The last time we checked in with a preview of upcoming HeroClix was with the DC set Masters of Time, and now we’re back once again on Earth-616 with the latest Marvel HeroClix expansion: Black Panther! This isn’t the first set to focus on the hero of Wakanda, but I’m going to stake the claim that it is the best. Per WizKids, this set celebrates the mighty and noble T’Challa who first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics all the way back in 1966, and presents players and collectors with a fantastic assortment of Wakandan heroes, villains, and so much more. There are multiple versions of Black Panther (with several different people under the cowl) as well as his famous nemesis Killmonger, villains like Klaw, allies like Everett K. Ross, Wakandan military and police forces, fellow Avengers, and even a sub-theme of deity figures from different pantheons! Today we’re going to check out a full booster brick of Marvel HeroClix Black Panther, so read on for all the awesome details and tons of photography.

A HeroClix brick provides you with ten boosters, each containing five game pieces and their respective cards. There’s a standardized rarity system so every pack should contain a number of commons and uncommons along with a rare, super rare, or chase, and some expansions also include other items like equipment. You’ll be able to spot Black Panther boosters right away, with their striking front panels with the Black Panther mask and necklace in silver over a black background. The side panels present 3D renders of various Wakandan characters as well as some of the deity chase figures, while the back panel shows how you can connect Black Panther and Storm figures to represent their royal wedding while also pointing you to more info about HeroClix online.

Here’s what we found in our boosters:

Booster 1 – some classic villains and our first Super Rare!

Common 009 Klaw

Common 010 Everett K. Ross

Uncommon 024 Plunderer

Uncommon 028 Ramonda

Super Rare 044 Falcon and Redwing

Booster 2

Common 001 Black Panther

Common 005 Miles Morales

Common 014 Wakandan Scientist

Uncommon 026 Akili

Rare 039 Vanisher

Booster 3 

Common 002 Black Panther

Common 003 Luke Cage

Common 012 Dora Milaje

Uncommon 020 Vibranium Man

Rare 041 Killmonger

Booster 4 – full Wakandan lineup with two Black Panthers

Common 008 White Wolf

Common 010 Everett K. Ross

Common 016 Killmonger

Uncommon 017 Black Panther

Rare 033 Black Panther

Booster 5 – another Super Rare and a Vibranium blocking terrain piece

Common 002 Black Panther

Common 007 A.I.M. Agent

Uncommon 018 Misty Knight

Uncommon 028 Ramonda

Super Rare 042 Captain America

S001 Vibranium

Booster 6

Common 001 Black Panther

Common 005 Miles Morales

Common 006 Amadeus Cho and Kirby

Uncommon 027 Okoye

Rare 040 Ironheart

Booster 7

Common 003 Luke Cage

Common 004 Storm

Uncommon 021 Nick Fury and Goose

Uncommon 022 Scientist Supreme

Rare 037a Midnight Angel

Booster 8 – Prime rare and a Super Rare!

Common 015 Colleen Wing

Uncommon 025 Phil Coulson

Rare 031b Col. James Rhodes

Rare 035 Venomm

Super Rare 043a Black Panther

Booster 9 – our Chase figure with bonus Deity Base!

Common 011 Hatut Zeraze

Common 012 Dora Milaje

Uncommon 023 Hercules

Rare 037a Midnight Angel

Chase 060 N’Jadaka (plus Deity Base)

Booster 10

Common 011 Hatut Zeraze

Common 013 Ayo

Common 015 Colleen Wing

Uncommon 019 Power Man

Rare 034 Spider-Man

Here’s the full breakdown of the figures in this brick (your results will vary of course):

COMMONS (including duplicates)

001 Black Panther

002 Black Panther

003 Luke Cage

004 Storm

005 Miles Morales

006 Amadeus Cho and Kirby

007 A.I.M. Agent

008 White Wolf

009 Klaw

010 Everett K. Ross

011 Hatut Zeraze

012 Dora Milaje

013 Ayo

014 Wakandan Scientist

015 Colleen Wing

016 Killmonger

UNCOMMONS (including duplicates)

017 Black Panther

018 Misty Knight

019 Power Man

020 Vibranium Man

021 Nick Fury and Goose

022 Scientist Supreme

023 Hercules

024 Plunderer

025 Phil Coulson

026 Akili

027 Okoye

028 Ramonda

RARES (including duplicates)

031b Col. James Rhodes

033 Black Panther

034 Spider-Man

035 Venomm

037a Midnight Angel

039 Vanisher

040 Ironheart

041 Killmonger

SUPER RARES

042 Captain America

043a Black Panther

044 Falcon and Redwing

CHASE

060 N’Jadaka

OBJECT

S001 Vibranium

When it comes to collation, this brick is pretty darn solid and pulls like this should make most players happy. The ten boosters yielded all 16 commons and all but one of the 13 uncommons! That alone is pretty great, as it can be very frustrating to purchase an entire brick and end up missing commons and uncommons. (Of course, you’re going to want multiples of some of the generics, but that’s another story.) Pulling eight of the set’s 14 rares is about average, though there is something noteworthy here. It’s not usual for an expansion to include a generic rare, but this set does with 037a Midnight Angel. Similarly, usually it’s a huge bummer to pull duplicate rares, but I pulled two of these generics… which is actually kinda cool. At the upper rarity levels, this brick offered three of the set’s 11 super rares, and one of 10 chases. Again, that’s pretty standard, and on top of that one of our rares was a Prime too.

Let’s break everything down by rarity level, starting with the most ubiquitous figures in the common slots. As you might expect with a set of this name, the 001 spot goes to Black Panther, but so does the 002 with T’Challa and Shuri versions respectively! They’re joined by notable Wakandan residents and allies like Storm, White Wolf, Everett K. Ross, and Ayo, along with generics like Hatut Zeraze, Dora Milaje, and the Wakandan Scientist. Then there’s Luke Cage of the Crew, Miles Morales who can turn into his secret identity of Spider-Man, God Squad genius Amadeus Cho and Kirby, and Heroes for Hire swordswoman Colleen Wing. Not all is on the up and up, however, and villains lurk at this level with Killmonger, Klaw, and a generic A.I.M. Agent.

If you guessed that the uncommons would also include at least one Black Panther figure, you’d be right! This second T’Challa can lead fellow Wakandans like Vibranium Man, Ramonda, and unique versions of generics from the commons in Akili and Okoye. S.H.I.E.L.D. gets involved at this level with Nick Fury and Goose and Phil Coulson, while the Heroes for Hire recruit Power Man and Misty Knight of the Crew. Hercules serves on the God Squad and is one of this set’s deities (complete with “marble” base), Scientist Supreme is here to lead A.I.M. Agents, and Plunderer skulks in the shadows to steal Vibranium.

Let’s keep the ball rolling with yet another Black Panther among the rares, this time representing T’Challa getting married to Storm! He’s backed up by the generic Midnight Angel of Wakanda as well as friends like Col. James Rhodes (a Prime), Spider-Man, and Ironheart. Venomm is a Wakandan snake charmer, and he’s joined by classic versions of Killmonger and the teleporting mutant Vanisher.

Surely there’s no way there’s yet another Black Panther among our rarest pulls… right? I won’t call you Shirley, but we completed a full monty with a super rare T’Challa, this time with Vibranium Daggers! (Note that even with this figure, we did NOT pull every single Black Panther in this set.) Both of our other SRs are different versions of Sam Wilson, with Falcon and Redwing and the high-flying Captain America. Meanwhile, our chase figure is our third version of Killmonger with the fearsome symbiote-enhanced deity known only as N’Jadaka!

The Black Panther set has a few fun and noteworthy game mechanics and elements to mention, starting off with a brand-new team ability for Wakanda that grants Stealth. There are numerous figures that generate tokens, especially those who bring along animal companions like Amadeus Cho and Kirby, Nick Fury and Goose, and Falcon and Redwing. Deity figures have cool marble-inspired bases, and you can find special Deity Bases that serve as plinths to display your gods and goddesses in style even if doesn’t have an actual in-game function. As usual there are lots of fun share traits to make teams feel cohesive, like the Crew gaining additional benefits based on how many allies are on the board, and I was really excited to see the return of the “Secret Identity” mechanic with Miles Morales and Spider-Man. Probably the biggest addition here and what really ties this expansion together are the Vibranium Tokens; many of the figures generate and use these tokens in really interesting and unique ways.

I’m really impressed by this set’s character selection, and how they were rendered in 3D. It’s got everything from retro characters like classic Vanisher and Killmonger to modern looks like Spider-Man and wedding Black Panther, and even several figures who seem “inspired” by the MCU like spear-wielding Killmonger and Nick Fury and Goose (whether they’ve looked like this in the comics or not, the movies will be most peoples’ frame of reference). As we’ve seen, there are lots of characters in black costumes, and WizKids has done a great job in differentiating them with unique sculpts, poses, and lots of little details; there’s no confusing the “Wakanda Forever” posed commons with the wedding rare and dagger-wielding super rare. Meanwhile, the set is punctuated by brilliant spots of color as well with the stark white of figures like Storm, Hatut Zeraze, White Wolf, Colleen Wing, Plunderer, and more. There’s lots of armor with the A.I.M. forces, Col. Rhodes, Ironheart, and Midnight Angel, while figures like Spider-Man and N’Jadaka make use of translucent parts for energy effects.

Some of my favorite sculpts and details in this set include Luke Cage’s badass pose, the intricate textures on Storm, common Killmonger, and N’Jadaka, Miles Morales, Everett K. Ross, and Phil Coulson captured looking just like regular people, the full goofy look of Klaw, of course all of the animal companions, Hercules looking like he’s about to bust some heads mightily, the tiny details differentiating Okoye from the Dora Milaje (like her winning smile), the regalness of my favorite Black Panther in the rares, Ironheart’s flashy colors and dynamic pose, the sheer insanity of rare Killmonger, and of course the usual elevated attention to detail in the set’s super rares and chases.

While this set is chock full of Black Panthers and Wakandans, the Legacy Card we pulled is for something a little different. This one breathes new life into the figure of Cloak from 2016’s Superior Foes of Spider-Man expansion, and it’s quite unique. Typically Cloak shows up with his partner Dagger, either in a “duo” style figure or with both in a set (as was the case in Superior Foes). Here, WizKids has combined the two in an interesting way. The original version of this Cloak figure was 30 points and essentially served as a stealthy taxi for his partner and a source of some light penetrating damage. This new Legacy Card version keeps the point value and Spider-Man team ability, adds a bunch of keywords, and swaps out the original trait and special power for in-built Phasing/Teleport, the ability to bounce back damage on enemies when he succeeds at Shape Change, and a mechanic for generating a Dagger bystander! She may only be a bystander but she has a powerful special power of her own to deal penetrating damage and heal an ally.

If you’ve just come here to see some new dials, this section is for you:

Black Panther fans can bring their favorite characters into the game in even more ways; beyond the Black Panther booster set WizKids is offering not one but two different Play At Home Kits. The first features figures of common T’Challa and Killmonger with unique dials, a double-sided map, and terrain sheet, while the second includes new versions of Shuri and Klaw along with the other components. Next year will bring even more options with one of the new HeroClix 400 packs with T’Challa, Shuri, Killmonger, and M’Baku, and while it’s not directly connected the Iconix Wakanda Hulkbuster is a perfect thematic match for these characters and teams.

This Black Panther HeroClix expansion is a great example of a set focused around a narrow theme but which includes a phenomenal selection of characters that are really well done and offer fun options for longtime players as well as new ones and even those who just collect and display. The figures look fantastic, and the varied point values and power levels mean there are tons of ways to play with them on their own or built into teams with other figures in your collection. It’s also a fun game to see just how many Black Panthers you can find! Marvel HeroClix Black Panther will be arriving in stores soon, so make sure to pre-order your boosters, bricks, and Play At Home Kits from your local game store (or online). And as always, good luck with your pulls!

Visit HeroClix.com for even more info as well as downloads of rules and maps, and stay tuned to Action Figure Insider as we continue our reviews of new HeroClix! If you don’t have access to a local comic book or game store at this time you can also order your HeroClix directly from the WizKids website.

Review and photos by Scott Rubin.

Review samples courtesy of WizKids Games.