King T'Challa, the Black Panther, has been defending the land of Wakanda for over 50 years, and in that time, he has proved to be one of Marvel's most enduring symbols of heroism. Now a blockbuster film star embodied by the late great Chadwick Boseman, the spotlight has never been brighter on the agent of Bast the panther god.
As more casual fans dip their toes into the comics world there are, understandably, many questions that need to be answered before they can truly start to dive into the Vibranium vanguard.
10 Who Created Black Panther?
Black Panther first appeared in the pages of 1966's Fantastic Four #52 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby due to the former's interest in further diversifying the superhero landscape. In the story, T'Challa invites Marvel's first family to Wakanda as a ruse so he can test his mettle against them. The FF repels the king's attack and he explains to them that he was ensuring he was prepared to face his archnemesis, Ulysses Klaue. With no hard feelings, this issue marks the first in a long-running friendship Black Panther would have with the Fantastic Four.
9 What Made His First Appearance Special?
As mentioned, Lee wanted to add more diversity to the medium. Prior to Fantastic Four #52, Lee had included the character of Gabe Jones, a black man, in the racially diverse Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, which colorists had incorrectly depicted as light-skinned in his first appearance. Lee also regularly pushed for his artists to populate crowd shots with more black characters as opposed to the ocean of white faces that competitors like competitor DC often had. When T'Challa made his first appearance, he was the first black superhero in mainstream comics. It would take several years before DC caught up with characters like Jon Stewart Green Lantern and Black Lightning.
8 Does His Name Come From The Black Panther Party?
One of the oldest comic book debates is whether T'Challa's superhero alias was derived from the Black Panther Party of the Civil Rights movement. According to Stan Lee, the name was a complete coincidence as the Party didn't form until October of '66, whereas the issue of Fantastic Four that the hero first appeared in was released months prior in July of that year. However, Stan Lee has acquired a reputation for enhancing the truth when it comes to the origins of his characters, and the black panther logo had been used by the BPP's predecessor, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, before the comic's release. The most likely scenario seems to be that of coincidence as Lee claims he was mostly influenced by the pet of an old pulp action hero for the name, and the original concept work by Jack Kirby lists T'Challa's alter ego as "Coal Tiger".
7 What Black Panther Comics Should Fans Read?
It took some time before T'Challa got to star in his own title, but Jungle Action #6 - #24 by Don McGregor, Rich Buckler, Gil Kane, Billy Graham, and early inking work by The Dark Knight Returns' Klaus Janson and New Mutants' Bob McLeod proved to be a major milestone for the industry. The issues create two distinct multi-issue story arcs, which was a departure from the episodic norm at the time and introduced the villain Erik Killmonger, which general audiences were introduced to in 2018's Black Panther film.
More modern recommendations include the 2005 Black Panther series by Reginald Hudlin, John Romita Jr., returning inker Klaus Jansen, and colorist Dean White, which served as a modern reintroduction to the character. The recent 2016 series by Ta-Nehisi Coates with art by Brian Stelfreeze, Chris Sprouse, Wilfredo Torres, and Leonard Kirk has also proved to be a new all-time classic for the king of Wakanda.
6 When did T'Challa Stop Wearing The Cape?
While the classic Black Panther costume is often shown donning a short cape, which brings a regal sensibility to the character, most modern depictions – including his appearances in the MCU – eschew the cloak for a more sleek and streamlined look to the hero. While the cape has never fully been dropped (often used as a more ceremonial look), it was first removed for his guest role in Tales of Suspense #97 with Captain America. This design would continue with minor alterations over the next few decades until Marvel Knights and several stories then brought the accessory back. To more align with his cinematic appearance, the cape has been largely absent from his most recent looks.
5 Has Black Panther Ever Left Wakanda?
Ironically, T'Challa spent many of his early adventures outside of the kingdom of Wakanda. As mentioned previously, he teamed up with Steve Rogers in Tales of Suspense #97, but he continued to have offshore adventures upon joining the Avengers and teaming up with Daredevil. Decades later – following the events of the street level crossover event Shadowland – T'Challa took over the role of protecting Hell's Kitchen in Black Panther: The Man Without Fear by David Liss and artist Francesco Francavilla. However, it wouldn't be too long before the king returned to defend his homeland.
4 Who Has T'Challa Been In A Relationship With?
Black Panther has had a myriad of relationships, which date back as far as his early adventures with the Avengers where he met the Georgian singer, Monica Lynn. T'Challa would eventually (and very abruptly) end their relationship and leave Monica in a post-break depression.
In the modern-day, T'Challa's most well-known love interest is easily the X-Man Ororo Munroe (aka Storm). The two even ended up married to one another, which as one can expect, didn't do much for Monica's self-esteem.
3 Has Black Panther Ever Died In The Comics?
The tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman has left Marvel Studios in a precarious position when it comes to continuing the Black Panther mythos. They've concretely said they will not replace nor recast T'Challa, so it's a given that fans will witness some form of death for the hero in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The MCU has a habit of pulling from the comics for inspiration, but in this specific case, there isn't much precedent. T'Challa has retired and passed the mantle to others before, but outside of shock deaths that are quickly undone within the same story or alternate universe tales, there is no established death for the character in the comics.
2 Does T'Challa Have A Child?
In the regular 616 timeline of Marvel Comics, Black Panther has no children. However, one from an alternate Earth named Azari did crop up in 2010's Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis, John Romita Jr., and yet again legendary inker Klaus Jansen. Azari is the son of T'Challa and Storm from a universe where Ultron killed most of the Avengers and the survivors were raised by Tony Stark to eventually form the Next Avengers. What's most interesting is that this world doesn't originate from the comics, but is actually based on the 2008 straight to DVD animated film Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow by director Jay Oliva with a screenplay by Christopher Yost.
1 What Is Black Panther Up To Now?
Continuing his 2016 run on T'Challa, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates recently wrapped a second series with assistance from Danny Lore with art by Brian Stelfreeze, Alitha E. Martinez, Daniel Acuna, Jen Bartel, Kev Walker, Ryan Bodenheim, and Chris Sprouse. This story took Black Panther in an all-new setting with the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. After the conclusion of that series, a new ongoing was started this year by John Ridley and Juann Cabal, which brought things back down to Earth for a more grounded espionage thriller. The new series has only just started, so now is the time to dive in for any future comics fans!