The following contains full spoilers for the second issue of Rise of the Black Panther by Evan Narcisse, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Javier Pina, and Stephanie Paitreau. 


Each issue of Marvel Comics' Rise of the Black Panther is meant to reveal something of T'Challa's early days as the King of Wakanda. The first issue delved into the relationship between his parents, T'Chaka and N'Yami, and how her genius is responsible for the recent advancements in Wakandan technology. Without her, Wakanda wouldn't have been able to travel to space and establish the future settlements that we saw in Marvel Legacy. With this series' second issue, more information is revealed about T'Challa's powers, and they help him get past the powerful influence of toxic masculinity as a result.

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Years ago, T'Challa participated in Wakanda's yearly Challenge Day for the right to rule the throne. Having defeated his uncle S'yan -- who held the title of king following T'Chaka's death years earlier -- T'Challa earns the power of the Black Panther, which is derived from the nation's powerful Heart-Shaped Herb. First appearing in Fantastic Four #52, the Herb is a plant mutated by the energies of Vibranium that grants those in the Royal bloodline enhanced senses and agility akin to that of an actual Panther. That part has always been known, but what's only been known to a select few is that the Herb also binds those who ingest it to the energies of Vibranium. Meaning, they can detect it wherever it is, which is how T'Challa knows that a group of men are planning to leave the nation and sell what Vibranium they had to outsiders.

How does toxic masculinity fit into this? The classic attributes of it are all based in anger in pride -- failing to ask for help, concerned with power over humility, and so on. In this issue, T'Challa learns that Wakandans have been taken by mysterious kidnappers, an issue that has been going on for over a decade. During his time as king, S'yan had the Hatut Zeraze -- the secret police of Wakanda -- look into the kidnappings discreetly. At one point, their leader Hunter threw out the idea of informing the people of these kidnappings, but S'yan shot it down immediately, believing that it showed the weakness of the throne. This is a secret he kept not just from T'Challa and Shuri, who were young at the time, but also Queen Ramonda, and it's something she's not too happy about.

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In this issue, S'yan represents toxic masculinity's thinking that you should always display power, never weakness. Along with lying to his family about the kidnappings, he chastises T'Challa for not killing the traitors who planned to sell off Vibranium, trying to goad him by bringing up what T'Chaka did during his rule. And the idea of opening the country up to outsiders does not sit well with S'yan, who declares that the nation had no reason to be afraid when he was king. To him, Wakanda probably would've just remained in secrecy if the Fantastic Four couldn't beat Galactus in time. He's all about power, as made clear in the flashback where he fights with a trainer and demands that he never wants to be caught off guard by an enemy he'll have to face.

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For the first of his many controversial moves as king, T'Challa elects to show some humility by announcing to the country via television about the kidnapped Wakandans, and says that he'll personally lead a search party for the citizens who wish to participate in bringing their people home, even if that means traveling outside their home. The search for the abductees leads the young king to his first confrontation with his future frenemy: Namor, the Sub-Mariner.

Namor and T'Challa have had a rocky relationship for years. Since joining the Marvel Universe's secretive Illuminati, there's been a tension between the two that eventually boiled over when Namor led the Atlanteans in a war against Wakanda. It's something that T'Challa never forgave him for, at one point leaving the undersea ruler to die while two universes were in the process of colliding. It's not at all surprising, then, that even in their first encounter, they get into a fistfight once they make eye contact, and of course Namor is the one who instigates it.

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True to the Sub-Mariner's arrogant nature, the animosity between them begins when he refuses T'Challa's aid after he and his squad of Atlanteans crash land on the surface world to save their own people, who have also been kidnapped. The Sub-Mariner represents the rage that comes with toxic masculinity; he openly admits to acting rashly and full of rage, but he clearly doesn't want to make any effort to change. Nowhere is this more perfectly shown than when he kicks in a door while loudly announcing: "IMPERIUS REX!!!" as T'Challa tries to go for a more subtle approach.

Together, T'Challa and Namor free their respective peoples from the Nigandans who kidnapped them. The day is won not just because of action, but by using T'Challa brains and compassion over brute strength. Rather than wanting to get the jump on Namor and eliminate a future threat, T'Challa uses his common sense to realize that he may have to fight the Atlanteans someday and keep data that holds secrets on Wakandans and Atlanteans. It's a tough choice for T'Challa, but one born of rationality instead of ego.

Earlier this week, Black Bolt writer Saladin Ahmed said that fiction was in need of "weak male protagonists." Though it was meant as a joke at the expense of the cliche phrase of "strong female characters," Ahmed's original words talked of men who learned how to give up their power and count on other people when needed. T'Challa is something of a "weak" male protagonist in this issue; constantly asking Shuri and others for assistance instead of trying to go solo in an act of bravado.

But there is a quiet strength in this perceived weakness, and what's made T'Challa a compelling character over the years--especially Coates' run, as the emergence of the Crew has shown us--is that he's not really afraid to ask for help. Had T'Challa kept the isolationist nature that S'yan insisted on, the nation would be forever changed, and not for the better. It's doubtful that Shuri would've come back from the dead if T'Challa didn't create a system of friends and allies that included outsiders.

Rise of the Black Panther realizes that it's this strength and humility that'll lead to a better future for the world of Wakanda, and their eventual journey to the stars to achieve the dream T'Chaka and N'Yami always wanted for their people.