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For more than 50 years, the Black Panther has stood at the forefront on the Marvel Universe. With T’Challa appearing on the big screen again this year in both Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” take a look back at over five decades worth of comic book adventures for the King of Wakanda!
The U.S. government weighed options of involving itself in the Black Panther’s nation of Wakanda in BLACK PANTHER #1, while elsewhere the hero’s old foe Klaw assembled a team of agents for his own invasion. When the National Security Agency decided to make a secret landing in Wakanda in BLACK PANTHER #2, Klaw moved to launch his strikeforce.
With backing by the neighboring nation of Niganda he’d secured in BLACK PANTHER #3, the Master of Sound rained hellfire on Wakanda’s capital in BLACK PANTHER #4. The Radioactive Man, operating on orders from Klaw, attacked the small country’s storehouse of precious vibranium in BLACK PANTHER #5, while the mastermind took T’Challa’s mother hostage.
The Panther rescued Ramonda in BLACK PANTHER #6, and his sister Shuri battled and killed Radioactive Man, while T’Challa in turn faced Klaw and killed him in combat. When the smoke cleared from the action, The Black Panther demanded that U.S. Deathlok troops return to their home base and not remain in Wakanda.
After the strange situation of the reality-bending House of M in BLACK PANTHER #7, the X-Men approached T’Challa in X-MEN #175 about investigating mutant creatures in strife-torn Niganda. The Panther and his mutant allies entered Wakanda’s neighboring nation in BLACK PANTHER #8 and found it nearly crippled with chaos.
The Red Ghost captured the X-Men in Niganda in X-MEN #176, while Storm reunited with T’Challa. Together, the heroes won their battle versus Red Ghost in BLACK PANTHER #9, and Storm quit the X-Men to stay in Wakanda with the Panther.
The Black Panther went on the prowl for a wife in New York in BLACK PANTHER #10, but after Monica Lynne turned him down he approached Luke Cage with a job offer. Then, in BLACK PANTHER #11, the criminal overlord called Han sent the Hand against the Panther and Cage when T’Challa refused to wed the villain’s daughter.
Later, the two heroes flew down to New Orleans in BLACK PANTHER #12 to help in the aftermath of a hurricane, but ran afoul of vampires. With the help of Blade and Brother Voodoo, they staked their claim to victory over the bloodsuckers in BLACK PANTHER #13.
After returning Cage to New York in BLACK PANTHER #14, T’Challa jetted back to Wakanda and proposed marriage to Storm of the X-Men, whom he’d loved for many years. She accepted his proposal in BLACK PANTHER #15 and together the happy couple announced their engagement publicly in BLACK PANTHER #16 and began to issue invitations to the impending nuptials.
Following a bachelor party thrown by Luke Cage and Wolverine in BLACK PANTHER #17, T’Challa and Storm made their vows to each other in BLACK PANTHER #18. Reed Richards approached the Panther in CIVIL WAR #3 to issue a request from the U.S. government for aid in tracking down rogue super heroes, but the king of Wakanda refused, saying his nation must remain neutral.
The newly wed Panther and his bride traveled to Latveria in BLACK PANTHER #19, but declined Doctor Doom’s suggestion that their two countries form an alliance. Afterward, T’Challa and Storm landed on the Moon to confer with the Inhumans in BLACK PANTHER #20, and with Namor the Sub-Mariner in Atlantis in BLACK PANTHER #21.
When he could no longer avoid the repercussions of the struggle between Iron Man and Captain America, Black Panther joined Cap’s underground resistance fighters to storm Stark’s secret prison in CIVIL WAR #6.
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