In Abandoned an' Forsaked, we examine comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically "overturned" by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent). Today, based on a suggestion by reader Tom A., we look into how Marvel retconend how T'Challa lost his father, T'Chaka.

The last time I did an Abandoned an' Forsaked, I talked about how the depiction of how Wakanda appeared in the past had already been altered during Christopher Priest's run on the title. However, the basics behind King T'Chaka's death remained mostly the same.

The first time that we learned of King T'Chaka's death was in Fantastic Four #53 (by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott), when T'Challa explains to the Fantastic Four why he lured them to Wakanda the previous issue just so that he could beat them up. As it turns out, he was planning on preparing himself to fight against Klaw, the man who murdered his father (what I am unsure, by the way, is whether we ever learned why T'Challa knew that Klaw was about to attack at that particular time. He tells us that he had been waiting for Klaw's attack for years but what made him so sure it was happening soon? I'm sure there's an answer, btu I don't happen to know it offhand).

So he then explains to the Fantastic Four precisely how the evil Klaw killed T'Challa's virtuous father, T'Chaka...

Note, again, how it really IS like T'Challa is going through is own version of "I shall become a bat," right? He decides to become a Black Panther specifically to avenge his father.

Anyhow, as I noted in that other column, Christopher Priest re-wrote the history of T'Chaka to make him officially a Black Panther, as well.

However, while the change of T'Chaka into a Black Panther certainly dramatically altered the history of the Black Panther as a lineage (as it clearly was not intended to be - it would be like if Bruce Wayne found out that "Batman" was an identity handed down by Wayne over the generations. Okay, yes, Batman did find out that his dad once wore a costume that made him look like a bat-man at a party, but that's not the same thing), it kept the basic death of T'Chaka the same. He was killed when Klaw invaded Wakanda in search of the Vibranium treasure, which is a nice, pat origin sequence.

That changed, though, when Reginald Hudlin launched a new Black Panther series in 2005...

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One of the many changes to the history of Black Panther and Wakanda that Hudlin made in his run was how Klaw came into the story. Hudlin opened the series by showing the history of foreign aggressors trying to invade Wakanda and failing. One of these invaders was an ancestor of Klaw. Therefore, in Black Panther #3 (by Reginald Hudlin, John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson), Klaw is an assassin who is happy to take the assignment of killing the ruler of Wakanda.

Now, rather than a battle in Wakanda, it is at a business/political conference and things went a whole lot differently...

Hudlin, though, did end up keeping the basic idea of T'Challa driving Klaw off and injuring his hand by shooting at him. But the Vibranium stuff was totally changed. Fascinating. I think I like Klaw better when he is tied to the Vibranium, honestly, but I thought that the assassination scene was handled very well, overall.

Reader Alain D. noted, though, that Rise of the Black Panther #1 (by Evan Narcisse, Paul Renaud and Stephane Paitreau) just recently retconned Hudlin's retcon and brought the original Kirby/Lee origin pretty much back into continuity...

Thanks to Tom for the suggestion! If anyone else has suggestions of notable comic book retcons, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!