WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers #41 by Jason Aaron, Javier Garron, David Curiel & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
The Phoenix Force has abducted the Avengers and several other Marvel heroes and has placed them in a contest to determine who its next host will be. For the moment, the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe are battling each other in one-on-one fights while experiencing a taste of the Phoenix Force's power.
While combatants are being eliminated one-by-one, it turns out that the Phoenix has a favorite in this competition, as Avengers #41 reveals. After he swiftly and effectively took out Man-Thing, Black Panther walked amongst his fellow heroes when the Phoenix sent an avatar to speak to him. While many heroes are battling for the honor, at least one, Namor, coveting it, and the Phoenix wants Black Panther to win it all.
As one of the heroes who wants nothing to do with it, Black Panther gave the Phoenix a firm rejection when he was offered the role of its next host. However, the Phoenix does not 'no' for an answer very well. The avatar called T'Challa arrogant and said the Panther she knew before could stand among gods and kill everyone if need be. Black Panther informed her that he will end this no matter what it costs him.
With that, the Phoenix's offer morphed into a threat. Phoenix said that it wants the Black Panther to take the Force for himself. The Phoenix then said that if he does so, that she will "burn the name of Wakanda across the stars." However, if he rejects the offer, she will burn Wakanda into ash. Black Panther lets no one talk to him in such a manner. He said the Phoenix has fought for Earth before, and if she does so again, he will spare her life. But if she continues to make threats like this, he will not be so merciful. This ended with the Phoenix immediately putting Black Panther into a fight with Nighthawk, his second battle in a short period of time.
Black Panther has every right to hate everything about the Phoenix, since Namor used the Phoenix Force to devastate Wakanda after Namor bonded with the Force in Avengers Vs. X-Men. Namor's attack on Wakanda ravaged the nation, which led to Black Panther annulling his marriage to Storm and created a distance between Wakanda and the mutants that lasts to this day.
While the Phoenix might be playing with the emotions of those who want nothing to do with it, such as Captain America and Wolverine, and those who covet it, as with Namor, the Phoenix itself covets one of the noblest and fiercest of Earth's warriors with King T'Challa, The Black Panther. However, this is one host that will prove very difficult for the Phoenix to its grips on.