So, I have to say lately I have found myself thinking about Black Panther a lot. In all fairness this probably has a lot to do with the sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman in August. I usually am not too greatly affected by the deaths of famous people.
It's not to say that I
am not saddened a little, but they tend not to hit me too deep. In fact, at the start of August, the only two I had felt on a more personal level were David Bowie and Prince, two people who had greatly influenced my taste in music.
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| David Bowie and Prince in Quello |
Then the news about Boseman hit, and the same pang I had felt when Bowie and Prince passed away returned. In what it's fair to say hasn't been the greatest year for anyone, this just felt like too much.
Given that my first introduction to Boseman was as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War it felt like I was hearing about the death of the Panther himself. This was only further compounded when you realise that he worked on a lot of his later projects while quietly fighting the cancer that ultimately killed him, like a hero.
And so we're back to Black Panther.
The thing is, I know a lot of people felt like I did. That we hadn't just been told a phenomenal actor had died, but that The Panther had fallen. We had lost the King. Unfair as it may be given that he has given great performances as Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall, The Black Panther will be the role that Boseman is forever linked with.
The first thing on people's lips when they talk of his legacy.
So who is the Black Panther? What are the origins of Boseman's iconic role? Well allow me to be your guide through the history and lore of one of Marvel Comics most iconic characters.
Firstly you have to understand one simple thing, The Black Panther is more than a character. It is a mantle running throughout the history of the African nation of Wakanda. The right to be the Black Panther must be earned by completing a series of trials, with the title being semi-hereditary as the trials are open only to the head of The Panther Tribe, which is also The Wakandan Royal family.
Once the trials are successfully completed then a new Black Panther is proclaimed.
A meteorite made of the rare
metal Vibranium crashed into prehistoric Wakanda. Vibranium,which cancels out vibrations,is crafted into battle suit
complete with Claws and is worn by all who become the Panther, essentially making them indestructible. A Heart Shaped Herb, ingested by the those who become the Panther gives them enhanced senses as well. All Black Panthers are the peak of human physical conditioning.
This also has allowed Wakanda as a whole to achieve a level of technological advancement that has allowed it to easily resist colonisation at the hands of outside powers. This in turn has had a massive impact on Wakandan culture.
For the purpose of this blog, we are going to be looking at the most iconic iteration of The Black Panther, the one brought to life by Boseman on the silver screen. T'Challa. T'Challa is the son of the previous Panther T'Chaka, and N'Yami who dies giving birth to him.
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| Exhibition Black Panther, entry article from the Times Digital Archive |
When T'Challa is young his father foils an attempt by a mercenary called Ulysses Klaw to try and seize the Vibranium in Wakanda. However it ultimately costs T'Chaka his life, leaving Wakanda without a king and protector, while leaving T'Challa an orphan. At the time he is too young to rule, and has yet to complete his right of passage before he can do the trials and become the Black Panther. While T'Challa sets off on his right of passage it is agreed his uncle S'yan will serve as regent and Black Panther in his absence.
As he sets off on his right of passage T'Challa explores the continent, crossing paths with a young Ororo Munro (aka the future Storm of the X-Men) in Cairo, the two fall in love. However duty calls, T'Challa reluctantly returns to Wakanda to complete the trials, beat the other tribal champions of Wakanda, and claim his place as The Black Panther. Once this is done he boldly disbands the Hatut Zeraze (the Wakandan secret police), replacing them with The Dora Milaje, women picked from the various Wakandan tribes to serves as ceremonial brides, and more importantly, his elite bodyguards.
It is after these events that T'Challa enters the Marvel Universe, inviting The Fantastic Four (FF) to Wakanda under the pretense of showing them the advance science of Wakanda. The plan is however for him to test himself against the might of the FF to see if he is truly ready to face his father's killer. He cannot however counter the FF's team work, and after explaining himself to the FF they aid him in defeating Klaw.
Later, T'Challa returns the favour, helping the FF against Psychoman.
This exposure to the wider superhero community leads to T'Challa being invited to join The Avengers. Accepting membership to the team, T'Challa plans to use it as an opportunity to covertly observe Earth's Mightiest Heroes so he can assess if they pose a threat to his Kingdom. His time on the team however sees him won over by The Avengers, in the process becoming not only one of the most consistent members of the team but also incredibly integral to it. T'Challa is ultimately so dedicated to the team that he reveals his identity to the world on American Television.
All is not well at home, with his country on the edge of Civil War T'Challa finds himself facing off with the man who would go on to be his recurring and most prominent enemy, Erik Killmonger. After beating Killmonger he is offered an American security aid called Everett Ross. Everett aids T'Challa in defending Wakanda, with the two forming a close bond that sees T'Challa go above and beyond for Ross. T'Challa faces off against Killmonger again, this time with the mantle of The Black Panther up for grabs. Despite beating T'Challa Killmonger falls into a coma when ingesting the Heart Shaped Herb, which it turns out is poisonous to anyone outside the Royal family who have built up a genetic resistance after generations of ingesting the plant.
Not long after being warned about a terminal brain aneurysm he will have by a future version of himself, T'Challa starts to suffer from hallucinations and bouts of mental instability. Concerned about his ability to govern Wakanda he hands power over to his advisory council and secludes himself in New York City, abandoning the mantle of The Black Panther. However after NYC Police Officer Kasper Cole finds an abandoned Panther costume T'Challa decides to mentor Cole. After guiding Cole T'Challa decides that rather than stay hidden in New York he needs to return home to face his illness and reclaim his mantle. After recovering he rejoins The Avengers full-time.
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| Entry for Cyborg from Credo Reference |
Things don't stay calm for too long as T'Challa faces the threat of a US backed coup via them sending in Klaw and a collection supervillains in to Wakanda to cause chaos while offering to 'assist' T'Challa by sending in an army of Deathlok Cyborgs. However with a little help from his former childhood sweetheart Storm in defeating the combined threats, and tentatively they rekindle their romance.
After helping Storm find and reconnect with her long lost family in Kenya and The United States, T'Challa pops the question and Storm says yes leading to one of the biggest weddings the Marvel Universe has ever seen. However the happy couple find their celebrations taking place against the backdrop of the Superhero Civil War, leading to a very awkward atmosphere amongst the guests, many of whom have been fighting each other over the Superhuman Registration Act. T'Challa even attempts to broker a peace between his former fellow Avengers, who just happen to be the leaders of the opposing sides, Captain America and Iron Man but fails to achieve anything.
T'Challa, a statue, Jake's collection
As T'Challa and his new wife Storm engage on a world tour that sees them meet the US President, Doctor Doom of Latveria, the Inhumans on Attilan, and lastly Namor Prince of Atlantis. Panther keeps an eye on the unfolding Civil War, and after the death of the anti-registration Goliath at the hands of the Pro-Registration side feels himself compelled to support Captain America's side during the final battle as T'Challa finds himself concerned by the methods used by Iron Man.
As a result of the final confrontation between Captain America and Iron Man The Wakandan Embassy is damaged during the conflict. Needing a temporary base while it's repaired T'Challa and Storm relocate to The Baxter Building (HQ for the FF). The Royal Couple also agree to cover for Reed and Sue Richards as members of The Fantastic Four while the two take a leave of absence. When they return T'Challa heads back to Wakanda, only to be confronted by a revived Killmonger, who he defeats once more, only to then be confronted by an invasion by the shapeshifting alien Skrulls.
I mean, there's a reason Wakanda has never been conquered.
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| An article on Black Panthers in the UK from the Times Digital Archive |
In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion T'Challa is invited by Namor to
join the villainous Cabal formed by Norman Osborn. After refusing he is
attacked by another Cabal member in the form of Doctor Doom. This attack
leaves T'Challa injured and in a coma, and his younger sister Shuri
takes over the mantle of The Black Panther.
When he's recovered T'Challa loses access to the powers bestowed on him
by the Wakandan Panther God Bast. With the help of the sorcerer
Zawavari T'Challa makes a pact with a different Panther deity who grants
him a heightened version of his old powers, plus increased resistance
to magic.
It's with these powers that T'Challa beats Doom finally, and renders all the processed Vibranium in the country inert to prevent Doom from using, as well as giving his people a chance to rebuild without being so reliant on the metal.
T'Challa becomes deeply involved in the events of Avengers Vs X-Men, being repowered by Bast to act as Shuri's second in preparation for the upcoming conflict. During the war between the two sides a cosmically powered Namor floods Wakanda, leading to serious destruction. The events of this, combined with his wife siding with the X-Men lead to him annulling his marriage to Storm.
After discovering that the multiverse is dying due to events called incursions, where two different Earth's universes intersect, resulting in one or both of the respective Earth's universes being destroyed T'Challa reforms the Illuminati, a group of heroes who have kind of covertly influenced many key events in the marvel universe. As Doctor Doom uses these events to create a world which he rules over as a god king T'Challa spear heads part of the resistance and aids in the overthrow of Doom and the creation of a new Multiverse.
This post is continued here in part 2
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