The Marvel Universe is full of some of the most recognizable and important characters to ever grace the shelves of the comic book world. While some of these characters are more iconic and well-known than others, there's always a chance for a less popular character to rise up and get to the top of the charts with a later installment.
This was the case with T'Challa, otherwise known as the Black Panther. Not only is Black Panther one of the most important heroes out there and a very early member of the Avengers, but he is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most important heroes that will surely go down in history. He also has one of the most underrated group of villains in the world of Marvel that deserve the revival he was given through the MCU.
10 King Cadaver
Cadaver is a relatively underrated and underused villain of the Marvel Universe but is actually a big villain of the Black Panther's early days despite only having a few appearances.
After being changed by radiation into a psychic powered monster, Cadaver joined the army of Killmonger with the goal of taking down the Wakandan king.
9 Nakia Shauku
Nakia is one of the weaker enemies of the Black Panther but boasts one of the most interesting storylines among the bunch. Nakia was once seen as the biggest fan of the Black Panther, even going as far as being obsessed with the king of Wakanda. She was very open about even wanting to marry him and even nearly drowned herself just to have him save her.
She ended up tortured and almost by another villain of the Panther and was saved by Killmonger who restored her and recruited her to his team, renaming her Malice. This led her to gather a weapons arsenal including a drug similar to that of Poison Ivy's love/obsessive gas. Malice was tracked down by the Panther in order for him to get the antidote to save her victims but when he least expected it she gained the upper hand and vanished.
8 Helmut Zemo
Baron Von Zemo may not be a Black Panther exclusive villain but he is very important to the king's rogue's gallery, which is noticeable with his small bout and tied fate with T'Challa in the MCU.
Not only was Zemo the second villain that Black Panther ever fought in the comics, but he also is basically the anti-thesis to the Black Panther. Many see Zemo as one of the most unlawful and tyrannical leaders there is in Marvel, while they see T'Challa as the opposite once he grows to the occasion and truly learns to take to the throne of Wakanda.
7 Zenzi
Zenzi has the power to read and completely control the emotions of multiple different people at once. This power even gives her the ability to push a human past their limits, meaning she can even make a super army out of the weakest of soldiers.
This is one amazing ability many have noticed in her as she's teamed up and been recruited by a myriad of different enemies of the Black Panther including Tetu, Doctor Faustus, Baron Zemo, Hydra, and Changmire.
6 Tetu
Tetu was once a student at a Wakandan academy, however, he left to gain greater knowledge to propel himself past the knowledge of the physical realm. What he found was in the Wakandan wild: The ability to manipulate nature.
While he decided to use his power to punish the rich who used the little people he ended up on the radical path of beginning the rebel Wakandan group, the People, and went on with an attempt to overthrow the king of Wakanda, the Black Panther. He went to great lengths to defame and wage war against the king with his new allies but was eventually overtaken by Black Panther and his new allies, the souls of Necropolis. He has since returned many times with new allies to take on T'Challa again.
5 Achebe
Many look at Achebe as one of the most iconic villains of the Black Panther. He is a creation of one of the Black Panther's best writers, Christopher Priest and many fans call him "The Joker of the Black Panther." which speaks volumes to his icon status in the comic series.
Achebe has a great taste for murder and cruelty with a master's in manipulation. This silver tongued snake is one of the greatest threats there is to Wakanda.
4 Klaw
Ulysses Klaw is one of the first names that comes to mind when it comes to villains of the Black Panther and for a good reason.
Klaw and the Black Panther's history goes back to before Klaw's transformation and continues even until now. This history was one of the reasons he had to appear in the Panther's big MCU film.
3 White Wolf
White Wolf is one of the villains that is in talks to appear next in the MCU. He is an adopted brother of T'Challa but differs from him with his large military beliefs which puts the two at opposite ends.
While not as villainous as others, White Wolf still stands as a huge oppositional threat in the face of the Black Panther.
2 M'Baku
M'Baku, better known as the Man-Ape is the greatest rival to T'Challa. This villain is one that is the direct opposite of Black Panther who's rivalry extends even as far back to before he became king
This was seen with his role in the Black Panther film as well.
1 Killmonger
There's no way anyone can tower over Killmonger as the Black Panther's more fearsome foe. Killmonger's status as top dog wasn't just started by the Black Panther film, but was moreso just amazingly captured for his theatrical appearance.
Killmonger has even gone as far as to harness the power of the symbiote, becoming N'jadaka after his death in order to take over Wakanda and defeat T'Challa.