Marvel has introduced a new Black Panther into its comic book universe, and he’s “Azari,” the son of T’Challa. Azari makes his debut in the new Aliens vs. Avengers comic miniseries, which is written by Jonathan Hickman (House of X, Ultimate Spider-Man). The new series is set in a near-future version of the Marvel Universe, in which a rogue pair of synthetics has “seeded” planets all across the universe with Xenomorphs – including Earth – as one large-scale experiment with creating Xenomorphs. The surviving heroes of Earth have reached a make-or-break point: end the Xenomorph threat once and for all, or do like the mutants did and abandon Earth for good.
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(SPOILERS) As Aliens vs. Avengers begins, the kingdom of Wakanda and its leaders – King T’Challa and Prince Azari – lead a small fleet of Wakandan ships into space, to intercept and detain the synthetics posing as Shi’ar scientists. It’s a dangerous mission, as the synthetics unleash Xenomorph specimens they have onboard their ship, to kill the two Black Panthers and their squad. However, we get a strong hint at who Azari’s other parent might be when the younger Black Panther summons and unleashes bolts of lightning that annihilate the Xenomorph drones.
The Wakandan forces eliminate the synthetics, but at great cost: the synthetics’ ship was orbiting an event horizon (black hole), and the resulting time dilation effect means the hours of completing their mission on the ship has cost them years of regular time. And during those years, Earth has already fallen before the Xenomorph horde.
The introduction of T’Challa, Azari, and an interstellar Wakandan space fleet is just the opening sequence of Aliens vs. Avengers, with the majority of the subsequent action being set on Earth, centered around the surviving Marvel heroes left there. Nonetheless, the end of Aliens vs. Avengers makes it clear just how crucially important T’Challa and his son will be to the story, as the surviving heroes of Earth come to the grim conclusion that fleeting the planet is the only recourse.
Marvel has teased the next generation of Wakandan royalty / Black Panther mantle holders on several fronts in the last few years. The most prominent was, of course, the introduction of “Toussaint,” T’Challa’s son with Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), who was introduced at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. With the implication that Azari is T’Challa’s son with X-Men’s Storm, this new version of Black Panther’s son already feels like he could be a potential breakthrough character, with a bigger future ahead of him.
…And the fact that T’Challa’s son is making his debut on the anniversary of Black Panther movie star Chadwick Boseman’s death feels more like a profound tribute, rather than coincidence.
Aliens vs. Avengers is now on sale at Marvel Comics.
