Black Panthers

The Black Panther mantle comes with a three-fold duty: to be the monarch of Wakanda, the people’s spiritual leader, and finally, a masked protector. It’s an honor that passes down a long line of Wakandan royalty and a responsibility each Black Panther takes to heart. 

Panther Prime

The honor of the Black Panther begins ages ago: A Vibranium meteorite crashes to Earth near Wakanda in Africa. The tribe, led by Bashenga, begins examining the sound-absorbing sky-metal, but soon finds that overexposure would lead to a monstrous condition caused by Vibranium poisoning. Bashenga takes it upon himself to create the Panther Cult to keep his people safe from the strange metal, but also to keep outsiders away as well. Eventually, the Wakandans develop ways to work with the Vibranium that enhance their natural intelligence, inquisitiveness and warrior-like nature, allowing them to develop into a completely sovereign, highly advanced and never-conquered nation.

The Black Panther stands at the heart of this advancement, bestowing his own wisdom, but also using that which others covet to keep it protected. Bashenga’s title is passed down through his bloodline, but a potential Black Panther still needs to prove themselves mentally and physically capable of the responsibility, which entails not only leading the nation on a political level, but also a spiritual one as the human Black Panther reflects the glory and power of the Panther God itself. 

The Contemplative Warrior

Black Panther candidates must pass a variety of physical and mental challenges. To prepare, those in the bloodline are trained from a very young age to become peak human warriors and strategists. So, even before the individual becomes the Black Panther, they are already on par with—if not surpassing—the world's greatest athletes and combatants. At some point, the acquisition of the Heart-Shaped Herb becomes part of the process as well. Upon ingestion, the plant allows the aspirant to commune with the Panther God, who can deny them the mantle of Black Panther if they are found wanting. If not found wanting, the new Black Panther gains enhanced strength, speed, stamina, agility and senses.

As Wakanda develops more efficient and safe ways to work with Vibranium, the metal is incorporated more and more into the Panther's weaponry and their costume, allowing for even more offensive and defensive capabilities. Additionally, the Black Panther has been known to wield and possess a number of ceremonial weapons, including the Spear of Bashenga and the Skybreaker Sword. 

Additionally, by being the only nation to control Vibranium, Wakanda and its leader become incredibly important on the global scale. Even before T'Challa makes the nation fully public, some hear of Vibranium and attempt to attain some either through diplomatic or nefarious means. Now, as a major political player, the Black Panther has become powerful in a totally different arena.

The Royal Court

As the Black Panther, the individual serves as the political and spiritual leader of Wakanda. He or she also becomes the nation's main protector, who stands between the realm and anyone who intends to do it harm, often in an effort to acquire Vibranium. The Panther is generally revered by the people, but that has not stopped a number of threats from both within and without. Wakanda's status as an insular, technologically advanced society has drawn the enmity of the United States government, the Nazi regime and even nearby tribes, like the one devoted to the White Ape. During the 20th and 21st centuries, enemies like Johann Shmidt, AKA Red Skull, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, AKA Baron Strucker, Ulysses Klaw, AKA Klaw, Victor Von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, Mephisto, Erik Killmonger, AKA Killmonger and many more discover what it means to make a true enemy of the Black Panther. 

However, the Black Panther does not serve alone. He is protected by a group of warrior women known as the Dora Milaje (or "Adored Ones") that draws its members from all of the tribes of Wakanda. These women are also considered potential Queens if the Black Panther is not yet married, though that qualification gets called into question in modern times.

Not all of the Black Panther's agents are as public and prominent as the Dora Milaje, though. He or she also employs a worldwide spy ring that gathers intelligence for the Black Panther's eyes only. Additionally, the Dogs of War, AKA Hatut Zeraze, serve as the secret police. Though they are kicked out of Wakanda for a time, they are reintegrated as another arm of the Black Panther's network. 

Though often insular and separated from the rest of the world, Black Panthers are known to join forces with other super-powered beings to defend the planet. In the Stone Age, a Black Panther serves with the Ancient Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. and his modern day counterpart does the same relatively early in his tenure. Currently, T'Challa not only leads the modern incarnation of the Avengers, but also uses Wakanda to bankroll the world-wide life-saving and threat-stopping operation. He even creates a support team known as the Agents of Wakanda that includes Janet Van Dyne, AKA the Wasp, Kevin Plunder, AKA Ka-Zar, Kenneth Kale, AKA Gorilla Man, Broo and others who help facilitate missions, gather intel and perform ops to quell problems before they draw the attention of the main team. Individual heroes and other teams come to know and respect the Black Panther like the Fantastic Four, Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, Sam Wilson, AKA Falcon, Luke Cage, Misty Knight and many others. 

A Carefully Guarded History

Given Wakanda's private nature for centuries, many of the Black Panthers' names remain a mystery to the wider world. However, Bashenga has been noted as the first Black Panther. He secured the Vibranium, protected his people from its ill effects and oversaw experimentation on the metal. In many ways, he set the stage for everything that a Black Panther would be going forward. 

The mantle is passed down through the bloodline, but the candidate still must prove themselves worthy by performing a number of challenges to test their mental and physical mettle. Trials include walking barefoot across fire, dodging arrows, meditating in a pit with scorpions for six hours and free-climbing a mountain and then moving through fierce animals to acquire the Heart-Shaped Herb. This plant presents the potentate to Panther God, who can either approve or disapprove of them becoming the next leader of Wakanda. If successful, the new Black Panther will be blessed with enhanced stamina, strength, speed and senses. It's unclear exactly when the Heart-Shaped Herb was discovered and integrated into the Black Panther ritual, but it has been hypothesized that it exists in part because of the Vibranium, which mutated the pre-existing plant.

Even when a person becomes the Black Panther, the job is not guaranteed to them. Each year on Challenge Day any Wakandan can attempt to best their leader in physical contest.

An Ever-Changing World

For centuries, Black Panthers ruled Wakanda, opting to keep the nation and its Vibranium as much of a secret from the rest of the world as possible. In their isolation and backed by the miracle metal, Wakanda developed into the most technologically and socially advanced societies around, though they still dealt with the kinds of internal strife that comes from any place. Given that secret nature, many of the Black Panthers remain a secret to the outside world, but we do know of T'Konda the Wall, Hu'Nahn the Defiant, Benhazin, Mamadou Fall, Nehanda, Negus and several glimpsed, but publicly unnamed versions as well. 

Around World War II, Azzuri the Wise, AKA Black Panther, found himself dealing with the increasingly volatile situation brewing between the Axis and Allies which found both sides attempting to get their hands on Vibranium. During this time he met and befriended Captain America, Gabriel “Gabe” Jones of the Howling Commandos and Namor McKenzie, AKA Namor the Submariner, but also faced off against vile villains Red Skull, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Master Man, Warrior Woman, and Tiger Man. While he decided to keep Wakanda out of the war, Azzuri also gave a chunk of Vibranium to Captain America under the promise that he would not explain where it came from to the U.S. government. Rogers did exactly that and the sample was used to create his mighty shield, which has been used to save reality and everything in time and time again. 

The Father of Two Black Panthers

Azzuri's oldest son T'Chaka became the Black Panther after him. He married a brilliant scientist named N'Yami who advanced the field of Vibranium research to a great degree. She also gave birth to T'Challa who would become the first Black Panther known to the wider world. Before his son was born, T'Chaka adopted a white child he named Hunter, who was initially jealous of T'Challa, but went on to become the head of the Hatut Zeraze, known as White Wolf. N'Yami passed away a week after giving birth and T'Chaka eventually married a woman named Ramonda, who helped raise T'Challa. She gave birth to Shuri, who also became Black Panther down the line.

T'Chaka served well as king, until a man named Ulysses Klaw demanded Vibranium for his own nefarious purposes. The Black Panther opposed him, but when Klaw aimed his sonic gun at T'Challa and fired, T’Chakabut father jumped in the way to protect his son and was killed. T'Challa attacked Klaw, but the villain escaped. In the wake of T'Chaka's death his brother S'Yan took over because of the prince's youth. 

The World Famous Black Panther

Unlike many of his predecessors, T'Challa left Wakanda to travel the world and learn from other cultures. Along the way, he happened to meet a young woman named Ororo Munroe, who would eventually become Storm of the X-Men. This time away gave T'Challa a different take on global affairs than previous kings, who gained much of their knowledge through the Wakandan spy network. 

T'Challa eventually returned home and, on Challenge Day, donned a mask and bested his uncle S'Yan, taking his rightful place on the throne as the Black Panther. On that day, Shuri also intended to make her claim on the throne, but was stopped by a very large man being thrown from the ring and landing on her.

T'Challa differed from many of the previous kings in another way, by making Wakanda known to more outsiders. When the nation was being overrun with mysterious monsters, he reached out to the then-relatively new Fantastic Four who helped them track down the source: Klaw!

Going several steps further, T'Challa decided to fully reveal Wakanda's existence. He even allowed representatives from the United Nations to tour the capital before speaking to the General Assembly where he spoke of creating "trust beyond borders" with other nations. As expected, this also brought about as much ill and good will, but it also opened the Black Panther up to the widening world of Super Heroes. Constantly drawn to the wider world, T'Challa left behind his kingly duties to join the Avengers. He initially went to gather inside information on these powerful individuals, but came to respect these heroes much like his grandfather had done when he met Captain America during WWII. During this time, he even took on a civilian identity as Harlem teacher Luke Charles. T'Challa eventually returned to his throne, but has never fully given up the life of a costumed Super Hero.

After many more victories and battles, T'Challa finally began focusing on his personal life and asked Ororo to become his queen. She agreed and the pair were wed in a beautiful ceremony. However, the happiness would not last as Doctor Doom began devising a play to get his hands on the Vibranium.

A New Panther Prowls

After T'Challa understandably denied a formal request from the Latverian leader, the villain attacked his fellow monarch and nearly killed him. With T'Challa out of commission, protocols went into motion that placed political power in the Queen's hands and she nominated Shuri as the next potential Black Panther. She passed all of the trials and finally acquired the Heart-Shaped Herb. Upon eating it, she came to the Panther god with arrogance and was initially rebuked. She was left alive to prove herself further, which she did when the vampiric Inheritor Morlun attacked, and it proved her worthy of becoming the new Black Panther.

Even after T'Challa returned to his normal self, Shuri remained as the Black Panther. The pair worked together along with many of their allies to stop Doom from getting the Vibranium, but to do so, they had to actually make most of it inert. Shuri carried on as Black Panther, while T'Challa abandoned his marriage and became the head of the Necropolis, the underground Wakandan City of the Dead. Eventually Shuri died at the hands of the evil Proxima Midnight, but reality itself was soon torn apart when Earth-1610 crashed into Earth-616. T'Challa played a huge part in getting everything back to normal and even wore an Infinity Gauntlet to return things to the way they were with a few changes. Since then, he has returned to the role as Black Panther and has continued to struggle with keeping his nation together and dealing with a cosmic empire based on his people. 

Beyond the Mortal Plane

Most Black Panthers enter the Necropolis, at the end of their lives. At various times, the deceased leaders can be consulted by the current Black Panther, much like T'Challa has done recently when dealing with issues of revolution, gods abandoning them and even an evil space empire with roots in their nation. This group of spectral Black Panthers can offer advice, criticism and occasionally, their power.