This article is about T'Challa. For other characters who have taken on the mantle, see Black Panther. For his son, see T'Challa II.
- “The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for many generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. Now because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?”
- ―T'Challa threatening Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson[src]
T'Challa is a Marvel Comics character who is the king of Wakanda, a superhero, and a member of the Avengers. He dresses as the sacred spirit of the Black Panther to fight crime.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he first appears in Captain America: Civil War, then returns as the titular protagonist of Black Panther. He later is a major ally of the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Following this, T'Challa passed away from an unknown illness on May 3, 2024[1]. He left behind a son named T'Challa II, whom he fathered with his girlfriend, Nakia.
Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Chadwick Boseman portrayed the character in the Phase Three films of the MCU, with his role as the voice of T'Challa in the first season of What If...? being his last role before his death.
Background
Personality
T'Challa is a very responsible person because, after the death of his father, he felt responsible for the death of his father for not helping him. With his comrades, T'Challa believes in keeping his eyes on his teammates but this does not mean that he does not trust them.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Heart-Shaped Herb Enhancement: After having consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa's physical attributes have been significantly enhanced to levels comparable to a super-soldier. Unlike the Super Soldier Serum, the effects can be removed by drinking a serum that negates the powers of the herbs for ritualistic combat for a fair fight to become King of Wakanda.
- Enhanced Strength: Black Panther's strength is on par with Captain America and Bucky Barnes'.
- Enhanced Speed: Black Panther's speed is on par with Captain America and Bucky Barnes'.
- Enhanced Agility: Black Panther has cat-like agility.
- Enhanced Durability: Black Panther could easily land from several stories unfazed, as both Captain America and Bucky Barnes could do; without his suit, T'Challa was barely injured by the explosion at the United Nations at point-blank range, even as he lunged towards where the explosion came from and his father was killed by it.
- Enhanced Stamina: T'Challa's musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human and his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing chemicals in his muscles. This allows him to exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before tiring or slowing down, granting him exceptional endurance and lung capacity greater than normal humans. He was able to intensely pursue the Winter Soldier on foot without any signs of fatigue and fight against Erik Killmonger for an extended period of time without tiring.
- Enhanced Reflexes: The Heart-Shaped Herb enhanced T'Challa's reflexes to be superior to those of the finest athlete, allowing him to effectively process the world at an accelerated rate to more efficiently find solutions using his sense and strategies. His reflexes were sharp enough to catch Hawkeye's arrows out of the air with his bare hands, cover a grenade using his body the moment he saw it, and catch a spear in mid-air. His reflexes also allow him to respond quickly to fast-paced combat, as he was able to keep up with the likes of Captain America and the Winter Soldier.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: T'Challa's fast healing capabilities allows for him to have a conditioned metabolism that enables an extraordinarily efficient recovery. After being stripped away from the powers of the herb, T'Challa suffered blunt force, cuts, and bruises due to fighting for the Black Panther monarchy. Afterward, having being restored the powers of the herb, T'Challa recovered from many of the damages he endured and was healed in a matter of hours. This even enables him to fully recover from being on the brink of death in mere hours.
- Superhuman Durability: While wearing the Habit, T'Challa's durability is increased to superhuman levels thanks to its vibranium composition, which allows him to withstand bullets and explosions while being completely unfazed. During the Battle of Mount Bashenga, T'Challa was able to withstand being struck by a charging rhino and being hit by a Wakandan train while battling Killmonger.
- Kinetic Energy Pulses: The habit can store kinetic energy, which T'Challa can then release in a pulse of purple energy.
- Physical Augmentation: The kinetic energy stored within the habit can also be used to add more force behind T'Challa's blows, allowing him to increase the strength of his punches and kicks.
Abilities
- Genius-Level Intellect: To be added
- Master Tactician: Black Panther is a highly skilled tactician.
- Master Martial Artist: Black Panther is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts.
- Sword Mastery: To be added
- Master Acrobat: Even without his suit, Black Panther is a master gymnast and acrobat, capable of feats, such as parkour and free running.
- Multilingualism: Black Panther is capable of fluently speaking English and Xhosa.
- Pilot: To be added
- Stealth Mastery: To be added
Appearances
Captain America: Civil War
- “In my culture death is not the end. It's more of a... stepping-off point. You reach out with both hands and Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into the green veldt where... you can run forever.”
- ―T'Challa to Natasha after the death of his father
After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, T'Challa, and his father T'Chaka, came to Austria to participate in the conference being held in Vienna, regarding the Sokovia Accords, in response to Ultron having bought stolen Vibranium from Ulysses Klaue, and using it to create a weapon that destroyed Sokovia, and due to a disaster caused by Crossbones, which resulted in the destruction of a building housing many Wakandan humanitarian workers, killing them.
While he is making a speech about Wakanda's signing of the Accords, the building where the conference was being held is attacked by another bombing, this time by Helmut Zemo, who framed Bucky Barnes as the culprit. The explosion killed T'Chaka, which devastated T'Challa. With his father's death, T'Challa had succeeded his father as king of Wakanda, as well as the mantle of the Black Panther, an avatar of their deity. Wanting vengeance for T'Chaka's demise, T'Challa vows to kill Bucky. He dons the Black Panther suit, and ambushes Barnes, who SWAT teams had found and driven out. Black Panther fights Bucky across on a rooftop and under a highway tunnel while being pursued by Captain America and the Falcon. When they are confronted by the SWAT team and War Machine, T'Challa unmasks and reveals himself.
At the facility where Bucky is imprisoned while the Sokovia Accords are debated, Bucky is brainwashed by Helmut Zemo and goes on a rampage through the facility. T'Challa tries to stop him but fails.
T'Challa with the rest of the superheroes
T'Challa is recruited into Iron Man's side along with other heroes such as Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, and Spider-Man. At the battle of the Avengers at the Leipzig/Halle Airport, Black Panther primarily takes on Captain America, Winter Soldier, and Hawkeye. Winter Soldier tries to tell T'Challa that he wasn't responsible for T'Chaka's death, but he doesn't believe it as Bucky still tried to run from it. Black Panther tries to pursue Captain America and Winter Soldier escaping in a jet, but is stopped by Black Widow, who has changed sides. According to Tony, T'Challa informed Secretary Ross of Widow's actions. When Iron Man discovers Captain America's location, Black Panther secretly follows him to the Siberian Hydra base, where he discovers from an exchange between Helmut Zemo and Captain America that Zemo framed Bucky for the bombing. After Zemo reveals that the Winter Soldier killed Iron Man's parents, T'Challa follows Zemo outside as Iron Man fights Captain America and Winter Soldier.
T'Challa confronts his father's true killer, questioning Zemo if breaking the Avengers' fellowship satisfied him. Seeing how vengeance over the death of family had consumed Zemo and Tony, T'Challa decides not to kill Zemo, preventing him from taking his own life so he could live to answer for his crimes. After turning Zemo in, T'Challa grants asylum to Bucky and Captain America in Wakanda and allows Bucky to be cryogenically frozen while his team tries to find a cure for Bucky from Hydra's brainwashing program.
Black Panther
- “This is your last chance. Throw down your weapons, and we can handle this another way.”
- ―T'Challa to Erik Killmonger[src]
In Wakanda, T'Challa undergoes the rites to formally be declared king. As is tradition, he ingests a modified extract of the plant that gives him his enhanced abilities, which strips them away and accepts all challenges before the tribal elders. Chief M'Baku, an isolationist tribe chief is the only one who challenges the claim to Black Panther. T'Challa beats M'Baku and spares his life, convincing him to yield so he need not kill him and rob his tribe of their leader. M'Baku releases his claim and retreats to the mountains. With no further opposition, T'Challa becomes the Black Panther and undergoes the rites to visit his father's spirit.
Ulysses Klaue a smuggler who has been illegally exporting Vibranium from Wakanda and selling it around the world. While the U.S. government has been the one largely to hunt down and round up the Vibranium, T'Challa aims to stop the problem at its source by finding Klaue himself and bringing him in for his crimes or killing him if need be. Klaue's partner, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens proves to be an exiled Wakandan-American. Killmonger turns out to be T'Challa's cousin, with his father, N'Jobu, having been killed by the late King T'Chaka for exporting Vibranium for weapon use. N'Jobu intentionally sold Vibranium while undercover in the U.S. a witnessing a still marginalized African population. N'Jobu was willing to undermine Wakanda's control of the Vibranium supply in order to arm revolutionaries. After Klaue is dealt with, dealing with Killmonger becomes a priority, since, as the son of a Wakandan prince, Killmonger has the right to challenge T'Challa for the throne. T'Challa accepts his cousin's challenge.
The two arrived at Warrior Falls in accordance with tradition. After T'Challa was stripped of the Heart-Shaped Herb, he found Erik Killmonger's military training and experience made him a worthy opponent. While T'Challa had the upper hand at first, Killmonger capitalized on T'Challa's mercy and indecision to ultimately defeat and badly wounded him, cutting his thigh and stomach. Before Killmonger could deliver the final blow, Zuri intervened, claiming that he was truly responsible for his father's death and that he should take his life instead, to which Killmonger happily obliged. Distraught at Zuri's untimely death, T'Challa lunged at Killmonger once more but to no avail. Killmonger decided to finish off the king by throwing him over the falls and declared himself the new king, to everyone's displeasure.
The Jabari Tribe had found T'Challa in the freezing rivers where they fish and brought him back to their domain. M'Baku decided to save his life as repayment for his mercy at the falls earlier and showed his comatose state to Nakia, Ramonda, Shuri, and Everett Ross, having escaped while Killmonger consolidated his power. With T'Challa comatose and stabilized only by the surrounding snow, Ramonda remembered to use the one heart-shaped herb they stole to bring him back. Awaking in the spiritual plane again, he was greeted by T'Chaka and invited to join him and the rest of his ancestors. Instead, T'Challa was furious at his father for killing his uncle and leaving his cousin orphaned and angered by the other Black Panthers for how their strict isolationism has led to suffering around the world. T'Challa declared his work wasn't done yet and woke to the relief of his loved ones. T'Challa thanked M'Baku for saving his life and requested that he and the rest of the Jabari help overthrow Killmonger. M'Baku declined, as he had already repaid his debt to T'Challa. The group left the tribe, with Shuri giving T'Challa his Panther Habit for the coming battle.
As Erik Killmonger's agents prepared to deliver vibranium weapons to War Dog operatives around the world, one of the aircrafts exploded and crashed, with T'Challa emerging from the wreckage. T'Challa then challenged Killmonger, stating that the Ritual Combat wasn't over since he neither yielded nor died. Killmonger ordered W'Kabi and the Border Tribe to attack T'Challa. Okoye and the Dora Milaje moved to counter, and the Battle for Wakanda began.
During the fight, T'Challa fought against W'Kabi and his soldiers and brought down W'Kabi's war rhinos. As Killmonger, wearing the other Panther Habit, defeated Okoye and three of the Dora Milaje, he turned his attention to Shuri. When T'Challa saw this, he charged at Killmonger, and tackled him, causing both to fall into the vibranium mine.
In the mine, Killmonger and T'Challa fought on the tracks of one of the vibranium transport trains. T'Challa asked Shuri to activate the train, knowing it would activate the Sonic Stabilizers, rendering his, and Killmonger's suits useless from time-to-time. After an extended fight, T'Challa was able to fatally stab Killmonger in the abdomen with Killmonger's short spear.
Killmonger, knowing the fight was over, told T'Challa about his father, and how he told Killmonger that Wakanda was the most beautiful place in the world to see a sunset. After this, T'Challa helped bring Killmonger to the top of the mine to watch the sunset. While there, T'Challa offered to heal Killmonger, but Killmonger refused, saying that he would rather die a free man than be imprisoned for the rest of his life. With this, Killmonger pulled the spear out of his body, bleeding to death.
Periodically after reclaiming Wakanda, T'Challa gave a speech at the United Nations in Vienna, officially ending Wakanda's isolation and proclaiming all of Earth as one tribe. A few days before, T'Challa decide to buy N'Jobu's old apartment complex and convert it into an embassy to be run by Nakia and Shuri.
Avengers: Infinity War
- “Engage all defences. And get this man a shield.”
- ―T'Challa
T'Challa in "Infinity War"
In 2018, two years into his reign as king of Wakanda, T'challa has been helping Bucky Barnes have the brainwashing removed from his mind, with the help of Shuri. T'Challa and the Dora Milaje learn of Thanos, who plans to use the Infinity Gauntlet to erase half of the universe from existence. T'Challa is visited by Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Bruce Banner and James Rhodes, to ask if they can remove the mind stone from Vision's head without killing him, while T'Challa reunites Bucky and Steve.
T'Challa and the Wakandians prepare themselves for the upcoming battle, while Shuri continues to try and take the mind stone out of Vision. T'Challa orders his team to give Steve a shield so he can help fight with his fellow Avengers, and to open the barrier to let Thanos' army onto the battlefield, so they can't reach vision. However, Thanos is later able to complete his quest and obtain all 6 Infinity Stones and wipe half of the universe out of existence, with T'Challa being one of the victims.
Avengers: Endgame
- “Clint! Give it to me.”
- ―Black Panther to Hawkeye
T'Challa during the Battle of Earth
T'Challa is resurrected when Hulk/Bruce Banner uses the Infinity Gauntlet to undo the snap and bring everyone back to life. T'Challa then joins the other heroes in their second fight against Thanos and his army of Chitauri, Outriders and the Black Order. During the battle, T'Challa saved Hawkeye, who had the Nano Gauntlet, from a group of Chitauri and asked him to pass the gauntlet to him, so he could get it to the Quantum Tunnel and have the Infinity Stones returned to their rightful moments in time. T'Challa managed to run fast among the battlefield with the gauntlet, but not before being attacked by Thanos. While Scarlet Witch fought off Thanos, Ebony Maw tried to take the gauntlet from T'Challa with his telekinesis. Spider-Man swung by and T'Challa passed the gauntlet to him.
The battle soon ended when Tony Stark sacrificed his life to decimate Thanos and his army by snapping his fingers with his own Gauntlet. Everyone such as T'Challa, except a time-displaced Gamora (who left the scene immediately) began kneeling and mourn of Stark's death. In the aftermath, T'Challa attended Stark's funeral with his sister and Okoye before returning home to Wakanda where he reunited with his mother and watched his nation celebrate their loved ones' return while resuming his duties as King of Wakanda.
What If...?
- “If we made like the old days, you'd only have half of your teeth. Besides, wouldn't you rather use it to jump-start the Krylorians' dying star?”
- ―T'Challa to Yondu Udonta[src]
T'Challa in "What If...?"
T'Challa is first seen in the episode "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?", set in an alternate universe. In 1988, his father T'Chaka refused to let his son explore the world beyond Wakanda, claiming that only "destruction and pain" is occurring outside. One night, while T'Challa was exploring beyond Wakanda's borders, he gets abducted by Yondu's subordinates by mistake. Despite this, T'Challa was actually rather excited about getting to experience a new environment outside of Wakanda, something which impressed Yondu enough for him to offer to show T'Challa the universe. For that, he was trained by Yondu to become a Ravager. Unlike their counterparts from the original timeline, they became Robin Hood like-heroes, beloved and admired by many.
In this universe, not only was T'Challa able to stop a Kree invasion (hence saving Drax's family) but was also able to convince Thanos to change his ways and join the Ravagers as a force for good. T'Challa did begin to feel homesick and asked to visit Wakanda, but Yondu told him that Wakanda had been destroyed by war.
Like the original Star-Lord, this one also takes the Power Stone from Morag, while even recruiting Korath in the process. However, rather than trying to sell it to the highest bidder as in the Sacred Timeline, T'Challa intends on using it to save an entire solar system from extinction by jumpstarting its dying star, saying that "No treasure is worth more than the good that can be done with it".
When pulling a heist with Nebula in the Collector's museum, T'Challa finds a Wakandan ship and realizes that Yondu had lied about Wakanda's fate. He confronts Yondu on this, before being taken to see the Collector. His words are able to inspire Carina, an assistant of the Collector, to rescue him. Together, he and Yondu are able to subdue the Collector and leave him at the mercy of all the angry "exhibits" in his collection. T'Challa and Yondu escape the collection on the Wakandan ship. T'Challa admits upon learning the truth that he is not sure where he truly belongs, but Yondu assures him that there is nowhere in the galaxy where he doesn't belong. T'Challa returns to Wakanda, reuniting with his family and introduces them to the family he's made with the Ravagers. When T'Chaka asks how T'Challa came to find himself on Yondu's ship, T'Challa covers by saying he was lost and that Yondu found him.
T'Challa reappears in "What If... Zombies!?" as the victim of the zombie outbreak created from the Quantum Virus, before he was found by Vision and was brought to Camp Lehigh, New Jersey. He was then found by Bucky Barnes, who learns that Vision was using T'Challa to feed a zombified Wanda, as evident with T'Challa missing a leg. Ultimately, T'Challa, Spider-Man, The Head of Scott Lang and Doctor Strange's Cape of Levitation are the only ones to escape Camp Lehigh, with the Mind Stone given to them by Vision. T'Challa assures Peter that in his culture death is not the end, and that the people they love are still with them as long as they are remembered. The group make their way to Wakanda, unaware it's already overrun by zombies, including a Zombie Thanos.
In "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?", T'Challa interrupts the deal between Killmonger, Rhodey, and Ulysses Klaue. He spares Rhodey, stating his conflict is not with America, but Killmonger jumps T'Challa and murders him before using T'Challa's glove to also murder Rhodey, with the intention of sparking a war between Wakanda and America. Later, when Killmonger is given the heart-shaped herb, T'Challa's spirit confronts Killmonger on the astral plane, telling him that his actions are only going to cause more suffering, and how Killmonger's grabs for power are ultimately going to come back to bite him.
In "What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath?", we catch up with Star-Lord T'Challa as he rescues Peter Quill from Ego. It is then that the Watcher shows up to declare he has been chosen to be a Guardian of the Multiverse. During the confrontation with Ultron, T'Challa is able to use sticky fingers in order to grab the Soul Stone from Ultron's armor. After Ultron is defeated, Killmonger attempts to take the Infinity Stones for himself. T'Challa tries to talk him down, but Killmonger dismisses their family connection as they are from different universes and tries using the stones against the other Guardians. After Killmonger and Arnim Zola (in Ultron's body) are imprisoned in a Pocket Dimension by Strange Supreme, Star-Lord T'Challa returns to his universe, where it is shown he has taken Peter Quill under his wing.
Ms. Marvel
Whilst Black Panther doesn't appear in the series, an animated version of him can be seen, amongst the other heroes, in the first episode, as Kamala narrates the final chapter, in her 10-part series, about the battle against Thanos.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
T'Challla is mourned by Wakanda
- “When I lost my brother, it just felt different. He suffered in silence. When he finally asked me to help him, I couldn't. How does that make sense that the ancestors would give me gifts and skills to help me save my brother, and I couldn't?”
- ―Shuri expressing her grief on T'Challa's death.[src]
On May 3rd 2024[1][2]T'Challa is dying of an unknown disease. His sister Shuri attempts to recreate the Heart-Shaped Herb, that was destroyed by Killmonger, but was unsuccessful and T'Challa dies. With their king dead, Wakanda is left vulnerable, forcing them to go to isolation once again. In 2025, Shuri is reminded of the date which is the anniversary of T'Challa's death. It is later revealed that in 2018, T'Challa fathered a son with Nakia named Toussaint, not long before the snap caused by Thanos took place. It is also revealed that T'Challa and Nakia agreed to raise their son in Tahiti away from the pressure of the throne and T'Challa's mother Ramonda was the only one who knew of Toussaint's existence. Shuri decides to take on her brother's mantle as the Black Panther and is finally able to mourn her brother by burning her funeral robes in a silent tribute. The movie ends with a tribute to T'Challa's portrayer, Chadwick Boseman.
Other appearances
Marvel vs. Capcom series
Black Panther briefly appeared in Storm's ending of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 sub-series. He is also part of Heroes vs. Heralds mode card boost selection in its Ultimate update.
Black Panther appears as a non-playable character in the story mode of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. In this game, due to the convergence of the Marvel and Capcom universes, his kingdom of Wakanda is merged with Val Habar, a playable location from Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, to form Valkanda, a playable stage in the game; Black Panther remains as the king of the merged nation, gaining a loyal female Monster Hunter as his ally, and the only non-super villain who have an Infinity Stone, the Time Stone. Both Black Panther and Monster Hunter later became playable characters in arcade mode as downloadable content.
Disney Parks
Black Panther had his first meet-and-greet at Disney California Adventure on February 16, 2018. He can be found in the park's Hollywood Land area with the Dora Milaje. He can also be met at Hong Kong Disneyland in Adventureland.
Gallery
Trivia
- Black Panther was the first superhero of African descent to ever be featured in mainstream American comics and is considered a pop culture and comic book icon.
- A film centring on Black Panther has been in development since, at least, the early 1990s with Wesley Snipes eyed for the title role at the time.[citation needed] The character finally got his first live-action appearance in the 2016 Marvel Studios film Captain America: Civil War; 50 years after his comics debut in 1966.
- Black Panther was Chadwick Boseman's only Disney role.
- T'Challa's actor Chadwick Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, before he could reprise his role for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It was later revealed that no one would take on the role, but the film would honour Boseman in tribute.[3]
- According to What If...? director Bryan Andrews, there were plans for a T'Challa Star-Lord spinoff series following the first season of What If...?. Unfortunately, Chadwick Boseman passed away before this series could become a reality.[4]
- Chadwick Boseman voiced T'Challa in the animated show What If...?, which was the final project the actor worked on as the Black Panther.
- The character is mentioned in the 2020 film Holidate and a character dresses up the Marvel hero for Halloween, whilst saying his battle cry "Wakanda forever".
- Before Chadwick Boseman was cast, Michael Kenneth Williams was considered to portray Black Panther.[5] Williams died over a year after Boseman did.
- The Black Panther appeared as an action figure in the 2023 film Haunted Mansion.
- According to the Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, T'Challa died on May 3rd, 2024.[1][2]
- T'Challa is the second main MCU character to be a father, following Tony Stark.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cosmic Marvel on X - May 3rd, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline
- ↑ "Black Panther Won't Recast Chadwick Boseman". IGN.com (December 11, 2020).
- ↑ Marvel's 'What If…?' Finale, Season 2 Plans and the T'Challa Spinoff That Never Was
- ↑ One Of Hollywood's Best Actors Is Campaigning To Play Black Panther
External links
T'Challa (Marvel Cinematic Universe) on Wikipedia- T'Challa on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- T'Challa Variants on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- T'Challa (What If) on Heroes Wiki
- Black Panther (Marvel Cinematic Universe) on Heroes Wiki
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