Black Panther has been around since 1966, and he has appeared in some of Marvel’s most groundbreaking stories over the past 60 years. Black Panther debuted in Fantastic Four #52, closing out an incredible eight-issue run that saw that title introduce the Inhumans, the Watcher, Silder Surfer, Galactus, and the Negative Zone. Out of all those introductions, T’Challa was as important as anything as the Black Panther became one of Marvel’s linchpin characters as it entered the 1970s. Black Panther has been involved in different types of storylines, from racially charged stories to political tales of intrigue, and even war stories with Wakanda almost taking on the world.
Videos by ComicBook.com
From Black Panther’s seminal Enemy of the State stories to one of the greatest war battles in Marvel Comics history, here is a look at the best Black Panther comic book storylines of all time.
10) Sturm und Drang
While Christopher Priest loved to have Black Panther dealing with things out of Wakanda, while showing how his country struggled with him gone, the storyline “Sturm und Drang” had T’Challa showing the might of his country. Years before Namor showed up to destroy Wakanda in Avengers Vs. X-Men, he was one of the villains here, trying to do the same thing along with Doctor Doom.
In this storyline, T’Challa is as much a king and ruler as he is a superhero, and he has to deal with outside forces that include the ruler of Atlantis, the dictator of Latveria, and even Magneto, a man who saw himself as a leader of Genosha. This was all started by Klaw, who began the war between the countries, and eventually Namor and T’Challa had to work together to stop it. It all ended with Black Panther in handcuffs and on trial with the U.S. government.
9) Who is the Black Panther?
“Who is the Black Panther?” ran from Black Panther #1-5 in 2005, and it was a way to reboot the title after Christopher Priest had left, following his long, successful run. With Reginald Hudlin and John Romita, Jr. taking over the title, they worked here to show a lot more about the history of Wakanda than Priest did, and focused on the country rather than just about Black Panther’s exploits.
This actually was an excellent look at Wakanda, as this specific storyline went back through the years and showed all the Black Panthers from the past and why they were all great leaders. This was the first appearance of many of the former Black Panthers, and it also introduced the world to Shuri, Black Panther’s younger sister, who became a critical part of his story from this point on.
8) The Death of the Black Panther
In 1998, Christopher Priest explored Black Panther’s mortality in Black Panther #48-49, titled, “The Death of the Black Panther.” Unlike many multi-issue storylines, this one only ran for two issues and saw M’Bake take center stage, as he, the former Dora Milaje named Queen Divine Justice, and the entire Jabarai tribe were accused of murdering the Black Panther from Earth-1145.
However, the actual “death” in the title is a brain tumor that is leading to Black Panther’s demise. With the knowledge he was dying, T’Challa had to decide how he would protect Wakanda’s future when he was gone. It gave Christopher Priest a chance to introduce a new Black Panther to Marvel Comics in Kasper Cole, and when the writer left the series, Black Panther’s story was never the same.
7) The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda
“The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda” was a complicated tale in 2018 that was one part of an overarching, brilliant story by Ta’Nehisi Coates. After Black Panther finished the first part, where he was trying to hold Wakanda together amidst political turmoil, this took him into outer space and into the future. It all started years before when T’Challa sent a team of explorers to find the source of Vibranium in space.
These explorers ended up lost in time, and they worked to build a new Wakanda to live in. However, this Wakanda ended up ruled by a violent and dangerous ruler who took the identity of Killmonger. When Black Panther ended up finding this empire, he realized it had conquered countless worlds and was moving on to conquer more. Trapped there as an enslaved man, he fought his way out of the predicament and helped bring down this evil empire as they tried to get to Wakanda Prime and conquer it, too. The final fight was one of the best in any Black Panther comic.
6) Killmonger’s Rage
One of the characters that the MCU treated better than even Marvel Comics ever did was Killmonger. He remains one of the best villains to ever appear in a Marvel movie, and this speaks volumes since his comic book counterpart was dangerous, but never iconic. However, Killmonger’s greatest comic book moment remains one of Black Panther’s best comic book storylines.
Running in Black Panther #13-25 in 1998, this was a Christopher Priest tale that had Killmonger use Black Panther’s continued absence to allow Killmonger to challenge and take control of Wakanda. This was Killmonger’s greatest moment, as he succeeded and won the role of King of Wakanda. However, unlike the movie, where this also happened, here he couldn’t do anything after his victory since Bast did not deem him worthy and put him in a coma when he tried to consume the herb.
5) A Nation Under Our Feet
When Ta-Nehisi Coates began writing Black Panther, fans knew they were going to get something good, as he is a master storyteller who has no problem showing the wrongs in the world and the need for social justice along the way. The first part of his story was called “A Nation Under Our Feet” and ran for the first 12 issues of the series in 2016. The series sees T’Challa trying to stop a brewing civil war.
The citizens of Wakanda split into factions, with the dissidents rising against T’Challa, and this is a story about what it means to be Wakandan more than it is about a superhero. T’Challa is a king in peril here, and not a hero in any manner. Wakanda has to adapt, and Black Panther is not used to losing control. Unlike many Black Panther stories, this isn’t about action or fighting bad guys. It is a contemplative look at what it means to be Wakanda.
4) The Client
Released in 1998, “The Client” was Christopher Priest’s introduction to Black Panther and ran in his first five issues of the series. Priest and artist Mark Texeira started what has gone down as arguably the best Black Panther run of all time, and it all started with Black Panther arriving in the United States to begin an investigation into a mysterious death. A young child died thanks to a Wakandan charity organization, and Black Panther needed to figure out what happened.
However, this started a time of turmoil in Wakanda because the purpose of the death was to get T’Challa out of the country so the villain Achebe could overthrow his government and take over. This led to several later stories where Black Panther lost his allies in the Avengers, watched Killmonger try to take over, and then had to fight to retain control. “The Client” also introduced MCU favorite Everett Ross to the Black Panther comics.
3) Enemy of the State
The first “Enemy of the State” storyline remains one of the seminal Black Panther tales in the character’s history. This was a story that ran from Black Panther #9-12 in 1998, early in the tenure of Christopher Priest. The big selling point here was that the Avengers realized they couldn’t trust T’Challa when they learned he only joined the team to observe and keep an eye on them, because he didn’t trust them.
However, this was an even darker story because, at the same time, Black Panther learned the United States government was planning a hostile takeover of Wakanda, and he would not allow that to happen. This storyline further separated Wakanda from the world and proved that they couldn’t trust anyone, from the U.S. government to the Avengers themselves. In the end, Black Panther proved why he was Wakanda’s greatest king when he stopped the attempted coup of his country.
2) See Wakanda and Die
Black Panther is one of Marvel’s greatest war leaders, and that was proven perfectly in the storyline, “See Wakanda and Die.” This story takes place during the Secret Invasion storyline in Black Panther #39-41 in 2005. This was when the Skrulls came to Earth to conquer the planet after sending in early infiltrators to replace several top heroes. When the Skrulls sent a general named K’vvvr to attack Wakanda, he found Skrull heads on spikes and realized he was in for a battle.
T’Challa had found everyone who had infiltrated the country and executed them. The story was great because K’vvvr just wanted to finish this one last battle and retire with his family, but it wasn’t to be. T’Challa was ready for the attack and proved his tactical brilliance by always staying one step ahead. No Black Panther storyline displayed his tactical brilliance better than this one.
1) Enemy of the State II
The first “Enemy of the State” storyline was great, but the sequel was even better. Playing out in Black Panther #41-45 in 1998, this was a Christopher Priest story about the U.S. President and Canadian Prime Minister being brainwashed, and T’Challa being the only one who can do anything about it. As with most of the best Black Panther storylines, this one has political intrigue and betrayals, and plays out like the best spy tales.
Wolverine is also involved in this storyline, adding some fun to the proceedings, but this is entirely Black Panther’s story, and it has its ramifications since Black Panther’s involvement in world affairs always hurts Wakanda in the end. In the end, it is a better comic book story because this is all about Black Panther fighting forces of evil, and there isn’t any grey area complicating that tale.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of HBO -
Image Courtesy of Disney+ -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
