Wakanda Forever.
And while we’re at it, Black Panther forever.
King T’Challa, as well as the lineage before and after him has captivated Marvel fans for
generations for his incredible blend of mysticism, technology, geo-politics - and just his straight
up ability to kick some ass on a daily basis.
When we flick back through the glossy pages, Black Panther has actually taken down some
pretty mammoth heroes and villains, and along the way, he’s managed to garner some pretty
serious superhero credibility.
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Hello nerds - what’s going on, and welcome back to Top 10 Nerd - the nerdiest channel
on YouTube.
For one time only - I keep using that line, don’t I, I guess I’ve got to come up with
new material - I’ll be your host Jack Finch - as we dive into the Wakandan PR department,
pen a few dinner invitations - and take a look at the Top 10 Superheroes (That) Black
Panther Respects.
Roll the clip.
Coming in at Number 10 - Iron Fist
Now, although the Netflix depiction of Danny Rand kind of had fans reeling over his less
than impressive performance, the titular Iron Fist has had an impressive forray through
some of the greats of Marvel comics.
The guy’s got a glowing immortal fist, what do you expect?
Well, during the events of The Black Dragon, the criminal mastermind Nightshade had a bit
of a grudge against T’Challa, and resurrected the fabled Chinese monster, Chiantang the
Black Dragon.
This guy had managed to inadvertently mind control Iron Fist, which resulted in a pretty
fervent brawl between the two, with ultimately Black Panther coming out on top.
Nevertheless, it left T’Challa with a pretty bloody taste in his mouth, and after the mind
control affects wore off, he was a little bit more the wiser of Iron Fist.
Next up at Number 9 - Wolverine
And it’s pretty hard not to respect Logan, right?
Come on, just look at the guy.
Wolverine is always down for a scrap, and it’s kind of difficult to not be affected
by his rugged roguish charm, but during the Killable storyline, Wolverine’s strongest
asset, his healing factor - is shut down by an alien virus and his renowned fighting prowess
begins to fade.
On a quest to find someone who can help restore his abilities, Logan ends up sneaking into
Wakanda - without King T’Challa’s approval.
It ends in a calamitous brawl that Black Panther easily wins, after noting that Wolverine’s
fighting style is solely dependent on his reckless ability to take damage.
But, as we’ve also seen with a certain White Wolf, Black Panther has a quiet respect for
injured beasts - and Logan ended up being exactly that.
Swinging in next at Number 8 - Deadpool
Again, much like Wolverine, it’s kind of hard not to have a smirking respect for the
Merc With A Mouth - and Wade Wilson is one to easily win over.
Well, Black Panther and Deadpool have actually gotten into a few scraps down the line - but
the most epic showdown occurred during the events of Civil War II.
Deadpool and Black Panther end up running into each other inside the Ultimates Headquarters,
and all hell breaks loose.
Now, you’d think that Deadpool would kind of have this fight, right?
Considering that he’s a mutant ninja assassin, possessing the most powerful healing factor
in the world?
But, nah.
T’Challa has a habit of overcoming the odds.
In the end, he breaks every bone in Wade Wilson’s body - and throws a toilet on his head - but
the pair develop a quiet respect for each other.
Next up at Number 7 - White Wolf
We touched on it a little bit earlier with Wolverine, but Wakanda as a whole has a soft
spot for taking in strays in the Marvel universe.
Although, only in the Marvel Cinematic Universe version, because in the comic books - the
name White Wolf has a whole other meaning.
During the events of Avengers: Civil War, T’Challa was pretty hellbent on earning
his revenge against Bucky Barnes, who he believed to be the perpetrator of his father’s death.
Obviously, it was Klaw - who definitely won’t be making this list for obvious reason.
But, after that whole thing was cleared up - and everyone realised they’ve got the
wrong end of the stick, T’Challa actually offered to undo Hydra’s mental programming
of Bucky.
Eventually he was cured, and spent his time resting in Wakanda - earning him the modicum,
the White Wolf - and the pair developed a wholesome little bromance.
Good job guys.
Coming in at Number 6 - Captain America
And this one is pretty self explanatory, as Cap and King T’Challa have had a long, long
line of respect and working alongside each other.
In fact, when Black Panther was incognito, under the identity Luke Charles - he teamed
up with Cap to battle Baron Zemo - earning him an invitation straight into the Avengers.
Since then, they’ve been best friends forever.
T’Challa designed Falcon’s new flight harness as a favour for his buddy Cap, as
well as later giving him a brand new vibranium shield.
It’s pretty straight forward.
Captain America and Black Panther are super buddies - and they both consider each other
some of the most masterful individuals in the Marvel Universe.
And T’Challa likes him better than Tony Stark.
It’s just business, right?
Next up at Number 5 - Moon Knight
Yeah, it’s gotta be, right?
Marc Spector has been there pretty much whenever T’Challa really, really needed a friend
- and strangely enough has been a cosmic light in the dark for the Black Panther whenever
he’s at his lowest.
During the events of the early 2000’s Black Panther Vol.3 run, Killmonger challenges and
beats T’Challa in a duel for the throne - losing the role and power of the Black Panther.
During that trying time, our boy Moon Knight, alongside Brother Voodoo - mystically nurse
T’Challa back to health.
Why?
Because he’s a good guy, and Moon Knight respects him.
Even going so far as to journey through the spirit realm, in helping T’Challa reconnect
with Bast - the Black Panther deity.
Oh hi Marc.
Coming in at Number 4 - Shuri
Yeah.
Of course.
He’d be a pretty strange dude if he didn’t even respect his own sister.
Especially when your sister is Shuri, an absolute genius and also future Black Panther herself.
From an early age, Shuri coveted the mantle of the Black Panther - but T’Challa quickly
took her under his wing, extensively training her in hand-to-hand combat and promising that
she would fight on her own terms should she ever need to take T’Challa’s place as
leader of Wakanda.
That bond is pretty much left unbroken throughout the Marvel Universe, even when things get
really, really bad and T’Challa holds dominion over the Necropolis and Shuri ultimately banishes
him from his own kingdom.
She even sacrifices herself to save her brothers life, of course he’s going to respect her.
Swinging in at Number 3 - Namor
And these last three entries on our list are going to be surrounding some of the Black
Panther’s greatest enemies, because if anything - he’s a superhero who values adversary.
Namor is right at the top of the pile of these, and as the respective leaders of Atlantis
and Wakanda - there’s been an intrinsic level of respect from the start in an effort
to prevent the two nations from succumbing to all out war.
Obviously, Shuri, as Queen of Wakanda, had a lot to say about that and kind of upset
the apple cart - but the point remains the same.
T’Challa and Namor respect each other.
Throughout some of the recent Marvel storylines, Black Panther and Namor have developed one
of the most engaging rivalries in comic book fandom - and is a glaring reminder of how
different the title of superhero and King really is.
Next up at Number 2 - Man-Ape
And there is no greater native rivalry in Wakanda than between T’Challa and M’Baku
- and with that rivalry, comes a well-deserved and hard earned respect.
Of course, the MCU highlighted this in a much, much more succinct way.
Throughout the comics though, Man-Ape and Black Panther have an incredibly bloody history
- and the pair have tried to kill each other on numerous occasions, with Man-Ape completely
succumbing to the rage and animalism of his spiritual counterpart.
It’s nice then, that the MCU film managed to slightly subvert this fact - and the result
was that tear-jerking moment when M’Baku finally showed his true colours to T’Challa.
He’s a nice guy really.
If not a little misunderstood.
Hopefully, we’ll get to see his newly fleshed out character in a further role.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - Erik Killmonger
Because of course, the deep philosophy of Black Panther would be nothing without its
counterpart - Erik Killmonger.
Throughout several comic book storylines, Erik Killmonger has been on the fringes of
what he believes Wakanda truly represents.
Although initially T’Challa was the victim of Killmongers continued deceit, throughout
comic book history, the power struggle between the Black Panther mantle has given them both
a hard earned sense of respect for each other.
Purely from a martial perspective, the pair are incredibly equally matched - and it’s
hard for T’Challa to ignore the fact that despite the disadvantages and struggles Killmonger
faced, the pair are equals.
If anything, the MCU depiction of this storyline does a fantastic job in highlighting this
dichotomy - and King T’Challa and Erik Killmonger are two sides of the same coin.
Well - there we have it nerds, cheers for sticking around until the end - why don’t
you let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below.
Before we leave, we’ve just got to give a massive shoutout to our sponsors, Disney
- and their giveaway of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
Make sure to grab yourself a chance to win a copy in our exclusive Instagram giveaway
- you can find more details in the infobox down below.
As always, you’ve been watching Top 10 Nerd - I’ve been your host Jack Finch - and until
next time, you take it easy.