Four

To test his powers, fighting skill, and genius, King T’Challa invited the American superhero team, the Fantastic Four, to Wakanda. The FF were amazed at the Wakandan man-made “techno jungle”, commenting on how amazingly real it seemed. Although Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) knew it was man-made.

The Black Panther then attacked, neutralized, and defeated the Fantastic Four individually by using a combination of technology, built into his panther costume, and his superhuman panther like abilities, which he explained came from eating a rare herb and secret Wakandan spirit rituals. T’he Panther later revealed himself to be King T’Challa and apologized for attacking them. He explained that he wanted to test their abilities to see if they would make effective allies against Klaw and his mercenaries. They all became fast friends and allies.

Elsewhere, Klaw returned to Wakanda and began attempting to invade the country. He wanted to use Wakanda’s rare substance, called vibranium, to turn sound into a weapon. With the help of the Fantastic Four and the Wakandan Military, T’Challa was able to defeat Klaw and his enforcement. T’Challa realized, the more Wakanda continued to excel into a technological powerhouse, the more grave the threats of world would bring his kingdom. He then pledged his fortune, his powers, and life “to the service of all mankind.”

After this adventure, T’Challa teamed up with Captain America and Sharon Carter in order to defeat an impostor posing as the deceased Baron Zemo. This resulted in the forging of a strong friendship between Captain America and the Black Panther.

Becoming an Avenger

For the next several years, T’Challa lived two lives; one as crime fighter and the other as a king. The many threats to his kingdom continued, causing him to be cautious of super-humans. Now a hero, servicing all of mankind, he became curious of the Avengers. Unsure if they were a threat to humanity of not, T’Challa decided to investigate the group of super-humans by infiltrating their rankings.

When the Black Panther traveled to Avenger’s Mansion, he snuck into the facility only to find that the Avengers were dead! Jasper Sitwell walked in moments later and by the looks of it, T’Challa had killed Goliath, Wasp, and Hawkeye. It is later revealed that the “Grim Reaper” had put the Avenger’s trio in a death like stasis, framing the Black Panther. The Panther managed to defeat him and rescue the Avenger’s trio. He was then offered membership to the Avengers, which he happily accepted. T’Challa would go on to have many adventures with the Avengers, becoming a veteran member, all whilst ruling to his kingdom. He also provided the Quinjet, which would become a mainstay of the team for years to come. During his time with the team, he developed a high-tech flight suit for Captain America’s partner, the Falcon, and formed a friendship with the young African-American hero.

The Client

While in Wakanda, T’Challa received word that a member of his American-based children’s charity had been murdered in cold blood. In an attempt to console the young child’s family, he traveled to New York to investigate the situation.

Meanwhile, Micheal Achebe, a citizen of a neighboring Wakandan country called Ghudaza, initiated a coup d’état becoming Wakanda’s usurper. Ghudaza was a midst a civil war and T’Challa protected some of its citizens by allowing them to live in Wakandan refugee camps. Achebe lived in one of those camps, which gave him access to Wakanda. With the help of the demon Mephisto, he was able to over throw T’Challa.

Mephisto’s gift to Achebe allowed him to manipulate the Wakandan people into accepting him as ruler alongside T’Challa’s stepmother, Ramonda. In return, Mephisto would get to devour a “noble soul”. After uncovering Mephisto’s involvement, T’Challa attacked him, ripping out the demon’s heart. He was then transported to “hell” where he offered his own soul in exchange for Wakanda and Achebe’s freedom, under the impression that Mephisto was possessing Achebe.

Mephisto accepted the offer, but revealed that Achebe willing sold his soul to him. Mephisto proceeded to try to devour T’Challa’s soul, but was unsuccessful because of the Panther God’s spiritual connection. Hundreds of previous Wakandan kings appeared before them in the form of actual panthers. The panthers then attacked and entrapped Mephisto in hell, as T’Challa escaped to hunt down Achebe.

Enemy of the State

After T’Challa attempted to make contact with Wakanda, via satellite, Achebe threatened to destroy all of Wakandan if he were to ever return home. As a result, T’Challa was exiled from Wakanda with the Wakandan citizens accepting Achebe as usurper due to conditions within Wakandan law. T’Challa remained stateside in New York, attempting to uncover Achebe’s other allies, because he knew that Achebe wasn’t working alone. It is later revealed that Achebe was working with the United States intelligence community, Russia, and the Latin-American terrorist state, Domuyan, in an attempt to exploit Wakanda’s vast technological advancements. However, King T’Challa had predicted that this would happen years prior, but was uncertain which of the three countries would initiate the attack first. He quickly began a counter maneuver.

T’Challa presented the coup d’état to the U.N. Security Council and acknowledged it as an act of war against Wakanda, verbally declaring war against the United States. Afterwards, he and the Dora Milaje, along with Monica Lynne, were approached by Hunter the White Wolf, who wanted to help T’Challa take back Wakanda. A midst conversing about a potential team up, they were all separated by a surprise attack by the US & Russian secret services.

Elsewhere, after hearing that T’Challa verbally denounced war against the United States, Achebe began destroying Wakanda, with its own technology, to prove to T’Challa that he was in control of the country. Also, hundreds of Ghudazai soldiers invaded Wakanda under the order of Achebe. Back in New York, Monica Lynne (T’Challa’s ex-fiancé) was attacked by the Russian mob after T’Challa and Hunter went off to fight the secret service. The Dora Milaje, however, were able to protect her.

Hunter is 12 years older than T’Challa. As a baby, he was the lone survivor of a plane crash that landed outside of Wakanda. He was then raised and declared a Wakandan citizen by King T’Chaka (T’Challa’s father). He became the leader of Wakanda’s secret police, the Hatut Zeraze. Hunter would do anything he could, no matter how violent, to appease King T’Chaka. Upon becoming king, T’Challa disbanded the Hatu Zeraze and Hunter decided to leave Wakanda, which is why he was in New York. T’Challa accepted Hunter’s offer of assistance and Hunter vowed absolute loyalty to him. However, T’Challa’s acceptance was all a ruse. He did not trust Hunter, citing his excessively violent history, as the reason why. T’Challa later knocked him unconscious, regrouped with the others, and flew to Wakanda to face Achebe.

When he finally confronted Achebe at the Wakandan Palace, T’Challa allowed himself to be captured. He knew that Achebe would flee the country in fear, basically exiling himself, making him ruler again. When T’Challa escaped Achebe’s deathtrap, he was confronted by Hunter. The two engage in combat, which ended with T’Challa using a pinched never technique. They then flee the palace, going their separate ways, as Achebe’s explosive devices detonate.

Marriage: Civil War

After teaming up with the X-Men a few times, T’Challa and Ororo Munroe (Storm) began dating. After T’Challa helped her reunite with her surviving family members in Africa and the U.S., he proposed to her.

She agreed and the two were married in a grand Wakandan ceremony. For their honeymoon, the two embarked on a diplomatic world tour. They visited Latveria (Doctor Doom), Britain, Atlantis (Namor), and Attilan (Black Bolt) before traveling to the United States.

Once there, they found that the country was a midst a Civil War. While visiting the White House, the authorities attempted to force Ororo to sign the Superhuman Registration Act. This resulted in the Royal Couple choosing to side with Captain America & the Secret Avengers in the war against the act.

Secret Invasion: See Wakanda and Die

A midst the events of Secret Invasion, The Skrulls try to take over Wakanda, for their vibranium ore. As a result, the Wakandan-Skrull war began. T’Challa began to defend his nation with cunning tactics and technological marvels. Eventually, the two factions found themselves at a loss of technological weaponry. As a result, the two forces began to use old fashion and more primitive weaponry such as, the sword & shield. T’Challa was able to defeat the “Super-Skrulls” (including a massively large Skrull with the abilities of Iron Fist, Wolverine, Luke Cage and Bullseye), while Shuri and Storm lead an infantry legion against the Skrull. When the Wakandans started to decline, the Skrulls managed to capture Storm, threatening to kill her.

Black Panther retaliated by decapitating a Super-Skrull and allowing himself to be captured. Once aboard the Skrull’s space craft, he and Storm used Wakandan-made vocal and flesh manipulators, to disguise themselves as Skrull. T’Challa and Ororo later revealed themselves and began killing all Skrull aboard the ship. Elsewhere, Shuri was successful at leading the Wakandan Army against the Skrull infantry. The Wakandans then loaded the dead Skrull onto the ship, and rocketed it into to space with a warning written in blood.

Dark Reign

After the events of Secret Invasion, a regime change occurred in the western world. S.H.I.E.L.D. was disbanded and Tony Stark was fired in favor of a new organization, called H.A.M.M.E.R., which was headed by Norman Osborn. T’Challa received a random summoning from the then exiled Atlantean king, Namor. After meeting with him, he learned of the formation of a dark group mirroring the Illuminati. Namor asked T’Challa to join this “Dark Illuminati”, to which he refused, citing his preference for the Illuminati.

Although he was a little annoyed at the refusal, Namor allowed T’Challa to peacefully leave. As he prepared to depart Atlantis, T’Challa was confronted by Dark Illuminati member, Doctor Doom. Not surprised that T’Challa refused to join their “Cabal”, Doom proceeded to attack him, pitting T’Challa and his Dora Milaje against him and his “doom-bots”.

After a brutally epic battle, that resulted in T’Challa becoming gravely injured, the Dora Milaje and T’Challa fled Atlantis. They managed to crash land in Wakanda and paired with the Doom altercation, the plane crash sent T’Challa into a coma.

Doomwar: Power

T’Challa awoke from his coma to find that Wakanda had been attacked by Morlun. He began training his body to fight Doom and as a man of science, he resulted to using magic to prepare for war. While he was in a coma, Shuri became regent of Wakanda and the new Black Panther. T’Challa reached out to the powerful Wakandan alchemist, Zawavari. The witch doctor empowered him with acolytes, that enhanced his strength, senses, and provided him with a way to resist Doom’s magic-based attacks. He then approached the Dora Milaje sensei, Aneka, about blending science and sorcery into her Wakandan battle techniques.

Elsewhere, Doom funded the Desturi (Wakandan dissidents dedicated to civil war) with resources to initiate a coup d’état on Shuri. Walter Declun, Doom’s chief of operations, laid a trail of disinformation that distracted Shuri and T’Challa long enough for the Desturi to overthrow the Panther Clan, in a highly elaborate and successful coup.

With the Desturi coup successful, they made Storm, S’yan, and Ramonda their prisoners. Meanwhile, T’Challa, Shuri, and the Dora Milaje, teamed up with the Fantastic Four and a few X-Men in an attack on the Desturi. T’Challa and his allies managed to take back Wakanda, freeing all Desturi prisoners. Elsewhere, Doom infiltrated Wakanda and managed to steal a large amount of processed vibranium.

He ventured to his home nation, Latveria, where he began attacking various cities around the world by using the vibranium to manipulate all vibranium-based objects and structures. Storm, Shuri, the Dora Milaje, and the Fantastic Four were instructed to take out Doom’s worldwide network facilities, while T’Challa initiated a plan to save the world. The heroes later traveled to Latveria to confront Doom.

T’Challa engaged in combat with Doom and managed to plant a remote device on him that made processed vibranium inert.The device was so powerful that all vibranium across the world became defunct. Doom’s newly acquired vibranium-based armor was rendered useless and he was defeated. T’Challa then returned to Wakanda to store some remaining active vibranium, that was recovered with the help of Storm, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four.

Black Panther: Most Dangerous Man Alive

In order to defeat Doctor Doom, during the events of Doomwar, T’Challa was forced to destroy Wakanda’s vibranium reserves by making the substance inert. He then relinquished his authority of Wakanda to the current Black Panther, Shuri, as he left Wakanda to deal with his shame. He traveled to New York, where he reached an agreement with Matt Murdock (Daredevil) to become the new protector of Hell’s Kitchen. Murdock had decided to leave NY to deal with his morality issues due to what happened during the events of Shadowland.

Thanks to some help from Foggy Nelson, T’Challa established an undercover identity as “Mr. Okonkwo”, the manager of the restaurant, “Devil’s Kitchen”. Through this civilian identity, T’Challa sought to familiarize himself with the surrounding crime ridden area. Part of this new venture, was to relinquish every aspect of the Black Panther identity. He no longer had his Wakandan tech, superhuman senses, nor vibranium suit. He refused to return to Wakanda until he redeemed himself through this personal voyage of self discovery.

King of the Dead

After Daredevil returned to New York, T’Challa decided to move back to Wakanda. There, he began to have dreams, which he interpreted as premonitions. In his dreams he saw Bast, the Panther God and his long time friend, Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic). He reached out to Reed, offering him a summons to Wakanda, which he accepted. Once there, Reed assumed that he was there to talk about the vibranium reserves that T’Challa unwillingly had to make inert during the events of Doomwar. However, T’Challa assured him that his summoning of him was not about the vibranium. After Queen Shuri’s ceremonial feast was interrupted by the living dead, sent by the Jackal God (Anubis), T’Challa lead Reed to Wakanda’s Necropolis, leaving Shuri, Storm, and Invisible Woman to handle the undead.

Once there, the two met the Panther God. She confirmed to T’Challa that the dreams he were having were indeed premonitions, in fact, they were created by her to summon him to the Necropolis. She then asked him what he desired most. T’Challa tells her that he wants to become a king again. Bast then asked about his sister. If he were to become king again, then what would Shuri be to her, as all monarchs of Wakanda are crowned Black Panther and are then spiritually connected to Bast. T’Challa then recanted his statement, wishing nothing to happen to his sister.

The powerful god stood and asked T’Challa what his true desires were once more. He responded by stating that he wanted to serve his people, but he will be whatever Bast wants him to be. Bast then dubbed T’Challa her personal Black Panther and crowned him king of Wakanda’s Dead City. She referred to him as “King of the Dead” and stated that he will have the strength and knowledge of every Wakandan king laid to rest in the Necropolis. She also vaguely predicted the events of AvsX.

Avengers vs X-Men: Marriage Annulment

During the events of AvsX, the powerful cosmic entity of death and rebirth, known as the Phoenix Force, returned to Earth and began seeking a host. A young teenager named Hope was suspected to be the Phoenix’s targeted host. Because the young girl was a mutant, the X-Men want to offer her to the Phoenix, believing her to be the savior of the mutant race. However, the Avengers want to conceal the girl in fear that the Phoenix would corrupt her, making her a potential threat to mankind. The two factions then began to fight one another.

The Phoenix is incidentally divided into five energies by Iron Man, with each part taking a host, all of whom were X-Men. Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik and Namor were bestowed and they began to reform the world to their will. Although some of their actions were generous and peaceful, the Avengers feared that such powerfully immense beings should not go unchecked. During the chaos that followed, T’Challa allied himself with the Avengers and Storm allied herself with the X-men. Many Wakandans were confused as to why their queen would ally herself with the X-Men and quickly declared her a traitor to the Wakandan Kingdom.

T’Challa provided a safe-house for the Avengers in Wakanda. In search of them, Namor attacked and almost sank Wakanda, killing hundreds if not thousands of its citizens. T’Challa was saddened and infuriated at the X-men as he declared them all enemies of his country. Storm later arrived in Wakanda and saw what Namor had done. She then approached T’Challa as he grieved for the lives that Namor had taken. Out of frustration at what had just happened, he scolded her. She attacked him (to his surprise) and the two began to fight. The Wakandans were shocked and confused as to why she would attack him and the High Priest of Wakanda annulled the marriage.

The Illuminati

Long ago, sometime after the Kree-Skrull War, T’Challa, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt, Professor X and Namor met in Wakanda. Iron Man proposed that they form a government of superhumans similar to the United Nations that would meet regularly, in secret, to prevent an event like the Kree-Skrull War from happening again. After some debating, all except T’Challa agreed to form this “Illuminati.” T’Challa declined at the time, because he felt that the group would fail, due to them deciding that they were going to attempt to secretly govern the world.

Sometime later, after the events of AvsX, T’Challa reconsidered joining the Illuminati after witnessing an event known as an “Incursion”. An incursion is when two alternate universes collide into each other with alternate Earths as the epicenter. T’Challa encountered Black Swan, a woman from an alternate Earth who had destroyed her own Earth to prevent it from colliding with Earth-616. T’Challa was on an expedition, in the jungles of Wakanda, with some potential candidates for Wakanda’s space program, when she attacked them.

After Black Swan ordered her mercenaries to kill several of his candidates, T’Challa killed them and managed to capture her. He then contacted the Illuminati to report what he had just witnessed. Upon joining them, he swore to kill fellow Illuminati member, Namor, for attempting to sink Wakanda during the events of AvsX. The Illuminati and the Black Panther go on to deal with several more incursions, attempting to avoid doing what Black Swan had done, which was to destroy one alternate Earth to prevent it from colliding with another. However, the group finally realized that destroying the alternate Earths was their best option.

As time progressed, the hostilities between Wakanda and Atlantis increased. In an attempt to end the feud, Namor presented a peace offering to T’Challa for him to relay to his sister, Queen Shuri, the current ruler of Wakanda. T’Challa presented the peace offering to Queen Shuri, but she discarded it, citing that Namor’s actions during AvsX was an act of terrorism. She then ordered an attack on Atlantis, while T’Challa distracted Namor with a fraudulent acceptance. The Hatut Zeraze, Wakanda’s secret police, went on to decimate Atlantis.

The war conflict between the two men reached its breaking point during the Illuminati’s battle with the Great Society. T’Challa was poised to use an antimatter bomb to destroy the Society’s world in order to save Earth-616, but refused to do so, as it would mean killing billions of innocent people. Namor then stole the detonator away and destroyed the planet anyway, claiming that he had the guts to do what T’Challa and the others would not. T’Challa savagely attacked Namor, but their confrontation was interrupted by the Hulk. Namor was expelled from the Illuminati for his actions, and left to form a new iteration of the Cabal. For failing to destroy the Great Society’s world (thus proving he does not have the will to defend Wakanda no matter what), the spirits of T’Chaka and the other past Black Panthers chastise T’Challa and shun him.

Eight months later, the Cabal had utterly decimated Wakanda. With the last survivors evacuated, T’Challa was given his father’s ceremonial dagger by Shuri just before she was killed by Proxima Midnight. The fugitive members of the Illuminati later joined forces with the Avengers after Namor begged for help, explaining that the members of the Cabal (particularly Thanos) had become too difficult to control. During the mission to trap the Cabal on an exploding world, T’Challa stabbed Namor and left him for dead. Unbeknownst to him, both Namor and the Cabal managed to survive.

Secret Wars

During the final incursion, Black Panther was one of the heroes that tried to stop Earth-1610 from destroying his Earth. After the vessel transporting the Earth’s “resurrection team” was destroyed by the Children, Mr. Fantastic and Black Panther was forced to put the “lifeboat” in action. As the “lifeboat” was deployed, Manifold teleported numerous heroes into it including Spider-Man, Star-Lord, Captain Marvel, Cyclops, and Thor, which allowed them to survive the end of the Multiverse.

Black Panther and the other heroes in the life raft would later be awakened by Doctor Strange eight years after the end of the Multiverse and the creation of Battleworld, a planet cobbled together from the fragments of destroyed realities ruled by Doom.

Black Panther and the other heroes were later transported by Strange to confront the Cabal after a distress call was sent to him by one member of the Thor Corps, and after this Doom himself appeared to quell the fighting. When Doom tried to kill them, Doctor Strange teleported them across Battleworld, but at the cost of his own life. Black Panther ended up in the domain of Egyptia along with Namor.

Three weeks later, while Battleworld was in dsarray, T’Challa, with Namor, arrived to Strange’s Hidden Isle of Agamotto, using the Key of Agamotto given to them by Strange, they entered, and after identifying themselves as member of the Illuminati to a projection of the deceased Sorcerer Supreme, they were given access to some powerful items Strange had collected over the years, including the Siege Courageous and an Infinity Gauntlet that worked only in Doomstadt. Black Panther and Namor next traveled to the Deadlands for reinforcements, and Black Panther used his title as the King of the Dead to convince the zombies to join the forces opposing Doom. Using the Siege Courageous, the two of them arrived to the battlefield along with the zombies, proclaiming that Doom’s reign is over.

Doom tried to convince T’Challa that he would rebuild Wakanda if he would stop fighting, but he refused the offer and struck Doom down. Victor quickly regenerated from the attack and directed an energy blast at Black Panther and Namor, which killed the latter, but T’Challa continued fighting and two of them used their power against each other. Their battle ended when Doom crushed the Infinity Gauntlet and subdued T’Challa, but it was revealed to be a distraction, and Doom teleports to the Molecule Man’s location.

When the Molecule Man transferred his power to Mister Fantastic, Battleworld exploded. As the inhabitants of Battleworld were trying to run from their ultimate demise, Black Panther gripped tightly to the Reality Gem and was transported to his reborn native universe in the rebuilt Wakanda, to the time directly before the events of the incursions.

The Ultimates

T’Challa was approached by Carol Danvers about creating a problem solving team to deal with threats to Earth and the Universe on a cosmic scale. The team was formed consisting of Captain Marvel, Blue Marvel, Spectrum, Ms America and Black Panther. The first of their missions involved Galactus, T’Challa teleported himself into deep space to meet with Captain Marvel and Blue Marvel and open a dialogue with Galactus. T’Challa conversed with him explaining how he knew about the chamber which Galactus incubated himself in, and that it was still out in space containing unconsumed power. Along with the help of the Ultimates the team managed to get Galactus back into the chamber, which he then emerged out of reborn as Galactus the Lifebringer.

The next problem that the Ultimates sought to solve was the timestream which had been broken due to the abuse of time travel. They came to the conclusion that they cannot see the extent of the damage from within the Omniverse. T’Challa along with the help of Blue marvel developed a vehicle which can allow them to leave all that is known to view the timestream from outside the Omniverse. Travelling through the universe and different dimensions such as the Superflow and the Neutral Zone, they eventually manage to break out and leave the Omniverse. However, the vehicle they were in could not withstand the conditions exposing the Ultimates leaving them vulnerable, only to be saved by Galactus. T’Challa explained to him that they were there due to time being broken, to which Galactus responded sharing with them his own view of the time flow.

T’Challa and the Ultimates also played a role in Civil War II due to their use of the visions of Ulysses a new Inhuman that supposedly predicted the future. The Ultimates acted on these visions trying to stop problems before they happened. Most notably T’Challa was present on the mission to stop the attack by Thanos predicted by Ulysses. They succeeded in capturing Thanos but at the cost of War Machine who was killed in the battle. Thanos also subsequently escaped his holding cell but T’Challa and Blue Marvel managed to stop him again using their intellect to create a device to shut down Thanos’ brain temporarily.

Eventually the Ultimates were disbanded due to T’Challa’s actions in Civil War II where he publicly disagreed with Captain Marvels actions, claiming she had gone too far and an attack on him meant an attack on Wakanda. The American government could not continue with the Ultimates operations due to the political move by T’Challa leading to the disbanding of the Ultimates.

A Nation Under Our Feet

8 months after the events of Secret Wars, Black Panther returned to his home in Wakanda as the king. After facing threats of cosmic levels, he finally sought to return to a normal life. His wish was not fulfilled when he returned to a revolution against the idea of his monarchy led by Zenzi. At this time he is also coping with the seeming death of his sister, Shuri. With all of his pent up rage, he finally learned to release and revealed that for his entire life he was holding back. He vowed to demonstrate his true power from that moment forwards.

His rule however, was contested by opposition groups who believed he was not fit to rule and that he did not protect Wakanda from the threats it had faced. Two of the greatest Dora Milaje, the midnight warriors Aneka and Ayo opposed T’Challa and left the Dora Milaje to oppose his rule with the key phrase ‘no one man’. They had found their own followers building up a community of people who wanted to leave the kings rule and took over the Jabari-Lands. Another group that opposed T’challa was called ‘the people’ lead by Tetu a former student of the Wakandan philosopher Changamire who’s teachings were used as the war drum for the rebels and Zenzi who were the leaders of the rebels.

Tetu and Zenzi had amassed a fairly large amount of followers and even turned some into living bombs using repulsor technology one of which had detonated in the heart of Wakanda injuring Ramonda T’challa’s mother. T’challa even recruited some of his friends from outside Wakanda to help him fight the rebels such as Luke Cage, Storm, Manifold and Misty Knight. He even went to further lengths organising a counterrevolution council of dictators who had experience in dealing with revolution. However, he was betrayed and the evidence of this meeting with highly questionable characters got to the people of Wakanda which hurt the King’s standing with the people even though he rejected all suggestions. While all this was going on T’challa was also working on bringing his sister Shuri back from the living death she was entrapped in during Thanos‘s invasion of Wakanda. He managed to succeed in doing this using the help of Manifold and returned Shuri back to life, though she now had supernatural powers.

With Shuri’s help and the Changamire’s speech to the people, support for T’challa and the government was back and he began to devise a way to defeat the rebels once and for all. Tetu and Zenzi amassed their forces for a final assault on the centre of Wakanda the forces held them off for a while with the help of Shuri and Manifold. Eventually the forces did break through to the city, but T’challa had lead Tetu and his forces to him. He had earlier gone to the necropolis the city of the dead to raise the past leaders of Wakanda to fight one last time. With their help T’challa managed to defeat the rebels and Tetu ending the rebellion. After the problem of the rebels had been extinguished T’challa called together leaders from each of the regions to aide him in forming a new government that was representative of all the people’s needs while still keeping the traditions of Wakandan culture.

Powers

Upon becoming chief of the Panther Clan and king of Wakanda, T’Challa was entitled to eat the ceremonial Wakandan Heart-shaped Herb, which provided him with enhanced strength, endurance, and reflexes. The herb can only be digested by Wakandan Royalty, and acts as a poison to those not of the royal bloodline. The Heart-shaped Herb also heightened T’Challa’s senses to superhuman levels. Later blessings from the Panther Goddess elevated his enhanced strength, endurance, and reflexes to superhuman levels.

• Black Panther Knowledge: He now has the power to draw all the knowledge, strength, and every experience from every previous Black Panther.
• Superhuman Agility: T’Challa’s agility, balance, and bodily coordination were heightened to the pinnacle of human development upon digesting a special herb. His reaction time is far superior to most opponents and any Olympic level gymnast that has ever competed, which allows him to evade attacks from potential enemies.
• Superhuman Senses: The Heart-shaped Herb elevated T’Challa’s sense of sight, hearing, and smell. His superhuman senses enables him to see within complete darkness and hear sounds that ordinary humans can not. T’Challa has memorized thousands of scents and is proficient in tracking them. His sense of smell is powerful enough to allow him to smell fear and detect if someone is lying, by sensing a change in their body odor.
• Superhuman Strength: Originally, The Heart-shaped Herb enhanced T’Challa’s physical strength to the pinnacle of human perfection, which allowed him to lift/press upwards of 800 lbs. Black Panther has demonstrated exceptional feats of strength like wrestling down a Rhino into submission, knocking out a Polar Bear, stopping an Elephant’s charge, sending Namor flying with a kick (despite his opponent’s superhuman durability), destroying a water mill by bracing himself on the ground and flexing his muscles, even killing a T-Rex dinosaur while using a palm tree as a catapult while in a weakened state. The current extent of T’Challa’s strength is unknown, but he has shown to be able to lift more than 5 tons, as a baseline. When invoking the strength of his ancestors, his strength level increases by several times over his baseline.
• Superhuman Stamina/Endurance: Years of conditioning and training, combined with the effects of the Heart Shaped Herb, allows T’Challa to exert his body to higher degrees of stress. He can endure more physical stress than average humans, and. can tolerate large amounts of physical pain.
• Superhuman Durability: T’Challa’s ability to endure and resist damage is exceptionally high for a human. His body can withstand powerful crushing blows and puncture wounds. The effects of the Heart Shaped Herb, combined with a vibranium-laced suit, allows T’Challa to heal at an accelerated rate far superior to the average man. He also possesses a nigh-invulnerability to various diseases, poisons, virus/bacteria, etc.
• Healing Factor: Due to a Heart shaped Herb, T’challa’s natural healing is at its peak.
• Superhuman Speed: T’Challa can run/move at superhuman speeds. He can run in excess of 50mph without fully exerting himself. His top speed is unknown.
• King of the Dead: As of late, T’Challa has relinquished his title as Wakanda Monarch to his sister, and has since then become the overseer of Wakanda’s “City of the Dead” (The Necropolis). Upon becoming the “King of the Dead”, the Panther Goddess granted T’Challa a blessing that elevated his power levels. The blessing also gave T’Challa the ability to access the knowledge and experiences possessed by previous Wakandan kings/queens.

Abilities

• Genius-level Intellect: T’Challa is a master tactician, physicist, and engineer. He has been groomed in battle tactics since his youth by his father, who encouraged him to always think two steps ahead of his enemies and three steps ahead of his friends. His exceptional tactical prowess has enabled him to out maneuver individuals such as Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Dr. Doom. T’Challa’s knowledge of physic and engineering ranks him among the top eight intellects of the world. He has proven to be able to invent weaponry that rivals his peers engineering capabilities such as: Kimoyo, the Quinjet, and most notably “Shadow Physics,” which combines alchemy and science. T’Challa (along with Reed Richards) was able to reverse engineer (and recreate) multiple inter-dimensional bombs capable of destroying entire planets.
• Master Combatant: T’Challa has been groomed to be a warrior since birth. He is a master in practically all forms of armed and unarmed combat, having mastered various styles of martial art from around the world. He is a formidably skilled swordsman and often wields daggers, spears, and has even wielded the Ebony Blade. T’Challa is widely considered to be one of top martial artists in the world. He has stalemated, and at times even gained the upper hand, against various highly skilled martial artist such as: Iron Fist, Captain America, Daredevil etc. in combat. in hand to hand fights to an extent that in his full potential, he was able to defeat Captain America in a few moves, and overpower Wolverine twice without much difficulty, even when Wolverine was using his claws. Captain America himself said that when he won against T’Challa, T’Challa was not his usual self, seeming weaker than he actually was.

• Weapons Master: T’Challa has mastered all known weapons.

• Master Acrobat: T’Challa is a rigorously trained gymnast and acrobat.

• Expert Marksman: T’Challa is a master marksman adept with hunting knives, firearms, and other projectile weaponry.

• Master Tactician: T’Challa is a genius tactician, strategist, and leader who is practically peerless. He was taught tactics and strategies in his youth by his father who encouraged him to always think two steps ahead of his enemies and three steps ahead of his friends. His prowess is such that he is able to out think and out maneuver individuals such as Tony Stark, and other geniuses.

• Expert Tracker & Hunter: Even without his superhuman senses, he is a master tracker and hunter. He can pick up a prey’s scent and memorize tens of thousands of individual ones.

• Multilingual: T’Challa can fluently speak his native language, English, and other various languages.

• Master Inventor: T’Challa can invent various devices with special properties when needed. While not all of his inventions are as good as others made by Tony Stark and so on, he possesses engineering abilities and intellect that makes him a peer and has proven to be able to invent and create weaponry that rivals their engineering capabilities. T’Challa can also duplicate practically any other technologies after learning how they work or by glancing at the designs.
• Highly Influential Connections: As king of Wakanda, the T’Challa has access to a vast collection of magical artifacts, technological and military hardware, as well as the support of his nation’s wide array of scientists, adventurers, and superheroes.
• Diplomatic Immunity: As the leader of a sovereign nation, T’Challa often visits the United States or the United Nations for political reasons. He enjoys diplomatic immunity during these trips, and his embassy is considered foreign soil.
• Substantial Wealth: T’Challa is Wakandan Royalty, thus he has access to a vast amount of wealth due to the advanced technology he has created/invented, and the stores of vibranium possessed by his country. His wealth surpasses that of Tony Stark, whose net worth is in the billions.

Weapons and Equipment

As royalty of a technological advance nation, T’Challa has access to some of the most advance technologies in the world. As a proud warrior, he primarily relies on his keen intellect and combat prowess, but will often use a few key gadgets.

• Vibranium Microweave Mesh: The microweave robs incoming objects of their momentum; bullets do not ricochet off, but simply fall to the ground when they come in contact with the weave. Likewise, the Panther cannot be stabbed, however, the costume (and Panther) can be cut if the attacker slashes along the uniform’s grain. Combined with his durability, it has even withstood blows from extremely powerful beings such as the Hulk.
• Anti-Metal Claws: Retractable Golden Vibranium Claws that allow its wielder to cut through various metals by breaking it down on a molecular level.
• Energy Daggers: Energy constructed blades. The wielder has the ability to gauge between power levels, releasing a beam, powerful enough to slice through various structures and foe. This weapon can also be fired as a projectile. Energy daggers are T’Challa’s default weapon of choice in armed combat situations.
• Boots: Vibranium-based boots that allow T’Challa to scale great heights with little effort. This combined with his enhanced panther-like reflexes allows T’Challa to leap and land from great heights without sustaining injury. Using his Vibranium Boots, he can sometimes skim through water and cling to walls.
• Projectiles: T’Challa possess non-lethal (gelatin/rubber) and lethal projectiles that are usually fired from his gauntlets. However, they are sometimes depicted firing from his claws or Energy Daggers.
• Ebony Blade: T’Challa possess the Ebony Blade of The Black Knight, which he uses for combat purposes.
• Other weapons: Swords, spears, shields, knives, clubs, quivers and arrows. A large variety of firearms and other weapons used for close range, as well as technological weapons and devices such as a large ‘power glove.’
• Energy Shield: Wakandan tech that creates a shield constructed of energy.
• Cloaking Technology: The cloak can be elongated, shortened or eliminated with a thought, and the entire costume can be covered allowing it to pass as normal street clothes or render T’challa completely invisible.
• Kimoyo Card: An extremely powerful portable supercomputer/PDA invented by T’Challa. It has the ability to access/hack technological interfaces via Wakandan satellites. It functions similarly to the Avengers’ communicards, but with many more practical applications. In one instance, the Panther called up a schematic of a jumbo jet’s cockpit controls and took command of the plane, landing the plane safely in a river. “Kimoyo” is Bantu for “of the spirit”.
• Teleporter: Wakandan tech, seemly built into T’Challa’s gauntlets, that allows him to instantly transport small distances.

Panther Habit (Vibranium Suit)

As chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan, the ruler is crowned with a ceremonial regalia in the form of a vibranium laced panther habit. T’Challa received this crown-like garb after being judged by the Panther Goddess. This uniform has the ability to absorb vibrations via its vibranium lacing. It also has the ability to negate and/or lessen powerful kinetic based attacks such as bullets shots, penetrating blades, and crushing blows. The lenses in the mask cut glare and enhance the Panther’s natural night vision. It also allows him to see in infra-red and other visual spectrum. The suit features cloaking technology.

Modern upgrades to the suit allow also it to absorb the impact energy from enemy attacks, which can then be redistributed as kinetic bursts.

T’Challa possess specialized Thrice-blessed Armor and Light Armor for specific tasks.

• The Thrice-blesses armor functions the same way as Iron Man’s armor, and is also enhanced with Magic abilities.
• The Light Armor functions in the same way as Iron Man’s armor.

T’Challa’s Appearance

• Height: 6’0
• Weight: 200 lbs.
• Skin Color: Black
• Hair: Black
• Eyes: Brown

Alternate Realities

X-Men: Forever (Earth 161)

In this reality, T’Challa is born in Wakanda and becomes its king. He is briefly a member of the Avengers, but later leaves to focus on ruling his land. While attending a meeting, Storm crashes into his quarters after fleeing the X-Men and she is injured. Even though Nick Fury warns T’Challa about Storm’s violent parting with the X-Men, he still feels that he can trust his long-time friend and welcomes her to Wakanda. The two grow close to one another and T’Challa proposes to Storm. She agrees, but on the night of their wedding they are attacked by Erik Killmonger. He de-powers Storm with a special necklace and kills T’Challa’s family. T’Challa challenges Erik, but is killed by him. Storm eventually kills Erik herself and then reveals that T’Challa’s death was a plot by Storm to look heroic to the Wakandan people.

Age of Apocalypse (Earth-295)

In the alternate reality called Age of Apocalypse, T’Challa is the last king of Wakanda and he is loved and worshiped by his people. However, the land is ravaged by Apocalypse‘s agents, the Marauders, in order to mine the land’s precious vibranium. During the battles, T’Challa is killed and his skeleton mounted in the middle of town as a message to all those who would oppose Apocalypse.

Home to Coal Tiger (Earth-355)

Originally from Earth-355, an alternate version of T’Challa called the Coal Tiger was recruited by the Gatherers after they found him to be the last surviving person on his planet. He died due to a chronal imbalance that could only be remedied by killing his Earth-616 counterpart, which he refused to do. Coal Tiger’s noble sacrifice planted seeds of doubt within Swordsman, which eventually led Swordsman to rebel against the Proctor and join the Avengers.

MC2 (Earth-982)

When a racist team of villains called the Soldiers of the Serpent attacked T’Challa’s friend N’Kano (who was on a diplomatic mission for Wakanda in New York), A-Next tried to save him. As the Serpents battled with the heroes of A-Next, T’Challa’s son T’Chaka charged into battle. While Mainframe tried to convince the youth to leave the battle, T’Chaka shapeshifted into a feral black werecat called the “Coal Tiger”. Coal Tiger’s bestial abilities were able to turn the tide in A-Next’s favor. He was offered membership with the team after the battle was won, but he declined, stating that he would be available to help if they needed him. When all of the members of A-Next were captured by an evil version of A-Next called The Revengers, Coal Tiger was one of the many heroes who came to free the captured superheroes. When A-Next was freed and the Revengers were defeated, Coal Tiger finally agreed to join the team

Martian-controlled future (Earth-9930)

In a possible future, Earth has been ravaged by an army of Martian invaders. With most of Earth’s heroes dead at the hands of the aliens, Black Panther, one of the last surviving Avengers, leads the team. His new team of Avengers includes Killraven, Living Lightning, Thundra, Jocasta and a new, heroic version of the Crimson Dynamo. During the events of Avengers Forever, Captain America and Hank Pym find themselves transported to this reality, where they soon reunite with T’Challa. Captain America and Hank are somewhat shocked by the more violent, bloodthirsty attitude Black Panther and his Avengers display, but T’Challa defends his actions, saying that it is the only way to survive in this hellish world.

T’Challa eventually comes to the conclusion that the only way to defeat the Martians once and for all is to travel directly to their home world and destroy it. The Avengers head to the bombed out remains of Wakanda, which is the only remaining place on Earth that contains the technology needed to get to Mars. Though the Avengers initially seek to use the vibranium to get to space, they soon end up fighting Mourning Prey and her children. It turns out that Mourning Prey has been raising her children on the vibranium, and that more vibranium is required to assist Jocasta in her childbirth. T’Challa ultimately makes the difficult decision to allow Mourning Prey to remain in the Vibranium Mound, as well as to make sure Jocasta successfully gives birth. With peace forged between the two groups, Captain America and Hank leave to return to the fight against Immortus, but not before Cap wishes T’Challa luck in liberating the planet and forging a new world for the survivors.

Morgan le Fey Reality Warp (Earth-398)

T’Challa is known as the Nubian Prince and is altered by a reality wave. He serves the Avengers who believed that they are working for Queen’s Vengeance, an elite guard group that protects the Queen.

No Rick Jones (Earth-804)

The past history of Black Panther on Earth-804 mirrors that of hisEarth-616 counterpart until the Kree-Skrull War. In this reality, pivotal player Rick Jones is killed early in the conflict, prolonging the war. T’Challa becomes one of the many superhumans gathered by Professor X as part of a counter-attack against the Kreeinvasion. The Panther participates in the battle until the war’s end.

Earth- 1610 ( Ultimate Universe)

In this reality, the wakandans worship a Bat god instead of Bast, Ultimate Black Bat is T’Challa Udaku, the prince of Wakanda, and the son of King T’Chaka. He is severely injured when he fights a mutant bat in a right of passage to be the protector of their nation.

King T’Chaka seeks the help of Nick Fury with whom he makes a deal to share Wakandan technology with the U.S. in exchange for saving his son. Fury keeps his word and T’Challa is sent to Weapon X, where he stays for a year and receives training and some upgrades in his body such as a healing factor and adamantium claws, similar to Wolverine’s, but shorter. Later in life, Nick Fury asks Captain America to train Black Panther to be his student and that he is a perfect recruit for the Ultimates.

After Black Panther defeats a villain, Cap confronts him about his secrecy and silence during battle. Black Panther takes off his mask and shows him the scar in his throat that he received during his battle against an actual Black Panther and that Weapon X wasn’t able to fix, thus rendering him mute. Cap then confronts Nick Fury and asks him about T’Challa’s past, but Fury lies to him. Then Cap comes to T’Challa to ask him personally about his past and he tells Steve that his father is a king and that he misses him. A week later, Cap tells Fury that T’Challa is ready to be with the Ultimates. Fury doesn’t know that the Black Panther that joined the Ultimates is actually Captain America himself, as T’Challa is secretly sent home by Cap.

He is the same as Earth 616. However his costume is themed on bats, his cape can be used to glide and is nearly identical to the dc comics character Batman.

New Ultimates

Black Panther was, for a short while, a member of the New Ultimates. He aided the team in stopping an invasion attempt by Loki before he decided that he no longer wanted to be on the team.

Marvel Zombies (Earth-2149)

In the Marvel Zombies reality, little is known about his past before the zombie plague arrived. Giant Man asks T’Challa to take him back to his lab when he notices that Hank had been bitten by a zombie. He questions Hank about the bite and he attacks him and he falls unconscious. He awakes and realises that his right arm and leg is missing and that Giant Man is keeping him prisoner as a source of food. With the help of Wasp, whose head remained animated, he eventually escapes the lab.

After making a crutch and tucking Wasp’s head under his arm he makes his way through the ruins of the city and is confronted by the Acolytes, who mistake him for a zombie. After a failed attack, Black Panther joins forces with them and they aboard Asteroid M. While there he meets Forge and he helps build a cybernetic arm and leg for him. While here he also meets Lisa Hendricks who he later marries and has a son with.

Five years later, the Acolytes land Asteroid M in the middle of New York after a scan detected no movement on the planet. Black Panther, along with his wife and child, step into the world. Wasp comes with them, her hunger being replenished. It is around this time that T’Challa receives a call from a Black Panther from another reality who is having problems with zombified super-heroes on the Skrull home-world.

Forty years later, New York is now renamed Wakanda and T’Challa is now king. However, there is no reliable way to restore the population that once lived in the city. Frustrated with this, the Acolytes come up with a plan to remove T’Challa from the throne and hire an assassin the sneak into the Royal Palace. The assassin manages to stab T’Challa in the chest, and alerted by the intrusion, Wasp (now in her cybernetic body) attacks the assassin. T’Challa is critically injured and the only way he can survive is if he becomes a zombie, so Wasp bites him. With her hunger returning, Wasp tries to eat Lisa but is stopped by T’Challa and he joins her in eating the assassin instead.

A few weeks later, Reynolds, Hawkeye and Forge release T’Challa due to the leader of the Acolytes trying to kill them. However, they get caught and pre-occupied with the arrival of the Zombie Galacti. After fighting and defeating the zombies with the help of Spider-Man and Luke Cage who are cured of their hunger, they retreat to a new Wakanda and seal the zombies out of the palace by using a force field to keep them out. However, Gladiator and Bruce Banner are trapped inside as well and Gladiator dies when he attacks T’Challa. T’Challa and the others realise they are not well-mannered enough to protect the portal that the zombies come through and Reynolds reveals that T’Challa’s dead son T’Channa is dressed as Colonel America and that Reynolds and Forge have planted Colonel America’s brain in his son’s body. T’Channa attacks his father but is then reminded of who he is.

The zombies then return and release the force field and T’Challa and the group defeat them, but Iron Man manages to get through. After Banner deactivates the force field, the zombies get through to the survivors, but realise they are not hungry. However, during the fight before, T’Challa gets smashed, which left him with only with his arm, leg, chest, neck and head attached and Wasp crushed from the waist up. After the zombies cope with their newly found humanity, the Hulk breaks into the room, eats Reynolds and kills Iron Man, Phoenix, Firelord and Hawkeye before being stopped by Spider-Man, Giant Man and Wolverine.

After getting a new body by Forge, the zombies help the survivors get supplies and breed in other dimensions. However, Malcolm Cortez, the leader of the Acolytes reveals he was behind the assassination attempt on T’Challa, T’Channa’s death and a plot to kill K’Shamba, Panther’s grandson. He says he likes this way of life and wants to get rid of the zombie plague and sends T’Challa to another dimension. T’Challa arrives on the reality Earth-Z on the Skrull home world where he converts the entire species and leads his own horde against this Earth’s Avengers where he is slain and his arm mounted on the Avenger Tower as a trophy.

Legacy Virus Merged With Warlock (Earth-8545)

T’Challa is the son of T’Chaka, late king of the African nation Wakanda. When lawless ivory hunter Ulysses Klaw murdered T’Chaka in an attempt to possess the country’s rare Vibranium deposit, a grief-stricken T’Challa swore vengeance and succeeded in thwarting the butcher’s raid. In the process, the young prince destroyed Klaw’s hand. T’Challa returned to his homeland after recieving a degree in physics ready to assume the mantle of leadership. To do so, he needed to defeat six of Wakanda’s greatest warriors in unarmed combat, and obtain the secret heart-shaped herb that grants the country’s chieftains their powers. Successfully carrying out the dual challenge, T’Challa donned the ceremonial garb of the Black Panther, totem of the Wakandan people. Under T’Challa, Wakanda has become one of the wealthiest and technologically advanced nations on the planet. After meeting Captain America, the Panther was offered membership in the Avengers.

Ruins (Earth-9591)

He is known as T’Challa des Wakandas and is a member of the Black Panther Party imprisoned alongside Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in San Francisco.

Wonder-Man Saved The Avengers ( Earth-9916)

T’Challa joins the Avenges some time after Quicksilver departs and fights alongside his teammates against Quicksilver, who used a Grim Reaper disguise to hide his true identity. After his defeat, he is unmasked by an astonished Scarlet Witch. In a battle between the Avengers and Magneto, Quicksilver dies when Magneto tries to kill Scarlet Witch. Scarlet Witch eventually kills Magneto with a powerful hex bolt. Black Panther is present at the wedding of Scarlet Witch and Wonder-Man.

The Black Panther joined the Avengers some time after Quicksilver left. He fought alongside his teammates against Quicksilver, who used the disguise of the Grim Reaper in order to conceal his true identity. After his defeat, Pietro was unmasked to the shock of his sister.

In a subsequent battle between the Avengers and Magneto’s forces, Quicksilver was killed in his sister’s stead when Magneto tried to kill Wanda for being a traitor to mutantkind. Overcome by grief, Wanda unleashed a powerful hex which killed Magneto. Black Panther was later present at Wonder Man and the Scarlet Witch’s wedding. During the Vision’s assault on the Avengers, Black Panther fought against him alongside his teammates.

Earth X – (Earth-9997)

The history of the Black Panther in this reality is similar to that of the Panther in the 616 mainstream. However, in this reality, the heart shaped herbs that granted him his powers also grant them to anyone else who takes them. Due to the nature of his mutation, however, T’Challa’s powers are partially subconscious. In the recent history of this reality, Captain America gives T’Challa the Cosmic Cube of Safe Keepings as he believes that Panther would not use the device or give it to anyone else. During this time, he marries Storm and humanity begins to mutate due to the Terrigen Mists in the Earth’s atmosphere. Due to this, T’Challa has more of a panther appearance while the animals in Wakanda which were part of a wildlife reserve that Panther set up, began to mutate as well becoming humanoid creatures known as Ani-Men. When the Skrull begin to take over the United States, Captain America asks T’Challa to give him the Cosmic Cube. Out of respect for his friend, he denies his friend’s request and does not involve himself in the final battle against the Skrulls. After the death of the celestial embryo in the Earth’s core, the axis shift of the Earth turns Africa into a frozen wasteland, but thanks to Beast’s technology, Wakanda maintains its tropical ecosystem and keeps out most threats.

When Mar-vel comes to Wakanda in search of the Cosmetic Cube to destroy Death, T’Challa refuses to give him the Cube. It isn’t until Storm is killed by a Wendigo attack and suddenly brought back to life that Mar-vel reveals that the Cube is responsible for that and the mutation of the Ani-Men because it was acting on Panther’s wants. This revelation mortifies Panther and he hands the Cube over to Mar-vel who leaves to help the Wakandans relocate to the Savage Land so that they can escape the frequent Wendigo attacks that keep occurring. On the way to the Savage Land, Black Panther is followed by the Wendigo. He defeats them and discovers that they are really the Multiple Man in disguise. T’Challa and Storm help build a new Wakandan nation in the Savage Land with the help of everyone who travels with them. They are attacked by Belasco and the Dire Wraiths but are quickly saved by Mar-vel and his friends. A few months later, T’Challa accompanies Storm to the wedding of Medusa and King Britain, where they meet Bloodstorm. She asks Storm to perform a blood transfusion to cure her of her vampirism. Storm agrees to the procedure and it is unknown what happens to Black Panther went after this point.

Marvel Mangaverse (Earth- 2301)

In the Marvel Mangaverse, T’Challa is still King of Wakanda and when calling upon the help of the God Qamatha, he can transform into a Were-Panther. His appearance in the Were-Panther form is of a large humanoid panther in ancient Egyptian clothing. He can also call upon Qamathas’s power to change himself into the Falcon. In this form, his appearance is heavily influenced by the ancient Egyptian god Horus. In this reality, his magical abilities are prominent as Dr. Strange notices his magical trail.

Stand-off with Doom (Earth-10267)

On Earth-10267, after a standoff with Dr. Doom, Black Panther and Namor the Submariner become bitter enemies. War eventually breaks out between Wakanda and Atlantis when Namor floods the Capital City of Wakanda and causes it to overgrow with vegetation making it nearly uninhabitable. In retaliation, Black Panther sends “Panther Tanks” to Atlantis and destroys Namor’s throne room. This leads to Namor unleashing an endless horde of sea-beasts upon the now-flooded Wakandan Capital, which in turn lead to more retaliatory strikes from Black Panther. The war continues until both Wakanda and Atlantis are laid to waste and left in total ruins.

Wild West

In an Old West version of the Marvel Universe, T’Challa is once again the young son of King T’Chaka. However, after T’Chaka was murdered by an American outlaw called Magneto, T’Challa travelled to the United States in order to take his revenge. In the present, a grown T’Challa, now a gunslinger known as The King, continues hunting Magneto and the Magnus Gang across the Old West. He eventually tracks them down in a small town, where he partners with the reality-hopping Exiles to take them down. However, he and the Exiles end up captured by the Magnus Gang, who have been forced to serve a crazed psychic preacher known as Pastor Xavier. While the Exiles battle Xavier, the King confronts Magneto and challenges him to a final duel. Using special vibranium bullets, the King manages to kill Magneto and avenge his father.

In Other Media

Television

X-Men: The Animated Series (1992)

Black Panther makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Season 4 episode “Sanctuary: Part 1,” where he witnesses Magneto arriving in Africa and transporting the gathered Mutants to Asteroid M. Black Panther makes another cameo in “Sanctuary: Part 2,” where he can be seen watching Charles Xavier‘s conversation with Amelia Voght in front of the Blackbird.

Fantastic Four (1994)

The Black Panther appears in the ‘Prey Of The Black Panther’ episode and is voiced by Keith David. He lures the Fantastic Four to Wakanda to see if they are worthy enough to help him fight against Klaw.

The Avengers: United They Stand (1999)

While the Black Panther does not appear in the Animated series, he does appear in issues 1, 6 and 7 of the comic book series based on the show. There is a portrait of the Black Panther that hangs in the Avengers Mansion in Episode 1 of the show.

The Super Hero Squad Show (2010)

The Black Panther appears in episode 14 (“Tremble at the Might of… M.O.D.O.K.!”) and is voiced by Taye Diggs. He appears with Storm (who’s his girlfriend on the show) when Iron Man calls them to help stop M.O.D.O.K. when Wolverine and the Hulk are de-powered.

Black Panther (2009)

He is voiced by Djimon Hounsou for this TV series. The short lived showed never aired in the U.S. and was based on Reginald Hudlin’s Who is the Black Panther 5 issue story arc in 2005.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2009)

The Black Panther appears in the episode ‘Panther’s Prey’ and is voiced by Jeffery Bowyer-Chapman. In it, he comes to America to capture Moses Magnum, the man who murdered his father. Though he initially clashes with Iron Man, he ultimately befriends the hero and becomes a recurring ally, returning in the episodes “Line of Fire” and the two-part series finale, “The Makluan Invasion.” In the show, the Black Panther was depicted as a young man in his late teens rather than an adult.

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2011)

The Black Panther appeared in the animated series as a main character, where he was voiced by James C. Mathis III. In the series, he is exiled from the country, Wakanda, when his father is overthrown as the King by the Man-Ape. He sought the help of the Avengers’ to free regain his homeland. He later appears in the main title sequence.

Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014)

The Black Panther appears in Episode 29 of this Japanese anime series, voiced by Mahito Ōba. In the show, he helps Jessica Shannon (a young girl partnered with the Wasp) after she arrives in Wakanda to take down a HYDRA instillation that has sprung up there. Black Panther teams with Jessica to fight off King Cobra, but is D-Secured and trapped in a DISK by Tiger Shark. After HYDRA is defeated, Jessica takes the Black Panther’s DISK with her to act as her second hero.

Black Panther returns in the follow-up, Marvel Future Avengers, voiced by again by Oba and by James C. Mathis III in the English dub. In his debut episode, he teams up with Iron Man and Charade to stop the Masters of Evil from smuggling Vibranium out of Wakanda.

Avengers Assemble (2016)

Black Panther appears in the third season, “Ultron Revolution,” with James C. Mathis III reprising his role. In the series, he steals Captain America’s shield, claiming that since it’s made of vibranium, it is technically Wakandan property. It turns out that in reality, T’Challa plans to use the shield as bait to lure Klaw into a trap, knowing that the smuggler has been stealing vibranium across the globe. When the situation escalates, T’Challa partners with the Avengers to take Klaw down. At the close of the episode, he implies that his negative attitude towards the heroes may be beginning to change.

In the fourth season, Black Panther becomes the leader of a new team of Avengers after the originals are scattered across time by the Leader and his Cabal.

The show was retitled Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest for its fifth and final season, which featured a greater focus on T’Challa and the lore of the Black Panther.

Films

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Black Panther (2006)

He appears as a central character in the film and is voiced by Jeffrey D. Sams. He is still the King of Wakanda in this and he returns from the outside world to find his kingdom being attacked by the Chitauri aliens. His father gets killed by Herr Kleiser, who was after the Vibranium metal that the Chitauri used to manufacture their ships and weapons. T’Challa seeks aid from Captain America and Nick Fury orders the Avengers to assemble and help him.

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2007)

In this film, Black Panther has a son named Azari and he was called in one last time to fight with the Avengers against Ultron. He died fighting and Iron Man raised Azari along with the children of the other fallen Avengers.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Iron Man 2 (2010)

The film contains a brief easter egg foreshadowing the Black Panther. When Nick Fury shows Tony a map of metahuman activity throughout the world, one of the indicators can be seen in Africa, implying that S.H.I.E.L.D. is already aware of the Panther. This was later confirmed by director Jon Favreau.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

T’Challa made his first big screen appearance in Captain America: Civil War, played by Chadwick Boseman.

In the film, T’Challa is introduced as the prince of Wakanda, and his father is still alive. The two arrive Vienna, Austria for a United Nations meeting concerning the Sokovia Accords, a set of laws designed to restrict the Avengers. While T’Chaka is speaing, the meeting is attacked, resulting in his death. T’Challa swears vengeance, and sets off to kill Bucky Barnes, the man he believes killed his father.

An initial encounter with Barnes turns into a lengthy chase, which results in T’Challa being arrested along with Barnes, Captain America, and Falcon. After Bucky escapes, Black Widow convinces Tony Stark to recruit T’Challa as part of the task force to hunt him down. This leads to a fight at an airport in Germany, where Iron Man’s team clashes with Captain America’s. T’Challa nearly manages to capture Barnes, but is thwarted when Black Widow switches sides and electrocutes T’Challa, allowing Cap and Bucky to escape.

T’Challa later tracks Iron Man to Russia, where he is trying to broker a truce with Captain America. T’Challa follows them with the intention of killing Barnes, but learns that the man was framed by Helmut Zemo, who killed T’Chaka as part of a scheme to destroy the Avengers from within. Though he initially plans to kill Zemo, T’Challa decides against it after seeing the way the desire for vengeance has corrupted him and torn the Avengers apart. Instead, he takes Zemo alive, forcing him to face justice.

At the close of the film, T’Challa offers Captain America and Bucky safe haven in Wakanda. When Captain America says that the world will come after Wakanda if they ever learn the two fugitives are there, T’Challa replies “Let them try.”

The film’s origin of the character is somewhat consistent with the comics aside from minor changes. The comics (and other media) have generally focused on Black Panther introducing himself to the superhero community as a means of testing his abilities against theirs. The movie Black Panther would not have acted alongside the Avengers if not for the revenge of his father’s death.

Black Panther (February 16, 2018)

Chadwick Boseman will reprise his role as Black Panther in his first solo feature film to be released February 16, 2018. Ryan Coogler signed on to direct Black Panther in January 2016.

The film takes place a short time after the events of Civil War, with T’Challa being crowned the new king of Wakanda in the aftermath of his father’s murder. However, the country is quickly thrown into turmoil by the reappearance of the hated Ulysses Klaue, as well as a plot to overthrow T’Challa led by a mysterious American mercenary known as Killmonger.

In addition to Boseman, the film stars Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Forest Whitaker as Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi and Martin Freeman as Everett Ross.

The film was released to rave reviews, and became a major hit at the box office.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Chadwick Boseman reprises his role in the third Avengers film. After the Vision is badly wounded in an attack by the Black Order, Captain America contacts T’Challa and requests safe haven for the Avengers. The remaining members of the Black Order soon arrive in Wakanda with an army of Outriders, seeking to claim the Mind Stone embedded in the Vision’s forehead. T’Challa and the Avengers lead the military forces of Wakanda into battle against the Outriders, hoping to buy Shuri enough time to remove the Mind Stone from Vision’s skull. Their effort ultimately fails, and Thanos kills Vision and claims the Mind Stone. T’Challa is last seen as one of the billions of casualties after Thanos completes the Infinity Gauntlet and uses it to eliminate half of all the universe’s sentient life.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Chadwick Boseman again reprises his role in the fourth Avengers movie. During the climax of the film, T’Challa and the other victims of Thanos’ decimation are revived after the surviving Avengers gather the Infinity Stones and the Hulk uses them to undo the countless deaths. He fights alongside the other heroes during the final battle against Thanos’ forces at the ruins of Avengers Compound, and is one of the heroes who helps keep the new Infinity Gauntlet away from the enemies. At the close of the film, T’Challa and Shuri are shown reuniting with their mother in Wakanda as the world celebrates the defeat of Thanos and the return of those who had died.

What If…? (2021)

Following the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020, it was announced that his final appearance as Black Panther would be in the first MCU animated series for Disney+.

• Black Panther is the subject of the episode “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” which explores a timeline where a young T’Challa was accidentally abducted by the Ravagers when they came to Earth looking for Peter Quill. T’Challa subsequently grows up under the mentorship of the space pirate Yondu, and eventually reforms the Ravagers into a group of benevolent Robin Hood-type thieves who steal from the rich and give to the poor. The episode was dedicated to Boseman’s memory. This same version of the character also appears in the season finale, a crossover where he teams up with several other Multiverse heroes to stop a greater threat.
• In “What If… Zombies!?” T’Challa is one of the few surviving heroes in a world where a zombie virus has infected most of the population.
• In “What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” he is ambushed and killed by Erik Killmonger, who subsequently manipulates events to become the new Black Panther of Wakanda. After consuming the Heart Shaped Herb, Killmonger is confronted by the soul of T’Challa in the Ancestral Plane, who warns him that he will one day likely be exposed and loose the power he gained through deceit and murder.

Video Games

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

The Black Panther is a playable character in this video game. He can be unlocked by collecting 5 of his action figures. He has special dialogue with Nick Fury, Namor, Ghost Rider, Doctor Doom, and Deathbird. In his simulator disc, he has to battle a Dark Captain America in Arcade’s Murderworld. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)

The Black Panther is a downloadable playable character in this video game and is voiced by Tim Russ. He is one of the characters that was not taken control by the Fold.

Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Black Panther appears as a non-playable character in Storm’s ending for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.

Marvel Avengers Alliance

The Black Panther appears as a recruitable character in this Facebook game.

Marvel Heroes

Black Panther is a playable character in the game, with Jamces C. Mathis III reprising his role from the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes TV series.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes

Black Panther appears as a playable character.

Marvel Contest of Champions

Black Panther is a playable character in this mobile game.

Lego Marvel’s Avengers

Black Panther is playable in the Captain America: Civil War DLC. A Black Panther DLC was later released, which features Black Panther and Shuri trying to rescue their mother from Klaw and cadre of supervillains.

Disney Infinity

Black Panther is a playable character in the Disney Infinity 3.0 expansion, with James C. Mathis III reprising his role. He wears his costume from the live-action movies.

Marvel Avengers Academy

A teenage version of Black Panther appears as a playable character in the game.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite

Black Panther appears as a playable character in this fighting game, marking his fully debut in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. He is available as DLC (downloadable content), and is voiced by James C. Mathis III, who reprises his role from the cartoons. In the game’s story mode, Black Panther is the king of Valkanda (the merged version of Wakanda and Val Harbor from the Monster Hunter video game series), with the female Monster Hunter acting as his body guard. When the heroes head to Valkanda in search of the Time Stone, Black Panther initially refuses to surrender it. However, he is eventually persuaded by Chun-Li.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3

Black Panther returns in the third Ultimate Alliance game, this time voiced by James C. Mathis III. He and Storm are first encountered in Wakanda after the Winter Soldier is shot down over the jungle while fleeing from A.I.M. with the stolen Soul Stone. He allies himself with the other heroes to help fight off A.I.M., and eventually battles Klaw.

Marvel’s Avengers

Black Panther appears in the Square Enix Avengers game as a DLC character, voiced by Christopher Judge. He was released in 2021 as part of the War for Wakanda expansion pack, which featured him as the central character.

Live

• Black Panther is featured as one of the main characters in the second iteration of the Marvel Universe Live arena show.
• Black Panther was featured in the “Disney Day at Sea” promotion for Disney’s cruise line services.
• Beginning in 2018, Black Panther has been featured as a character in Disney’s theme parks.

Merchandise

Toys

• Black Panther was featured in ToyBiz’s Marvel Gold line.
• Black Panther was featured in ToyBiz’s Marvel Knights series.
• Black Panther is the 30th figurine in The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection.
• A figure of Black Panther in his Marvel Knights costume was released in wave 10 of Toy Biz‘s 6″ Marvel Legends line in the Sentinel Build-a-Figure wave. There was also a chase variant with a minor paint variation.
• Black Panther first appeared in wave 5 of the Marvel Super Hero Squad line, packaged with Storm. The same figure was repainted and re-release in theSuper Teams: The New Fantastic Four 4-pack, packaged with Human Torch, Thing, and Storm.
• A figure of Black Panther was released in wave 29 of the Marvel Minimates line. A version of Panther from the Marvel Zombie series was released as a retailer exclusive.
• A 6″ Black Panther was released in Hasbro’s version of the Marvel Legends line. It was included as part of the Rocket Raccoon Build-a-Figure.
• A figure of Black Panther was released in wave 1 of Hasbro‘s 3.75″ Marvel Universe line. Another was released in a retailer exclusive 2-pack with Iron Man.
• Another Black Panther was released when Hasbro’s 3.75 Marvel Universe line was renamed Marvel Legends.
• A movie version of Black Panther was released for the 6″ Marvel Legends line as part of the Captain America: Civil War wave.
• Black Panther was included in the “Black Panther Pursuit” Lego kit for Captain America: Civil War.
• Hasbro released an exclusive Marvel Legends Black Panther figure for Walmart, based on Brian Stelfreeze’s art.
• Lego released several kits for the live-action Black Panther movie.
• Hasbro released a Marvel Legends Black Panther wave for the live-action movie, which featured Panther himself, Killmonger and Nakia, with Okoye as the Build-A-Figure.
• A 12-inch Black Panther figure was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line.
• Hasbro released an entire line of Black Panther merchandise for the live-action film.
• A second Marvel Legends Black Panther wave was released by Hasbro to cash in on the success of the film.
• Black Panther was featured in the Avengers: Mech Strike line from Hasbro.
• The What If…? version of T’Challa was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Watcher Build-a-Figure wave.

Collectibles

• Hot Toys released a Black Panther figure for Captain America: Civil War.
• Black Panther was also featured in Hot Toys Cosbaby line for Captain America: Civil War.
• Funko has produced several Black Panther figures for their Pop! line of bobbleheads, including one for Captain America: Civil War and another for the solo Black Panther movie.
• Bandai’s Tamashii Nations label released a Black Panther figure for the S.H. Figuarts line, with his design based on his appearance from Captain America: Civil War. Another version based on his Infinity War design was later relased.
• An anime-style version of Black Panther was featured in Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai line.
• Hot Toys later released another Black Panther figure, this time for the Black Panther film. In addition to being based on his new design from the solo movie, another key difference that set it apart from the previous Civil War figure was the inclusion of an alternate unmasked head featuring Chadwick Boseman’s license.
• Diamond Collectibles released a comic Black Panther figure for the Marvel Select line, as well as another for his live-action movie.
• Black Panther was featured in Medicom’s MAFEX line.

Statues

• In 2004, Bowen Designs released a statue of Black Panther’s classic design.
• Bowen also released two Black Panther busts, depicting the character’s classic and 90’s Marvel Knights designs, respectively.
• In 2010, Bowen also released two more statues, once again depicting Black Panther in both his classic and Marvel Knights costumes.
• In 2011, Sideshow Collectibles released a Black Panther premium format figure, featuring the character’s Marvel Knights design.
• In 2016, Kotobukiya released a Black Panther statue featuring the character in his Marvel Knights costume to celebrate the release of Captain America: Civil War.
• Iron Studios released a Black Panther diorama for the live-action film.
• Diamond Select released a Black Panther PVC statue for his solo movie.
• Kotobukiya released a Black Panther figure for his solo movie.