Black Panther debuted in the pages of Fantastic Four when he worked with the First Family of Marvel to help them in a battle against his arch-nemesis, Klaw. With that, Black Panther became part of the Marvel Universe. From there, Black Panther got his own series in Jungle Action and then starred in a Black Panther series, and soon became a member of the Avengers. Many of the best Black Panther storylines feature significant events in Wakanda, often involving political intrigue or direct attacks on the country. Every time, T’Challa proves why he is a big reason Wakanda remains unconquerable.
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From Black Panther serving as the leader of Wakanda to moments where he was exiled, and other instances where he has fought other heroes and even died, these are the best Black Panther storylines that will let fans know more about the franchise during the release of Eyes of Wakanda.
10) The Death of the Black Panther (Black Panther #48-#49, 1998)
Toward the latter part of Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther, he created a two-part storyline called “The Death of the Black Panther.” The nemesis in these issues was M’Baku, a warrior considered the second most powerful fighter in Wakanda, behind only T’Challa, the former Dora Milaje known as Queen Divine Justice, and the entire Jabari tribe, for the murder of Wakanda’s king (the Black Panther from Earth-1145). However, it is a brain tumor that is leading to the “death” in the title and not a battle with other tribes, and that is where this Black Panther storyline excels. When this story ended, Black Panther was gone, and the series changed completely.
9) The Client (Black Panther #1-5, 1998)
When asked, many Black Panther fans point to Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira’s run on the character as the best in Marvel Comics history. It all started in 1998 with Black Panther Vol. 3, and the series was off and running with the first storyline, “The Client.” In this storyline, Black Panther left Wakanda and came to America to investigate a Wakandan charity organization that caused the death of a child. It turned out that it was a trap, as once Panther was out of Wakanda, the villain Achebe overthrew the Wakandan government and took over. This is also where Everett K. Ross was introduced to Black Panther’s stories, something the MCU kept intact. Ross narrated the story as T’Challa searched for evidence into the crime before realizing, too late, what was really going on.
8) Who is the Black Panther? (Black Panther #1-5, 2005)
After Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther, whoever replaced him faced an uphill battle in terms of quality storytelling. That ended up being Reginald Hudlin and John Romita, Jr., and they decided to take readers back into the history of Wakanda and the Black Panthers from the past. The purpose was to outline the reasons why Wakanda has remained the only unconquerable nation in the world for centuries. Panthers from the past, including the 19th Black Panther, Azzuri, S’Yan, T’Chaka, and more, are brought into the story. This was also the first appearance of Shuri, T’Challa’s little sister, who would become an essential part of his story in the coming years.
7) “Dawn of the Midnight Angels” (Black Panther: World of Wakanda #1-5, 2017)
Not all Black Panther stories about Wakanda need to be about T’Challa, or any Black Panther for that matter. Black Panther: World of Wakanda instead follows the Midnight Angels, which means that the leads are former Dora Milaje members Ayo and Aneka. This storyline is more than just showing how the Midnight Angels keep the peace and deal with challenging problems. It is also about the romantic relationship between Ayo and Aneka, and bringing their queer love story to the forefront makes this an intriguing and unique read, especially for a Wakanda story. Add in the fact that this looks at the history of the often-neglected Midnight Angels, and this is a can’t-miss story about Wakanda that deserves all the praise it receives.
6) Killmonger’s Rage (Black Panther #13-25, 1998)
In the 1970s, there was a story called “Panther’s Rage” that saw T’Challa battle Erik Killmonger, a man who wanted the throne for himself. When Christopher Priest took over on his run, he flipped things on their head and wrote “Killmonger’s Rage.” This story saw Achebe throwing Wakanda into turmoil and then bringing back Killmonger. He once again challenged T’Challa for the mantle of Black Panther, and this time, he shockingly won the fight. This was the story that influenced the MCU version of Killmonger, someone who was diametrically opposed to T’Challa concerning how Wakanda should be run and seen by the world. However, Killmonger never had a chance to rule, as the goddess Bast did not deem him worthy of the Panther mantle.
5) Black Panther: The Bride (Black Panther #15-16, 2016)
Not every great Black Panther story in Wakanda needs to be only about great battles, political intrigue, and warring nations. In the case of “The Bride,” it was a love story between T’Challa and the woman who would become his wife, Storm. What was impressive was that this story took place during the most chaotic Marvel Comics crossover of all time, the first Civil War. Despite that, Black Panther told the love story that culminated in the wedding between the king and his bride, and he even invited his superhero friends with the order that no battle between heroes would take place on Wakandan soil. It says a lot about the love story that it was so great that it stopped a major war, if only for one day.
4) Enemy of the State (Black Panther #9-12, 1998)
The first “Enemy of the Statte” storyline took place early on in Christopher Priest’s run on Black Panther. This led T’Challa to find that his allies and friends were no longer on his side, particularly after they learned that he had joined the Avengers solely to observe and keep an eye on them, indicating a lack of trust in his allies. This, however, was smart of T’Challa, as he learned at the same time that the U.S. government was planning to help overthrow his regime in Wakanda to gain access to the vibranium, and he set out to stop this hostile move by a country that he considered an ally. The Avengers were disappointed to learn T’Challa didn’t trust them, but the United States proved the trust was unearned. T’Challa proved himself to be a great leader when he sniffed out the deception and shut down an attempted attack on his nation.
3) See Wakanda and Die (Black Panther #39-41, 2005)
“See Wakanda and Die” is possibly the greatest Black Panther Wakanda story ever made for people who love action. What is shocking is that this was part of the Secret Invasion storyline, and in cases like that, the stories are usually just filler in between issues of the main series. That isn’t what happened here. What makes this so great is that Jason Aaron and Jefte Palo decided to tell the story from the point of view of the invading Skrull general K’vvvr and reveal that he doesn’t care about the invasion and just wants to complete this one last mission and retire with his family. The problem is that his mission is to invade Wakanda. Upon arrival, he finds Skrull heads on spikes and everyone who infiltrated the country uncovered and dead, which makes the situation frantic. This series showcases T’Challa’s brilliance as a war leader, and the twist ending is both brilliant and slightly tragic for fans hoping to see K’vvvr reunite with his family.
2) The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda (Black Panther, #1-25, 2018)
Ta’Nehisi Coates is a great writer and an even better storyteller when it comes to social issues, and that is where his Black Panther run flows so well. It started with the last volume, “A Nation Under Our Feet,” a story about T’Challa’s struggle to hold Wakanda together as more people lost faith in him as their leader. However, with “The Intergalactic Empire Of Wakanda,” Coates created a story that took Black Panther into the far reaches of the universe, where time-traveling Wakanda explorers created a new empire and conquered countless planets along the way. T’Challa ends up an enslaved worker on one of the planets but then begins an uprising that brings him back home to defend Wakanda against the Empire, which has followed him there. This is a space opera with spaceship dogfights and a massive battle royale at the end, offering a story unlike any other Black Panther story in history.
1) Enemy of the State II (Black Panther #41-45, 1998)
“Enemy of the State II” was the second similar storyline by Christopher Priest. While the first story saw the Avengers learning that T’Challa never really trusted them and T’Challa learned he couldn’t trust the United States, this one took things in a slightly different direction. Here, the U.S. President and Canadian Prime Minister are both brainwashed, and Black Panther has to end the threat to preserve democracy, with a bit of help from Wolverine. It takes things outside Wakanda, but Black Panther’s interference in other countries’ politics always brings things back to his home, whether he likes it or not. The brainwashing makes the enemies here cut and dry, which makes it more of a good versus evil battle, which isn’t as complicated as the first “Enemy of the State,” but it is a lot more fun.
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