|
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!
Set up by Tony Stark, T’Challa and Storm found themselves waylaid by Iron Man and the Sentinel Squad in BLACK PANTHER #22. When our heroes refused to leave the U.S. until the Civil War between Stark and Captain America ended, the situation worsened.
Smarting from a vicious media spin on him and an attack by Black Widow in BLACK PANTHER #23, the Panther sought out Cap for answers while Storm contacted Reed Richards in BLACK PANTHER #24. When the final battle between Iron Man and Cap’s forces occurred in BLACK PANTHER #25, T’Challa and Storm fought at the resistance movement’s side until Steve Rogers surrendered in CIVIL WAR #7.
With the Wakandan Embassy destroyed, Reed invited the Panther and Storm to live at the Baxter Building in BLACK PANTHER #26, and in FANTASTIC FOUR #543, he introduced them to The Thing and The Human Torch as the newest members of the team.
Barely unpacked, T’Challa and Storm flew off with Ben and Johnny in FANTASTIC FOUR #544 to investigate the desecrated grave of the fallen hero Gravity, and their path took them to Epoch, the offspring of Ego the Living Planet. In outer space, the team battled the Silver Surfer while Epoch resurrected Gravity in FANTASTIC FOUR #545. Afterward, T’Challa helped to convince Galactus not to destroy Epoch in FANTASTIC FOUR #546.
The Panther and Storm returned to Earth with Ben and Johnny in BLACK PANTHER #27 to find a Negative Zone monster running around the Fantastic Four’s headquarters. When T’Challa activated the Solomon Frogs to transport it away, the entire team ended up on an alien world controlled by the Skrulls. The aliens attacked them in BLACK PANTHER #28, but the battle ceased when a horde of cosmic-powered zombies arrived on the planet.
The Fantastic Four learned that they’d landed in an alternate reality in BLACK PANTHER #29, but that knowledge provided little help in holding off the zombies. With no recourse, they teleported off the world in BLACK PANTHER #30 just as the flesh-eating monsters began to devour everything.
Reed Richards returned to the Baxter Building in FANTASTIC FOUR #547 to inform the Panther and the others about a missing Invisible Woman. It all ended up in a huge skirmish against the Frightful Four in FANTASTIC FOUR #548, and a new confrontation between The Black Panther and his old foe Klaw.
After the heroes triumphed over the villains in FANTASTIC FOUR #549, Reed discovered a rift in space-time that threatened the universe itself. He gathered up Gravity and The Silver Surfer to aid the team in FANTASTIC FOUR #550, and together with T’Challa and Storm they saved Eternity from dying and in turn, rescued the entire universe.
Taking a breather, The Black Panther held off a psychic onslaught from the Psycho-Man in BLACK PANTHER #31, right before being whisked away with Thing and the Torch to another alternate reality, one with Skrulls posing as Earth gangsters.
Captured on a planet populated by Skrulls posing as 1930’s Earth gangsters in BLACK PANTHER #32, T’Challa, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm placed their hopes in Storm to rescue them. She discovered in BLACK PANTHER #33 that one-half of that world featured shapeshifters obsessed with Earth’s 1960’s civil rights movement, and returned to rescue the Panther and his allies in BLACK PANTHER #34.
Upon returning to Earth, Black Panther witnessed the final defeat of The Hulk by the Sentry and Tony Stark in WORLD WAR HULK #5, and found his sister Shuri and friend Monica Rambeau kidnapped by Erik Killmonger in BLACK PANTHER #35. The king of Wakanda made plans to invade neighboring Niganda to rescue the women in BLACK PANTHER #36.
Once in Niganda, T’Challa entered into mortal combat with Killmonger in BLACK PANTHER #37, while his Wakandan forces moved to rescue Shuri and Monica. Upon spotting the Panther felled by his foe and about to be executed in BLACK PANTHER #38, Rambeau used her energy powers to zap Killmonger dead.
During Secret Invasion, the shape-shifting Skrulls invaded Wakanda to seize its precious vibranium stores in BLACK PANTHER #39, but T’Challa rooted out all spies in his midst before being confronted with the awesome Super-Skrull.
The Panther fought and defeated The Super-Skrull in BLACK PANTHER #40, though he found himself faced with two more soon after. A traitor close to him spoiled the moment, leading to T’Challa’s capture by the invaders. He managed a clever turnaround of the situation in BLACK PANTHER #41, allowing him and his people victory over their alien opponents.
|
