- "The Black Panther has been a protector of Wakanda for 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?"
- ―Black Panther to Captain America[src]
T'Challa is the king of the nation of Wakanda, assuming the role of the protector of his nation, Black Panther. Due to his father being assassinated in a terrorist attack orchestrated by Colonel Helmut Zemo, T'Challa focused on killing the man he believed to be responsible - Winter Soldier. This led him into the conflict between the Avengers, siding with Iron Man's team. However, when T'Challa learned of Zemo's deception, he assisted Winter Soldier and allowed him to recover from his trauma in Wakanda.
Biography
Early Life
Raised in Wakanda
T'Challa was born in Wakanda, a scientifically advanced yet isolationist country in Africa. Since his father T'Chaka was Wakanda's reigning monarch, T'Challa was trained to become the next Black Panther for most of his life. He soon grew into a man with a highly active mind yet showed a great dislike for politics despite his father's best efforts.[1]
A King's Death
Terrorist Attack
- "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 veld where... you can run forever."
"That sounds very peaceful."
"My father thought so. I am not my father." - ―T'Challa and Natasha Romanoff[src]
T'Challa at the Vienna International Centre.
When the United Nations decided to approve the Sokovia Accords in order to control and monitor the actions of the Avengers in the wake of a devastating battle between the Avengers and the now deceased terrorist Crossbones in which several Wakandan citizians were killed amoung other innocents, T'Challa and the Wakandan government chose to support the accords as they felt that the Avengers could become a true risk to the safety of Wakanda and the rest of the world considering their involvement in Ultron's creation.
T'Challa meets Natasha Romanoff
T'Challa and his beloved father T'Chaka attended the conference in Vienna, meeting Natasha Romanoff there. T'Challa spent time speaking with Romanoff of they discussed the accords and their shared discomfort of such political meetings. T'Challa commented on the fact that the last time Romanoff was in such company, she had exposed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets during the HYDRA Uprising, claiming her dislike for it made him happy to see her there.
T'Challa and T'Chaka express their love.
They were then interrupted by T'Chaka who teased his son and greeted Romanoff, noting that Captain America had decided not to attend as he disagreed with the control the accords would put on his and the Avengers' actions. Once Romanoff had taken her seat, T'Chaka expressed his proudness of seeing his son's skill at politics getting much better as they thanked each other for their support during this difficult time for politics in Wakanda.
T'Challa fails to save his father's life.
During the conference, T'Challa's watched as his dear father gave a speech about Wakanda's dark history and unfortunate involvement in the creation of deadly weapons made with Vibranium, using these as his own reasons for signing the accords. Hearing commotion outside, T'Challa realised danger was incoming but was too late to stop his father being killed in a terrorist attack that was secretly orchestrated by Helmut Zemo under the disguise of the Winter Soldier.
T'Challa vows to kill the Winter Soldier.
While the fire was being put out, T'Challa mournfully took his late father's ring and took over his rightful role as King of Wakanda. While considering his next actions, T'Challa was greeted by Romanoff who expressed her own grief at T'Chaka's death and promised him that the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre would find and arrest the Winter Soldier. T'Challa however informed Romanoff that he intended to find and kill the Winter Soldier himself out of pure revenge.[1]
Hunting the Winter Soldier
Black Panther tracks down the Winter Soldier.
- "T'Challa, Task Force will decide who brings in Barnes."
"Don't bother Ms. Romanoff, I will kill him myself." - ―Natasha Romanoff and T'Challa[src]
As the news broke that the one who crafted the terrorist attack was the Winter Soldier, T'Challa put on the Panther Habit to avenge his father's death. He managed to track Winter Soldier to Bucharest, where he fiercely attacked him. Despite being momentarily shocked by the arrival of such an unexpected enemy, the Winter Soldier quickly got to his feet and began fighting Black Panther, nearly being killed several times.
Black Panther tries to kill the Winter Soldier.
Using his incredibly sharp claws on his suit, Black Panther slashed at his enemy and tried to kill him, eventually pinning him to the ground and attempting to stab his target through the throat. However their battle was only stopped when the Black Panther was shot at by a helicopter, with his Vibranium suit saving him. The Winter Soldier then attempted to escape by running off the side of the building, only for Black Panther to follow, grinding down the building's side.
Black Panther chases down Winter Soldier.
While the Winter Soldier attempted to escape by running on foot, the Black Panther hunted and chased Barnes down, following him when Barnes jumped from the roof top to the street below with Panther using his own claws to grind his way down the side of the building to keep close to his prey. They soon chased each other through a long traffic tunnel while also fighting Captain America and Falcon in the hot pursuit to try and protect the Winter Soldier.
Black Panther gets a lift from Captain America
When Rogers apprehended a Joint Counter Terrorist Centre car to try and catch up to Barnes, who was escaping on a motorbike, Black Panther jumped onto the back on the car to gain extra speed as well as jumping on the back of Falcon and flying through the tunnel, trying several times to knock Barnes off the motorcycle he was riding but finding that Barnes' Prosthetic Arm gave him an advantage as the Panther was grabbed by the throat and thrown to the ground.
Black Panther is arrested by the police.
Eventually Barnes reached the end of the tunnel and tried to use an explosive to block their way, only for Black Panther to leap through the blast and cut through Barnes' tires, causing his own bike to crash. Although Rogers stopped him from killing Barnes, they were all soon captured when War Machine and an entire police squad arrived and surrounded them, to which he unmasked and revealed himself as the new king of Wakanda to the surprise of everybody.
T'Challa explains his own motives for revenge.
The police apprehended Barnes, Rogers and Wilson, who were now fugitives due to the Sokovia Accords. The group were then brought to Berlin in an armoured car to await their own punishments for the chaos they caused. Along the way, T'Challa explained to Rogers and Wilson the history of the Black Panther and why he had targeted Barnes, as he desired to avenge T'Chaka and vowed that Rogers would not be able to keep Barnes safe.
T'Challa is greeted by Everett Ross.
The group soon arrived to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building where they were greeted by Sharon Carter and her boss Everett Ross while Barnes was locked up in a maximum security prison of the German anti-terror police force GSG9. T'Challa was also brought in and watched as Captain America's Shield and the EXO-7 Falcon were taken away, when Rogers questioned what would be happening to Barnes, he was told he would be questioned by Ross' men before being taken away to begin his sentence, which T'Challa seemed to agree with. Ross then explained that T'Challa would be provided with an office rather than a cell while he was there.[1]
Losing the Winter Soldier
T'Challa speaks with Natasha Romanoff
- "How long do your psychological evaluations usually take?"
"Why? You bored?"
"Not currently, but my prisoner and I have a plane to catch." - ―T'Challa and Natasha Romanoff[src]
While awaiting news on what would happen with the Winter Soldier at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building, T'Challa was visited by Natasha Romanoff who expressed her surprise at his secret identity, citing that this now placed him under the Accords' juridiction. T'Challa noted he wanted to move on so he could take Barnes to Wakanda. As Romanoff claimed this would be unlikely, Everett Ross confirmed T'Challa had been granted Barnes' extradition.[2]
T'Challa sees the Winter Soldier's escape.
T'Challa sat in his office while the Winter Soldier was questioned by Helmut Zemo posing as psychiatrist Theo Broussard. However while T'Challa, Ross and the Avengers were watching the questioning unfold, the power throughout the building was suddenly shut off, cutting all of the video and audio feeds in the interrogation room. Sensing that a more sinister plan was unfolding involving the Winter Soldier, who may be attempting to escape, T'Challa then went to investigate the incident himself even further.
T'Challa attempts to stop the Winter Soldier.
Heading downstairs as chaos was erupting throughout the building, T'Challa discovered the Winter Soldier had escaped and was fighting Romanoff, Tony Stark and Sharon Carter. T'Challa managed to save Romanoff from being strangled by the Winter Soldier and engaged in a one on one fight with his enemy, proving to be equally matched in skill although the Soldier was able to use his Prosthetic Arm to gain an advantage with strength and managing to knock T'Challa to the ground. T'Challa refused to allow his prey to escape and continued fighting, using his ring to block the Soldier's attacks before kicking him down the stairs, which only helped him get away.
T'Challa speaks with Natasha Romanoff.
When T'Challa learned from his Attaché that the Winter Soldier had escaped from the building, seemingly with the help of Steve Rogers, he decided to use Wakanda's many resources to track him down. On his way out, he was stopped by Natasha Romanoff, who came close to fighting Ayo, his security chief. T'Challa spoke to Romanoff politely and explained his plan, however Romanoff offered him an alternative, to join Stark's team of Avengers members in finding and capturing Rogers along with the Winter Soldier for Thaddeus Ross. Knowing that this would prove to be a much faster method of finding and killing his target, T'Challa agreed to join Stark's team.[1]
Clash of the Avengers
Black Panther greets Captain America.
- "I didn't kill your father."
"Then why did you run?" - ―Winter Soldier and Black Panther[src]
Having joined Iron Man's side, Black Panther eventually found and ambushed Captain America at an airport in Flughafen Leipzig-Halle, greeting Rogers with respect while Stark continued to argue about the Sokovia Accords while Spider-Man arrived and took away his shield to ensure that he could not fight back, as Stark tried to convince him to surrender himself over to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre for interrogation.
Black Panther attacks Captain America.
However Rogers remained confident and had Hawkeye free him from Spider-Man webbing and Ant-Man gave him back his shield. As Iron-Man scanned the area, he spotted the Winter Soldier, who Black Panther attempted to go after, only for Rogers to stand in his way. When Rogers ignored T'Challa's warning to get out of his way, they engaged in a fierce fight, where the claws on his own Panther Habit caused permeant scratch marks on Rogers' shield.
Black Panther dodges an explosion.
T'Challa teamed up with War Machine during the fight but they both proved to be bested by Captain America, who fought them both off while disarming War Machine's weapons. The fight was stopped when Captain America and Ant-Man used a Pym Particle Disk to enlarge and throw a large fire truck towards T'Challa, War Machine and Black Widow, much to their annoyance as both T'Challa and Widow managed to dodge the explosion while Rhodes was hit with it's full on force, knocking him painfully backwards.
Black Panther sides with Iron Man.
As Rogers and the rest of his team attempted to make their way to the Avengers' Quinjet to make their escape from the airport, their path was soon stopped by the Vision, who used the Mind Stone to stop block their path. T'Challa joined the rest of Iron Man's team as the two opposing sides later gathered up to charge against their former allies, T'Challa first targeted the man he was desperate to get revenge on the man seemingly responsible for the terrorist attacks.
Black Panther tries to kill Winter Soldier.
During the fight Winter Soldier tried to convince T'Challa that he wasn't the one who murdered T'Chaka, but T'Challa only questioned why he had run away if he was innocent. He almost succeeded to kill the wrong suspect as he pulled away his Prosthetic Arm and then attempted to cut his throat, but Scarlet Witch intervened and stopped his claws from reaching Barnes, and threw T'Challa through a distance with her powers, hitting a jet bridge.[1]
Losing his Targets
Black Panther runs from Giant-Man's attack.
Later, T'Challa spotted both Captain America and the Winter Soldier attempting to escape with a Quinjet in the hangar, but Giant-Man held him and the rest of Iron Man's team back. When keeping Spider-Man, Iron Man and War Machine away from his team members Ant-Man kicks an airplane bus at T'Challa, only to be saved at the last second by Vision intervening and blocking the bus with his Vibranium body.
Black Panther fights against Hawkeye.
With Vision's, help T'Challa was able to elude Ant-Man to reach the Quinjet Hangar. Before he can do so, Hawkeye tries keeping T'Challa at bay by firing many of his explosive arrows directly at him. T'Challa dodged many of the arrows and caught two before they exploded right in his face, angering him enough to fight Hawkeye by showing him his Vibranium claws unleashed from his own Panther Habit as the Black Panther prepared to fight his legendary attacker.
Black Panther fights and subdues Hawkeye.
Seeing that his current technic was not working and still attempting to ensure his ally's escape, Hawkeye turned his bow into a staff and introduced himself to T'Challa, since they had never been introduced before this point, with the latter replying that he did not care who it was he was fighting. The pair started fighting one another until T'Challa broke his staff and knocked Hawkeye out of the fight, continuing his pursuit to the Quinjet Hangar.
Black Panther once again loses his targets.
Despite the best efforts of Vision to block them, Rogers and Barnes reached the hangar due to Scarlet Witch's interference. Black Panther came close to them, only to be stunned multiple times by Black Widow's Widow Bite, allowing Rogers and Barnes to escape, despite T'Challa trying to get a hold of the Quinjet. As they left, Romanoff claimed she had only promised to help him find not kill them. T'Challa was nevertheless furious with her for allowing them to get away and he later reported her betrayal to Everett Ross.[1]
Capturing Helmut Zemo
T'Challa closely follows Tony Stark.
- "Vengeance has consumed you. It is consuming them, and I am done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough."
"Tell that to the dead."
"The living are not done with you yet." - ―Black Panther and Helmut Zemo[src]
Having had a meeting with Thaddeus Ross onboard the Raft prison where he had a top secret meeting with Falcon, Tony Stark discovered the location of the now fugitives Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Once Stark had put on his Iron Man suit and went to find them, T'Challa secretly followed Stark while onboard his jet to Siberia, where the Winter Soldier laboratory was located.
Black Panther learns of Helmut Zemo's plans.
T'Challa infiltrated the building with the plan to kill Winter Soldier; following close behind as Iron Man made peace with Rogers. However, he overheard the conversation between Rogers and the terrorist Helmut Zemo, in which he confessed to killing all the other Winter Soldiers and admitted to framing Barnes for killing King T'Chaka. Having learned this truth that he had been deceived, Black Panther focused his efforts on Zemo, with the intention of killing him.
Black Panther encounters Helmut Zemo.
While Zemo rested on top of a hill outside the missile bunker, certain that he had succeeded to pit Iron Man and Captain America against each other, T'Challa quietly confronted him, now aware of the truth. However, rather than going face-to-face with T'Challa, Zemo instead explained to T'Challa that his family died in the Battle of Sokovia and that he wanted to tear apart the Avengers to find justice for his own family's tragic demise. Zemo also admitted that T'Chaka's death was not intended and apologized for it, saying that T'Chaka was a good man who he respected and had a dutiful son in T'Challa.
Black Panther subdues Helmut Zemo.
Realizing how horribly revenge could consume a man and that his father would never have wanted a Black Panther to commit murder, T'Challa decided to spare Zemo and even stopped him from committing suicide, using his Vibranium-protected hand to block the gunshot. While he struggled to get out of the headlock, T'Challa stated to Zemo that the living are not done with him yet, later handing him over to Everett Ross for his punishment.[1]
Saving the Winter Soldier
T'Challa promises to protect Bucky Barnes.
T'Challa later helped Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes to safety and gave them brief asylum in his Kingdom of Wakanda, where Barnes willingly let himself freeze in a cryo-chamber until the Wakandan scientists can find a way to cure him of HYDRA's brainwashing. Rogers warned T'Challa that forces of opposition could come and declare war on Wakanda for allowing the infamous Winter Soldier to take refuge within their kingdom. T'Challa replied that they should try as the overlooked the landscape.[3]
Personality
- "Move, Captain. I won't ask a second time!"
- ―Black Panther to Captain America[src]
T'Challa is showed to have high respect towards other people, especially towards his father, T'Chaka. He honors the tradition and principles of Wakanda and is willing to take action whenever it is necessary. When his father died, he was willing and ready to take on his rightful place as king of Wakanda. While he does not seem to favor a fight, he was very quick trying to avenge his father's death. An honourable fighter, T'Challa respects his opponents and is willing to spare his enemies' lives.
According to his father, T'Challa tends to disapprove of diplomacy, but was nevertheless supportive of the Sokovia Accords.
However, when he finally had the chance to avenge his father, he ultimately chose not to, knowing that doing so would make him fall as low as Zemo, and would go against what the Black Panther stands for. As he stood by Zemo, the latter explained to him about how he had also lost his loved ones too, and that he and T'Challa were not different, as they both are in pursuit of revenge. It was at this moment that T'Challa realized that revenge has completely consumed Zemo, and he realized that this is not what his father would have wanted for him. In the end, he was willing to help Captain America and Winter Soldier, by granting them asylum in Wakanda since they were international criminals now. He also displays a strong resolve, as when Captain America warned him the world might declare war on his country for housing Winter Soldier, he confidently stated to let them come.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Enhanced Strength: T'Challa's strength is enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition even when not wearing the Panther Habit. He was able to fight Winter Soldier on equal grounds. He could overpower and send Winter Soldier flying through the air with his attacks. He was also strong enough to hold back Winter Soldier's bionic arm, and duel Captain America on equal grounds.
- Enhanced Speed: T'Challa can run and move at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He possesses speed on par with Captain America and the Winter Soldier, and is fast enough to easily outrun moving vehicles.
- Enhanced Stamina: T'Challa's musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. T'Challa's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing chemicals in his muscles, granting him exceptional endurance and lung capacity, greater than of normal humans. He was able to intensely pursue the Winter Soldier on foot without any signs of fatigue.
- Enhanced Durability: T'Challa's is much more durable than any human being. Even when not wearing his Panther Habit, he can survive blunt force trauma such as being hit with the Winter Soldier's bionic arm. While wearing the Panther Habit, T'Challa's durability is increased to superhuman levels, thanks to the Vibranium, which allowed him to withstand bullets and explosions unfazed.
- Enhanced Agility: T'Challa's agility is greater than that of an any human being. He can coordinate his body with perfect balance, equilibrium, flexibility, and dexterity. He is able to quickly move through walls and leap distances with accuracy.
- Enhanced Reflexes: T'Challa's reflexes are superior to those of the finest athlete. They are beyond human potential which allowed him to to catch Hawkeye's arrows with ease.
Abilities
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- Master Martial Artist: T'Challa is an extremely skilled martial artist, having been trained vigorously to become a warrior and protector of Wakanda, the Black Panther. His unique Wakandan fighting style is very acrobatic and heavily attack-oriented, primarily utilizing powerful sweeping kicks, aerial take-downs, and lashing attacks with hooked and clawed fists, reminiscent of the manner in which a panther strikes. Black Panther's techniques combine African martial arts such as Engolo, Moraingy, Musangwe and Dambe.
- Master Acrobat: T'Challa is a master gymnast and acrobat, which allowed him to quickly catch up to Winter Soldier mere seconds after being knocked down, and the latter having gone up several flights of stairs. Black Panther's agility allows him to effortlessly outrun and vault over moving vehicles, land on his feet unfazed from several stories, perform aerial wheel kicks while fighting Captain America, to send Winter Soldier flying through the air, and lunge several feet to knock Winter Soldier off his motorcycle. He's been shown to have some degree of contortionist skill, as he was able to quickly recover and redirect his body when suspended by Winter Soldier during his initial chase, flipping his body to bring his target down with his momentum.
- Master Tactician: T'Challa is a master in strategy and tactics. Due to his revenge for the Winter Soldier, T'Challa has shown to plan his attack while Barnes was on the run.
- Skilled Diplomat: T'Challa, according to his father, has a knack for diplomacy and politics, though he begrudgingly acknowledges this as fact.
- Multilingual: T'Challa speaks his native Xhosa, as well as fluent English (albeit with a thick Wakandan accent).
- Pilot: T'Challa has shown to be a skilled and elusive pilot, managing to tail Iron Man all the way to Siberia without the latter knowing.
Equipment
- Panther Habit: In his Black Panther persona, T'Challa wears a black and silver-lined combat suit that is composed of a specially-designed Wakandan Vibranium-mesh weave akin to chain mail that is, like Captain America's Shield, light-weight, vibration-absorbent, nigh-indestructible and renders him immune to most physical damages especially from collisions and conventional weapons such as firearms, though he was notably vulnerable to the electrical charges of Black Widow's Bite. The suit is accompanied by:
- Two sets of extendable and retractable Vibranium Claws embedded in the fingers of the gloves like nails; serving as both utility and primary weapon of T'Challa during combat. The claws are exceptionally strong and razor sharp as it was able to put scratch marks on Captain America's Shield during the airport clash.
- The Black Panther helmet which have similar properties with the suit, and is adorned with silver trimmings and slight pointed arches on either side of the top that mimic the ears of the animal. The helmet seems to have some kind of safety lock in the rear area, enabling it to attach firmly to the user's head.
- Jet: T'Challa has a technologically advanced jet, similar to the Avengers' Quinjet, that he uses when he needs to travel the world quickly. When Black Widow stopped him from capturing Bucky, he used the jet to follow Iron Man to Siberia because he knew that Stark was going after Bucky too, arriving just a few moments later.
- Wakandan Royal Ring: A ring that is used by the King of Wakanda, that is passed to the next generation after the death of his predecessor.
Relationships
Family
Allies
- Attaché
- Avengers
- Tony Stark/Iron Man - Former Ally
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Recruiter and Temporary Enemy
- James Rhodes/War Machine
- Vision
- Steve Rogers/Captain America - Enemy turned Ally
- Sam Wilson/Falcon - Enemy turned Ally
- Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - Enemy turned Ally
- Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Enemy turned Ally
- Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier - Mortal Enemy and Target turned Ally
- Scott Lang/Ant-Man - Enemy turned Ally
- Peter Parker/Spider-Man - Former Teammate
- Joint Counter Terrorist Centre
- Dora Milaje
Enemies
- Helmut Zemo - Detainee
- Ulysses Klaue
- Erik Killmonger
- M'Baku
Trivia
- In the comics, Black Panther was a member of the Avengers and became a temporary member of the Fantastic Four. He was the first black superhero in mainstream comics and was married to the X-Men member Storm, but later annulled their marriage during the events of Avengers vs. X-Men.
Behind the Scenes
- Michael Kenneth Williams expressed interest in portraying Black Panther before Chadwick Boseman was cast.[4]
- According to Kevin Feige, the Black Panther was included in Captain America: Civil War as a third party, someone with a different point of view from both Captain America and Iron Man.
References
| Preceded by: T'Chaka |
King of Wakanda T'Challa 2016 - Present |
Succeeded by: - |
