Welcome to I Am Your Target Demographic and today we’re telling you everything that
you need to know about the character Black Panther from Marvel Comics.
Let’s start at the beginning.
The hero known as Black Panther first appeared in 1966, in issue 52 of Fantastic Four.
His real name is T’Challa and he comes from a fictional African country called Wakanda,
where he serves as King.
Before him, the Black Panther was his father T’Chaka, as this title and responsibility
are passed down.
T’Chaka did not engage often with the outside world, for an important reason.
See, the country of Wakanda harbors one of the most important metallic substances in
the Marvel universe, called Vibranium, the remnants of an ancient comet.
This metal has been used ever since by the Wakandan people, allowing them to create fantastic
technology and futuristic advancements.
This metal is sought after by many villains, so Wakanda has remained very much in secrecy
and they are able to defend themselves against most invaders.
The Black Panther suit itself is lined with vibranium, making it bulletproof and incredibly powerful.
A hybrid vibranium was also used to create Captain America’s famed shield.
They’ve said that vibranium is sold at about $10,000 a gram and there were about 10,000
tons of vibranium in Wakanda.
This makes T’Challa, as the king of this country, the richest man in the Marvel universe.
Going even further, Time magazine called T’Challa the richest fictional character of all time,
worth around 90 trillion dollars.
In the comic books, T’Challa took over the mantle when his father was killed by the villain
Klaw, though in the MCU, it was Baron Zemo who killed him.
Either way, T’Challa earned the responsibility to protect his people.
His powers are more than just the suit, as he also ingests a magical herb called the
Heart-Shaped Herb which allows the leader to commune with the Panther God and is given
extraordinary senses and skills.
Some people believe the more mystical origins, while others believe the foliage has been
mutated by the vibranium and chemically alters the person consuming it.
Either way, the Black Panther is able to fight against super-soldiers like Captain America
with relative ease.
Because Wakanda is relatively isolated, not many people know much about it, at least the
truth of their advanced civilization.
When T’Challa became ruler, he wanted to become a little more connected to the outside
world, which was controversial among his people.
T’Challa even studied at universities around the world and joined the Avengers, though
truth be told he did so originally to spy on them.
Eventually, they earned his trust, and Black Panther has been a loyal member for many years.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we saw T’Challa attempt to track down the Winter Soldier Bucky
Barnes, who he believed killed his father.
Once he realized the truth, T’Challa agreed to put Bucky on ice in Wakanda, until they
can try to find a cure for his mind control, and Bucky is now in isolation until the day he's needed.
Now, T’Challa doesn’t protect Wakanda alone.
He is aided by his younger sister Shuri, who is also incredibly smart and a gifted fighter.
In the comics, Shuri has even taken on the Black Panther mantle when her brother is unable to.
T’Challa is also guarded by an all-female bodyguard force called the Dora Milaje, some
of the most skilled warriors in the entire kingdom.
In terms of his villains, we often see Ulysses Klaw, who appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron
and will be reappearing in the Black Panther standalone film.
This man is obsessed with the technology of Wakanda and often tries to infiltrate and
steal their prized inventions.
In the comics, he is gifted with a weapon that allows him to create sound waves that
can cause devastating attacks and even create shapes and animated constructs made of sound.
Black Panther also often faces off against a rival Wakandan tribe that worships the ape
instead of the panther, led by immensely powerful ruler M’Baku, called the Man-Ape in the comics.
This faction often tries to usurp the throne from the Black Panther leader and often comes
close to doing so.
Those are the basics of the Black Panther, whose standalone film is set to hit theaters soon.
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