Black Panther (character)
Black Panther is a prominent comic book character introduced by Marvel Comics in the 1960s, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He is the king and protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, which is renowned for its advanced technology and the rare metal vibranium. The Black Panther title can be earned through ritual combat, but T'Challa, the son of the previous Black Panther, T'Chaka, has primarily held the role. T'Challa's story begins when he returns to Wakanda after studying abroad and defeats his uncle to assume the mantle following his father's death. The character has played significant roles in various Marvel storylines, including joining the Avengers and addressing social issues like racism.
Despite facing fluctuating popularity over the decades, Black Panther saw a renaissance in the late 1990s and was revitalized in 2005. He gained global recognition with his portrayal by Chadwick Boseman in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly in the 2018 film "Black Panther," which became a cultural phenomenon and earned critical acclaim. Following Boseman's passing, the franchise transitioned to exploring new narratives, with the 2022 sequel, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," focusing on T'Challa's sister, Shuri, as the new Black Panther.
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Black Panther (character)
Black Panther is a comic book character first developed in the 1960s by the legendary Marvel Comics team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Black Panther came about because Kirby realized that Marvel did not have any Black characters, despite the fact that many of the company’s readers were Black. The Black Panther is a warrior and protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, a technologically advanced country powered by a mysterious metal known as vibranium. Although the title of Black Panther can be earned by anyone through ritual combat, for most of the comic’s existence, the role has been filled by T’Challa, the king of Wakanda. Since the character’s debut, the Black Panther has not only protected the people of his nation but has also joined the Avengers in defeating threats to the universe and has battled societal issues such as racism.
Background
According to the mythology established in the comics, thousands of years ago, a large meteorite carrying a strange metal crashed in the east African region that would become Wakanda. The metal, known as vibranium, is nearly indestructible and has the unique ability to store kinetic energy. The ancient people who encountered the metal became sick from radiation poisoning, so the region’s chief created the Black Panther cult to keep people away. The leader of that cult was known as the Black Panther. Eventually, the people of the region learned to safely harness the power of vibranium.
Over time, the various tribes of the region joined together to form Wakanda, a nation bordering Lake Victoria and protected by a ring of mountains. Using the power of vibranium, Wakanda became a technologically advanced nation. This power, coupled with its geography, allowed Wakanda to remain isolated and fend off foreign invaders. During the race to colonize Africa in the nineteenth century, Wakanda was the only nation on the continent to avoid foreign control.
The Black Panther was seen as Wakanda’s protector as well as its political and spiritual leader. When a Black Panther dies or gives up the position, the next older heir is chosen as successor. However, to earn the title, the successor must undergo a grueling series of trials that includes climbing Mount Kanda to find a heart-shaped herb. This herb gives those who consume it enhanced strength and agility. Furthermore, the chosen successor must also compete in ritual combat should anyone wish to challenge them for the role of Black Panther.
Overview
Black characters have appeared in comic books since the 1930s, but those characters were almost always relegated to supporting roles and were often portrayed using negative stereotypes. The first Black superhero was introduced in 1947, when Black Philadelphia journalist Orrin Cromwell Evans published All-Negro Comics #1, a forty-eight-page collection of stories created by an all-Black staff of writers and artists. Among the characters was Lion Man, an African scientist and warrior assigned to protect uranium deposits in his West African nation. Evans had hoped the issue would provide an opportunity for Black writers and artists to tell stories important to them, but he was never able to publish a second issue because of the prevailing racism of the day.
In the years after the successes of the civil rights movement, artist Jack Kirby at Marvel Comics realized that the company did not have any Black superheroes, despite a good portion of its readership being Black. He and editor Stan Lee created the character of the Black Panther and introduced him in the 1966 issue of Fantastic Four #52. In the comic, Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, is presented with a highly advanced flying vehicle as a gift from the Black Panther.
Initially, Black Panther served as a supporting character for the Fantastic Four. His real name was T’Challa, the son of the Wakandan king, T’Chaka, who had been the Black Panther. While T’Challa was attending college overseas, T’Chaka was killed by Ulysses Klaw, a villain who was obsessed with vibranium. T’Challa returned home and defeated his uncle in the ritual challenge to become the next Black Panther. T’Challa used his intellect to forge alliances with foreign nations and other superheroes, eventually defeating Klaw and increasing Wakanda’s influence in the world. In 1968, Black Panther began working with the Avengers, adopting an alter-ego as a Harlem schoolteacher named Luke Charles. He eventually became disillusioned with the Avengers’ methods and left the group.
Months after Lee and Kirby created the Black Panther, a radical African American political movement known as the Black Panther Party was founded in California. Marvel worried its character would become associated with the group and briefly changed the superhero’s name to the Black Leopard, but the company soon reconsidered.
The Black Panther was given his own comic in 1973 in Marvel’s Jungle Action series. In addition to fighting villains such as Erik Killmonger, a former Wakandan seeking revenge for the death of his parents, the Black Panther took on more modern threats as well, battling the racist Ku Klux Klan in one story arc.
In 1977, the Black Panther was finally given a comic series that bore his name. The initial Black Panther series lasted for three years before the character’s popularity faded in the 1980s. In the late 1990s, Marvel released Marvel Knights, a series of standalone comics featuring individual characters within the Marvel universe. Under the direction of Christopher Priest, the first full-time Black writer at Marvel, Black Panther was reintroduced in a popular sixty-two-issue series that showcased T’Challa’s desire to protect his homeland in the face of both inside and outside threats. In 2005, Reginald Hudlin took over for Priest and reimagined T’Challa’s origin story. In the process, he transformed Wakanda into the most technologically powerful nation on Earth, thanks to its supply of vibranium.
In 2016, Black Panther was introduced into the Marvel cinematic universe with a supporting role in the film Captain America: Civil War. Two years later, he received his own film, Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman portrayed the title character. The film was enormously successful, grossing more than $1.3 billion worldwide and earning several Academy Award nominations. Boseman’s starring turn was praised by critics and beloved by fans, but his untimely death from cancer in 2020 forced the franchise to go in a new direction. In the 2022 sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, T’Challa’s sister Shuri, played by actress Letitia Wright, took up the mantle of the Black Panther.
Bibliography
“Black Panther.” Marvel, 2023, www.marvel.com/characters/black-panther-t-challa/in-comics. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Mattimore, Ryan. “The Real History Behind the Black Panther.” History.com, 2 Oct. 2023, www.history.com/news/the-real-history-behind-the-black-panther. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
McSweeney, Terence. Black Panther: Interrogating a Cultural Phenomenon. U P of Mississippi, 2021.
Miller, Joshua N. “Who Is the Black Panther?” National Museum of African American History and Culture, nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/who-black-panther. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Peters, Micah. “The Evolution of Marvel’s ‘Black Panther.’” The Ringer, 14 Feb. 2018, www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2018/2/14/17012374/marvel-black-panther-comics-history. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Smith, Jamil. “The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther.” Time, 19 Feb. 2018, time.com/black-panther/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Tai, Gooden. “The Brief History of Lion Man, the First Black Superhero.” Nerdist, 3 Feb. 2022, nerdist.com/article/history-of-lion-man-first-black-superhero-all-negro-comics-orrin-evans/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
“Wakanda.” Marvel, 2023, www.marvel.com/places-locations/wakanda. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.