One of the many bright spots in the original "Avengers" movie was Tony Stark's famously narcissistic line: "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."
T'Challa can still one up him: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and warrior-king.
Debuting in "Captain America: Civil War" a full two years before his solo movie, T'Challa is already a breakout character for his incredible fighting skills, alluring East African purr, and utter refusal to get caught up in the politics between Iron Man or Captain America. He has his own agenda and pursues it ruthlessly.
So who exactly is T'Challa and where does he come from? Keep reading on to learn more about the Black Panther:
Black Panther is the first mainstream Black superhero, debuting in 1966 ahead of other classic black heroes like Luke Cage, Storm, or John Stewart.
His first appearance was Fantastic Four #52 and he got his own comic, Jungle Action #5, in 1973. Throughout his long comic history, he frequently fought alongside the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men and even had a short stint as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Recently, the character was rebooted into "Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet" by The Atlantic writer and MacArthur Fellow, Ta-Nehisi Coates. The rebooting was a major success and, along with the "Civil War" debut, reignited interest in T'Challa and his story.
T'Challa's homeland is Wakanda, a hugely prosperous but very reclusive African nation.
T'Challa and his father, King T'Chaka, are from Wakanda, a fictional African nation near Kenya. Wakanda is extremely isolationist, trading with other nations only as necessary and staying out of global politics. Instead, Wakanda focuses on building its technology.
They are the most technologically advanced nation on Earth and Black Panther's suit is one of their many scientific breakthroughs. Still, the Wakandan people are very spiritual and are usually depicted wearing tribal garb. Their high-tech superiorty co-exists with their ancient traditions and deference for their ancestors.
T'Challa's powers are a gift from the Wakandan Panther deity.
The people of Wakanda worship Bast, a panther goddess and the spiritual protector of Wakanda. If a warrior of noble birth is found worthy by defeating the current Black Panther, Bast will gift them with the heart-shaped herb, enhancing their abilities and making them the new Black Panther.
As we saw in the film, T'Challa's powers are similar to that of a panther: superhuman speed, stealth, and agility, the ability to recognize and track scents, nightvision, and (similar to Daredevil) an enhanced hearing ability that allows him to predict movement and track enemies. In "Civil War," T'Challa briefly references Bast, saying that, in Wakandan culture, the honored dead are welcomed into an afterlife of green fields where they can hunt and run free forever.
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