Black Panther facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black Panther |
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Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto.
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | T'Challa |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Place of origin | Wakanda, Africa |
| Team affiliations |
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| Partnerships | Storm Shuri |
| Notable aliases | King of the Dead Mr. Okonkwo |
| Abilities |
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Black Panther is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist-coplotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966) in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Black Panther's real name is T'Challa, and he is depicted as the king and protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Along with possessing enhanced abilities achieved through ancient Wakandan rituals of drinking the essence of the heart-shaped herb, T'Challa also relies on his proficiency in science, expertise in his nation's traditions, rigorous physical training, hand-to-hand combat skills, and access to wealth and advanced Wakandan technology to combat his enemies.
Black Panther is the first protagonist of African descent in mainstream American comics, having debuted years before early black superheroes such as Marvel Comics' the Falcon (1969), Luke Cage (1972), and Blade (1973) or DC Comics' John Stewart in the role of Green Lantern (1971). In one comic book storyline, the Black Panther mantle is handled by Kasper Cole, a multiracial New York City police officer. Beginning as an impersonator, Cole would later take on the moniker of White Tiger and become an ally to T'Challa. The role of Black Panther and leadership of Wakanda was also given to T'Challa's sister Shuri while he was in a coma for a short time.
Black Panther has made numerous appearances in various television shows, animated films and video games. Chadwick Boseman portrayed T'Challa in Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's films: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and voiced alternate versions of the character in the first season of the animated series What If...? (2021); while Letitia Wright, who played Shuri in previous MCU films, took over the Black Panther mantle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
Contents
Powers and abilities
The title "Black Panther" is a rank of office, chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan. As chieftain, the Panther is entitled to consume a special heart-shaped herb which, in addition to his mystical, shamanistic connection with the Wakandan Panther Goddess Bast, grants him superhumanly acute senses, enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability, healing, and reflexes.
He has since lost this connection and forged a new one with another unknown Panther deity, granting him augmented physical attributes as well as a resistance to magic. His senses are so powerful that he can pick up a prey's scent and memorize tens of thousands of individual ones. Following his war with Doom, T'Challa loses his enhanced abilities only to once again establish a connection with the Panther Goddess. In addition to the resurgence of his now-superhuman abilities, he is anointed "King of the Dead", granting him the power and knowledge of all the past Black Panthers as well as the ability to control the undead. After Battleworld and the resurgence of the Multiverse, T'Challa eventually showcased new powers in regards to his King of the Dead status, for not only could he reanimate the dead, but summon departed spirits into the physical world with tangible form as well. Using these spiritual energies also enables him to conjure a mystical spear of glowing blue energy to his hand.
T'Challa worked with his sorcerer, Zawavari, to endow T'Challa with immunity to mystical attacks and detection in order to defeat Dr. Doom. When T'Challa's alchemical upgrade was tested by means of Wakanda's most powerful acolytes attacking T'Challa in unison, each mystical attack was absorbed and only served to strengthen T'Challa. During these preparations, T'Challa invented a potent mystical-scientific hybrid art called "shadow physics" and was able to use it to craft shadow weapons and to track vibranium on a quantum level.
As king of Wakanda, the Panther has access to a vast collection of magical artifacts, advanced Wakandan technological and military hardware, and the support of his nation's wide array of scientists, warriors, and mystics. The Wakandan military has been described as one of the most powerful on Earth.
He is a skilled hunter, tracker, strategist, politician, inventor, and scientist. He has a PhD in physics from Oxford University. He is an expert physicist, proficient in advanced technology, and is also an inventor. T'Challa has been granted the strength and knowledge of every past Black Panther.
The chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan is one of the wealthiest people in the world, although financial estimates are difficult given Wakanda's isolation from the world's economy and the uncertain value of Wakanda's vast vibranium reserves and extremely advanced technologies.
T'Challa is rigorously trained in acrobatics and hand-to-hand combat. He is skilled in various forms of unarmed combat, with a unique hybrid fighting style that incorporates acrobatics and aspects of animal mimicry.
Suit
T'Challa's attire is the sacred vibranium costume of the Wakandan Panther Cult. In Black Panther vol. 3, writer Christopher Priest expanded the Panther's day-to-day arsenal to include equipment such as an "energy dagger", a vibranium-weave suit, and a portable supercomputer, the "Kimoyo card". In Black Panther vol. 4, writer Reginald Hudlin introduced such specialized equipment as "thrice-blessed armor" and "light armor" for specific tasks, and for a short while outfitted him with the Ebony Blade of the Black Knight. In Black Panther vol. 6, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze introduced a new suit for T'Challa that allows him to absorb kinetic energy and redistribute it as energy bursts.
Other Black Panthers
The mantle of the Black Panther is passed down from generation to generation among the rulers of Wakanda although it must still be deserved through a severe selection involving the best warriors of the nation.
Mosi
Mosi is the Black Panther of 1,000,000 BC who appeared for the first time in Marvel Legacy #1 (November 2017). Mosi is part of the Avengers, along with Agamotto, Lady Phoenix, Odin, and prehistoric versions of Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, and Star Brand. The Stone Age Avengers defeated the Fallen and sealed it underground in what would become South Africa.
Olumo Bashenga
Olumo Bashenga appeared for the first time in Black Panther #7 (January 1978) by Jack Kirby (scripts and drawings). Wise warrior at the head of the Panther Tribe, according to legends, during the tumult where the vibranium meteorite fell on the soil of the village, then composed of various warring clans, he gathered all the aforementioned under his guide to defeating the inhabitants transformed by the impact into fierce "demonic spirits", a company which has unified the nation by founding Wakanda and becoming its first ruler and the first to obtain the title of "Black Panther" as it tells of his "spiritual connection" with the Panther Goddess Bast that led to the foundation of the Cult of the Panther.
Nehanda
During the 11th century, Nehanda was among the heroes of that time that became a member of the A.D. 1000's version of the Avengers.
Nehanda was among the ghosts that T'Challa summoned for consul.
T'Chanda (Azzuri the Wise)
T'Chanda aka Chanda, Azzari, Azzaria or Azzuri the Wise was the Black Panther and ruler of Wakanda during the Second World War, Chanda is the husband of Nanali and father of T'Chaka and S'Yan; distinguished by an excessively good and compassionate nature, he welcomed the Nazi colonel Fritz Klaue after he crashed into his reign due to a plane crash. Over time, the two make a kind of friendship and Klaue develops a strong obsession with the culture of Wakanda coming to try to convince them to make their religion deist rather than spiritist, which causes a strong friction between him and Chanda culminating in the death of Nanali by the Nazi and in its subsequent expulsion from the country.
He is well known for easily outmatching his ally Captain America and repelling Nazi super-powered invasion forces from their invasion during World War II.
He was first mentioned as Azzari the Wise in Black Panther #1 (October, 1976), wrriten and illustrated by Jack Kirby. Appears for the first time in Fantastic Four Unlimited #1 (March 1993) by Roy Thomas (scripts) and Herb Trimpe (drawings), where he was called Chanda.
T'Chaka
T'Chaka appeared for the first time in Fantastic Four #53 (August 1966) by Stan Lee (script) and Jack Kirby (art). The eldest son of King Azzuri and Queen Nanali, T'Chaka inherits the throne and the title of the Black Panther on his father's death by being helped in his monarch duties by his younger brother and trusted adviser S'Yan. After having married a woman named N'Yami, believing she cannot have children, he adopts a child with her, Hunter; however, she later becomes pregnant and dies giving birth to her first child, T'Challa; from the relationship with a woman of another tribe T'Chaka then has a second son, Jakarra, and finally remarries with Ramonda, with whom he has his only daughter, Shuri. When Ramonda subsequently disappears into nothingness, leading him to believe that he has been abandoned, he raises his children alone. To protect the kingdom, T'Chaka instituted a policy of strong isolationism, but in the course of his life he often collaborated with agents of the U.S. government. He is killed by Ulysses Klaw after having surprised him when he was trying to illegally extract vibranium in his kingdom.
S'Yan
S'Yan the Fast first appeared in Black Panther vol. 4 #2 (May 2005) and was created by Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr. The second son of King Azzuri and Queen Nanali, S'Yan is T'Chaka's younger and trusted advisor. Although he has no desire to reign, he agrees to ascend the throne after his brother's death until his nephew T'Challa becomes an adult and becomes one of the most beloved monarchs in the history of Wakanda. When T'Challa returns home and obtains the title of the Black Panther, he gladly returns to being a royal adviser. He dies during the war with Latveria defending Ramonda from the soldiers of Doctor Doom.
Erik Killmonger / N'Jadaka
In Black Panther vol. 3 #15 (February 2000), Erik Killmonger challenges and beats T'Challa in a duel for the throne, overthrowing him as king of Wakanda and taking on the role as the Black Panther. He becomes comatose after attempting to ingest the heart-shaped herb to acquire the Black Panther's powers, as he is not of royal blood. Killmonger's time as king is short-lived however, as he is killed by Monica Rambeau during T'Challa's attack to reclaim Wakanda.
Shuri
When T'Challa ends up in a coma because of Doctor Doom, Shuri becomes his substitute as the Black Panther and queen of Wakanda which, after the rise of her half-brother to "king of the dead" creates, for the first time in history, two avatars of the Panther Goddess.
In other media
Television
- T'Challa / Black Panther appears in a Marvel Animation and BET produced self-titled TV series, voiced by Djimon Hounsou.
- Black Panther appeared in Fantastic Four, voiced by Keith David. In the episode "Prey of the Black Panther", he enlists the Fantastic Four to help him save Wakanda from Klaw's invasion. He also makes a cameo appearance in the episode "Hopelessly Impossible".
- The Black Panther makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in X-Men.
- While he does not appear in The Avengers: United They Stand, the Black Panther appears in the comic book series based on the show.
- A younger version of T'Challa / Black Panther appears in Iron Man: Armored Adventures, voiced by Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman. In the episode "Panther's Prey", he seeks vengeance against his father's killer, Moses Magnum, though he encounters Iron Man along the way. He returns in the episode "Line of Fire" and the two-part series finale "The Makluan Invasion".
- T'Challa / Black Panther appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "Tremble at the Might of... M.O.D.O.K.!", voiced by Taye Diggs. This version is in a relationship with Storm.
- T'Challa / Black Panther appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, voiced by James C. Mathis III. His origin is told in the episode "The Man in the Ant Hill", wherein he becomes Black Panther after Man-Ape kills his father T'Chaka in combat with Klaw's unseen help. In "Panther's Quest", T'Challa makes himself known to the Avengers to enlist their help in avenging T'Chaka and joins them. However, in "Who Do You Trust?", T'Challa leaves the team due to his uncertainty of his teammates and his need to protect Wakanda from the Skrulls. He rejoins the team in "Behold ... The Vision!" after a battle with eponymous character. T'Challa was presumed dead in "Operation Galactic Storm" when he drove a Kree ship into the sun. However, T'Challa used its teleporter to reach a second Kree ship at the last minute, where he steals a smaller ship so he can rejoin the Avengers.
- T'Challa / Black Panther appears in Avengers Assemble, voiced again by James C. Mathis III. Introduced in the third-season episode "Panther's Rage", T'Challa speaks at an assembly before he is attacked by Crossbones, though the former joins forces with Captain America to defeat the latter before stealing Captain America's shield, claiming Howard Stark stole the Vibranium used in its construction. In response, Captain America brings in the Avengers to help him travel to Wakanda and take it back. During a confrontation with Ulysses Klaue, who stole the shield for his own ends, T'Challa learns T'Chaka voluntarily gave Stark the Vibranium. After they defeat Klaue, T'Challa changes his views on the Avengers, who offer him a reserve membership. In the two-part fourth season episode "Avengers No More", T'Challa helps found and lead the All-New, All-Different Avengers after the original team disappears, and becomes the focus of the fifth season Avengers: Black Panther's Quest.
- The fifth-season episodes "The Lost Temple", "Yemandi", and "Bashenga" also introduced past Black Panthers T'Chanda (voiced by Corey Jones), Yemandi (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), and Bashenga (voiced by Phil LaMarr) respectively.
- Black Panther appears in Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers, voiced by Mahito Ōba in the Japanese version and James C. Mathis III in the English version.
- Black Panther appears in Marvel Future Avengers, voiced again by Mahito Ōba in Japanese and James C. Mathis III in English.
- Black Panther appears in Spidey and His Amazing Friends, voiced by Tru Valentino.
Film
- The Black Panther appears in the Marvel Animated Features series of direct-to-DVD animated films. Like his father T'Chaka, this version has the ability to transform into an anthropomorphic black panther.
- He first appears in Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006), voiced by Jeffrey D. Sams.
- The Black Panther makes a non-speaking appearance in Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008). He joined the Avengers to defeat Ultron and gave his life to do so, though his legacy is survived by his and Storm's son, Azari.
- The Black Panther appears in Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda, voiced again by James C. Mathis III.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Chadwick Boseman portrayed T'Challa / Black Panther in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This version displays enhanced speed, agility, strength, and durability, which he gains from ingesting the heart-shaped herb, as in the comics. Additionally, his suit has retractable claws and is made of a Vibranium weave, which can deflect heavy machine gun fire and withstand explosive attacks. T'Challa appears in the live-action films Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Following his death, Boseman posthumously voices three alternate timeline versions of T'Challa in the first season of the Disney+ animated series What If...? In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), T'Challa's sister Shuri (portrayed by Letitia Wright) took over the mantle of the Black Panther.
Video games
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Phil LaMarr.
- Black Panther appears as an NPC in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, voiced by Tim Russ. He is playable in the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC versions and was originally a downloadable character for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
- Black Panther appears in Storm's ending for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in the MMORPG Marvel Heroes, voiced by James C. Mathis III.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by John Eric Bentley.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Avengers Alliance Tactics.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Contest of Champions.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Mighty Heroes.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Future Fight.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Disney Infinity 3.0.
- The MCU version of Black Panther appears as a downloadable playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers, as part of the "Civil War" pack. A DLC pack based on Classic Black Panther was later released for the game.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.
- Black Panther appears as a downloadable character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, with James C. Mathis III reprising his role.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Strike Force.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Powers United VR, voiced again by James C. Mathis III.
- Black Panther appears as a playable character in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced again by James C. Mathis III.
- Black Panther appears in Marvel Dimension of Heroes, voiced again by James C. Mathis III.
- Black Panther appears as a downloadable playable character in Marvel's Avengers, voiced and motion-captured by Christopher Judge. Square Enix originally planned to reveal the character's gameplay trailer instead of Kate Bishop's prior to the game's release, but they delayed and moved the trailer reveal schedule to a post-launch date out of respect for the late Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther's actor in the MCU) who died on August 28, 2020.
- Black Panther appears as a purchasable outfit in Fortnite Battle Royale.
Motion Comics
- The Black Panther appears in the 2014 animated motion comic film Marvel Knights: Wolverine vs. Sabretooth, voiced by Omari Newton. When Wolverine winds up in Africa, the Black Panther and Storm assist him.
- In 2016, Disney XD launched the motion comic "Black Panther in ... The Visitor" on its YouTube channel.
Books
Novels
- J. Holland, Jesse. Black Panther: Who is the Black Panther? (2017) ISBN: 9781302902674
- Jim McCann. Black Panther - The Junior Novel (2018) - novelization of the movie Black Panther. ISBN: 9780316413206
- Ronald L. Smith. Black Panther: The Young Prince ISBN: 9781484787649
See also
