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What's Next For Black Panther?

With T'Challa's series coming to an end, what does Marvel have in store for the former ruler of Wakanda?

Over the course of the last few of years, Marvel has definitely put Black Panther through the wringer. He was incapacitated after an attack on Wakanda in the Black Panther ongoing series, recovered, left Wakanda for New York City and took over as the protector of Hell's Kitchen following Daredevil's departure after the Shadowland event. He's done more in the last year than a lot of characters do, well, ever. Which is why it will be so strange to see T'Challa's current series come to an end following the release of Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #529. According to the solicit for the title, which we announced in November would be the last in the series, issue #529 will be a "status-quo changing series finale." What does that really mean, though?

No Caption Provided

After taking over Daredevil's title, the book was renamed Black Panther: Man Without Fear beginning with issue 513 and later Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive starting with issue 523.1. The focus has been on T'Challa working alone, something he has insisted upon doing in order for him to figure out who he is again. Yet, it's not as though T'Challa is without responsibilities. The former King of Wakanda is still married to Storm, and it's surprising that he would leave his younger sister, Shuri the current Black Panther regent responsible for an entire nation -- particularly after the events of Doomwar which left Wakanda more or less vulnerable.

== TEASER ==

With his series coming to an end, many were left wondering "what's next" for one of Marvel's most iconic characters. After gracing the cover to AVENGERS #19 and the announcement that the Avengers would be getting a new team together, many speculated whether T'Challa would join his old friend Captain America as an addition to the Avengers. When Steve Rogers asks him, he turns the Captain down stating that he stated "I'm just not there right now, I have things to do here."

Okay, what things does he need to "do there" that we don't know about, because with the end of the series in the beginning of February, no one really knows where T'Challa is going to be. Rather than agreeing to join the Avengers, T'Challa suggests that Storm join the team because the team needs "a powerhouse."

AVENGERS #19
AVENGERS #19

For the last year we've seen the character embark on a journey of self discovery, turning down any help his wife has to offer him and going so far as to get frustrated with her when she tries to help him out. So what's next? Will he return to Wakanda? Will he reconsider and join the Avengers? It does sort of make sense that he might.

Throughout his series, Black Panther has been adamant about not getting any kind of help from anyone -- he has insisted on taking care of business, fighting Fisk and The Hand on his own, and he's done an okay job. But when he realizes that his tactics alone aren't really working in issue 526 of Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive, he calls on some help from Falcon and Luke Cage. The three characters, according to the solicits for the next three issues, will be appearing in the series together. Maybe after this final fight with Fisk will lead T'Challa to reconsider joining the Avengers? Perhaps that will be the "change in the status-quo"?

AVENGERS #19
AVENGERS #19

Let's talk a little bit about Storm, shall we? The two characters have spent little (if any) time together over the course of the last year, which is kind of sad. Unlike the Reed Richards and Sue Storm relationship where the two characters clearly love one another, work well as teammates and neither is overshadowed by the other, we don't get that with T'Challa and Storm. The relationship, which at one time had so much potential, has stagnated considerably over the course of the last year; leading me to believe that Marvel might be planning to pull them apart. Perhaps placing an X-Man like Storm on the Avengers just in time for the AVENGERS VS. X-MEN event will force Storm to choose between the two. And if T'Challa reconsiders and joins the Avengers, then Storm's decision could cause a rift between the two.

What do you think the future holds for T'Challa? Have you been keeping up with his series? Do you think he and Storm should remain together, or do you think that they will be torn apart with the launch of AVENGERS VS. X-MEN?

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Mrfuzzynutz

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Edited By Mrfuzzynutz

Marvel has totally screwed up Panther and Storm, you hardly see them together

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DanialCarroll

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Edited By DanialCarroll

@THEBlaqueBasterd Is that so? Oh my, how very foolish I feel...

All I was saying is that "iconic" was probably the wrong word to use. He's more "one of Marvel's most preeminent characters".

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Emperormeister734

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i say he joins the new avengers or return to wakanda and reclaim his throne like the king he is.

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dbest109

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Edited By dbest109

my god if those two get a divorce.....itll just be one more reason y i have just about lost faith in marvel comics

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Rabbitearsblog

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Edited By Rabbitearsblog

I definitely think that Black Panther should get his own series again, because he's rarely featured in any major comics and he's a really interesting character that needs more exploring into. I also want to see more scenes of him and Storm together.

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acon70

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Edited By acon70

oh i dont see them ( black panther and storm) staying together for too much longer. and i cant say that i didnt see this coming.

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notlupus

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Edited By notlupus

@Mega_spidey01: that honor would go to Hybrid, who actually has been MIA for awhile. Though I think he did appear on a computer screen in the first issue of Carnage USA.

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Varient

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Edited By Varient

Sigh. I have not really like the way the Panther was "Nerfed" over the last few years. His Prep-time and smarts were dumbed down enough for Doom to almost kill him, His Country was weakened enough from being the top edge tech to being unable to stop someone that Peterparker did with two hours in a lab and access to radiation, His Marriage is made into a joke by the out of character behavior of both he and his wife. I want Wakanda back to what it was before,.. Vibranium not required,But I want the tech base back. I want the Panther to return to the Capatain America level of ease of kicking someones behind. I want the Marriage to WORK. Why does Marvel fight the concept so hard? There are what?? three "Solid Marriages" in the Marvel Universe (Main characters) And everyone else stays in free-falling Drama central? Meh,... The two should be getting along to a level where Ororo is expecting, (I'm talking behavior by canon - she adopts children like lost kittens - obscure ref- intended) And Wakanda was clamoring for a heir. Whoops - starting to rant. D.

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AgeofHurricane

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Edited By AgeofHurricane

@GalactaSurfer said:

Why does Marvel hate the Black Panther? They create an awesome pairing and do litteraly nothing with it. They consistantly nerf Tchalla and wonder why his book isnt selling. David Liss did wonders with a premise that no sense at all to say the least. Marvel was trying to make BP Batman when he should be the Black Panther ,which when done the way Stan and Jack designed him to be, is freaking way more awesome.
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Mega_spidey01

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Edited By Mega_spidey01

make thry should get tyler perry to make a movie about the black panther cause they know any movies he makes will make money and black audiences will see it.

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SpidermanWins

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Edited By SpidermanWins

movie please

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Wonderbrezzy

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Edited By Wonderbrezzy

he needs his own team!

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jashro44

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Edited By jashro44

I hope marvel decides to give him a new series as soon as possible. If they can't do that then I really hope he joins the avengers or maybe the future foundation.

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Silver Zeal

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Edited By Silver Zeal

@GalactaSurfer said:

Why does Marvel hate the Black Panther? They create an awesome pairing and do litteraly nothing with it. They consistantly nerf Tchalla and wonder why his book isnt selling. David Liss did wonders with a premise that no sense at all to say the least. Marvel was trying to make BP Batman when he should be the Black Panther ,which when done the way Stan and Jack designed him to be, is freaking way more awesome.

Agreed...dont 4ge hw much Priest made BP/Tchalla an extremely formidable xcter in tribute 2 d 'forefathers' u mentiond.

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Silver Zeal

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Edited By Silver Zeal

@Wonderbrezzy said:

he needs his own team!

Agreed & co-signd with a supa-quikness.

BP/Tchalla is a descendant of WARRIOR SUPREMES of d BP Legacy who hv d "NOBLEST/PUREST OF SOULS"(Priest's run) in all of d MU. BP/Tchalla bcam king in his pre-teens d moment his father was killed by Klaw until he went on his test of warriorhood "walkabout" dat S'yan(brother d BP/Tchalla's father) tuk d throne in BP/Tchalla's abesnce.

Dis whole vigilante BS is supa-cliche & not wat BP/Tchalla is all about. BP/Tchalla is a king who chose 2 b pro-active aganst any or every potential threat 2 Wakanda which is y he goes out in2 d world alongside super-heroes & supa-agents instead of re-active waitin 2 b attackd in Wakanda.

BP/Tchalla is smart enuff 2 tk down Ironman with a bottle of simple household cleaner(ironically named "Mr Clean").

Outsmarted Nightmare @ his own game.

Defeated freaking Memphisto(master of hells & re-writer of realities)

BP/Tchalla is not a superhero but a supa- multi-tasking tactical strategeist("i've been taught from childhood 2 b always 2 steps ahead of my enemies & 3 steps ahead of my friends"--Priest's run) who was able 2 trash d entire world economy with a single fone-call.

He predictd exactly d way d Illuminati & Civil war will turn-out @ their very inception b4 any1 even undertstood wat was going on.

Singlehandedly defeated a Super-skrull dat had all d combat skills & capabilities of d gr8est fighters on d planet....including his own.(Secret invasion tie-in)

Trained from freaking birth 2 achieve peak human condition(hence y he's warrior supreme) B4 he even acquired d mythical herb dat gv him minor fyzical & mystical enhancements(classical BP/Tchalla had a 6th sense dat could mk him aware or astral & invincible beings, he could also willfully block...not hid...his thoughts from telepaths, had night vision eye sight, could c magical energies,etc).

Y should BP/Tchalla b confined in a town or country not his own playing "vigilante" when BP/Tchalla handles matta's on a global & cosmic scale...not 2 say he should not do superheroix but y limit him 2 do ONLY dat?

Luk @ d rubbish dat was Doomwar which should hv been an event with tie-in d way Shadowland was....NOT dat Doomwar garbarge is worth reading anyway given d way BP/Tchalla & Storm were treated which was outrageous.

With vibranium dead, y is Marvel allowing other writers 2 insult BP continuity by allowing writers like Remender(Venom) & Bendis(MoonKnight) cum-up with vibranium right outta nowhere...talk about a cheap dis @ BP.

Vibranium should return 2 Wakanda....have BP/Tchalla explore its mystical properties with Doctor Voodoo, Zawavari, Storm & Shuri. BP/Tchalla being d 1 who destroyd vibranium should b d ONLY 1 2 bring it bak.

Gv BP/Tchalla more & more showings in other titles particularly mking him playing very very significant roles in events instead of 7 xcters over & over & over & over & over & over again with member in 5-9 teams featuring prominently in like 10 buks each.(& Marvel with turn-around & say dey r diverse).

Also put BP/Tchalla on a team(core Avengers) & gv him his own team...if Ironman, Cap, Spiderman & Wolverine can b on several teams simultaneously y not BP IN JUST 2.

Given hw much Storm featured in BP's buk & FF, y isnt BP/Tchalla featuring in any of d X-buks more often?

Given dat BP/Tchalla made in very 1st appearance in d F4 title, y doesnt he feature der more often as well?

Given dat Storm/Queen Ororo & BP/Tchalla r married, y arent dey seen more often doing stuff 2gether? 4 craps sake dey hv been in luv with each oher since child hood which 1st hit pages in Marvel-team-up #100 in 1980, developd 4ther in Priest's run in d late 90's/early 2000's finally marry in 2005 in Hudlin's run(25 years later since 1980), 'Maestro' McDuffie(R.I.P) wrote dem brilliantly 4 a few issues started in FF#544 continued in BP's buk 4 a 4 gd showing & sum mediocre den Mabery(Doomwar) decided 2 express his covert h8red 4 both xcters in favor of Shuri...Hudlin returnd 2 filming projects, X-writers barely acknowledge d marriage if not @ all & den Marvel pretends 2 marriage doesnt exist if not intent on destroying it WHICH WILL B A VERY VERY BAD IDEA.

Y was BP/Tchalla downgraded from d 6th smartest person on d planet 2 d 8th?

Wouldnt d mystical ancient side of Wakanda b interesting 2 explore including into more detail about h powerful d Panther God is as well as mysteries of d BP legacy which could work in co-plot with exploring further in2 Storm/Queen Ororo's mystical ancestry?

Y not show BP/Tchalla go 2, hv adventures in & interact with xcter from other countries China, Russia, Korea, India, Brazil, Netherlands, Mexico, Australia, Atlas, Subterranea, Lemuria, etc other dan freaking US ?

Y not return BP/Tchalla 2 Priest levels(combo with Kirby) along with d gold laden BP king suit from Priest's run(as well as all d gear....energy daggers, kimoyo card(updated version), etc)?

Hw d frak did Hawkeye get 2 lead d Secret Avengers & not BP/Tchalla whose 1,000 times betta suited 4 dat? As if Hawkeye being on more dan 3 teams isnt enuff?

BP/tchalla already has a rogues gallery dat is completely almost never being used with alot of gr8 supervillains(Supremacists, N'Grith alien race, Achebe, Malice, Madame Slay, Kiber D Kruel(1st xcter 2 create teleportation tek in d MU), Solomon Prey, Hellrazor, Blue Talon, 6 Million Year Man, Radioactive Man II). All dey need s a gr8 showing with gd writing & xcterisation ...who amongst all of us would hv thought d freaking Green Goblin/Osborn could ever pose as a global threat, 12 years ago Osborn was nothing more dan a halloween gimmik gone wrong.

WITH BP/TCHALLA BEING SO ICONIC REFERRED 2 AS D PREMIER BLACK XCTER IN SUPERHERO COMIX ANY1 WOULD THINK MARVEL WOULD B ALOT MORE CARING & DEDICATED 2 DIS XCTER.

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deactivated-579156ff11b09

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- I would put my money he is headed back to comic limbo to flail in obscurity

- No one seems to know what to do with the character, they married him off, had him join the Fantastic Four, and become the new Daredevil. Too much change, for a character who has been around for so long you would think his niche in the Marvel U would have been found by now

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Mega_spidey01

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Edited By Mega_spidey01

marvel doesn't care about minorities or women having their own solo books (except for miles morales).

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Wonderbrezzy

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Edited By Wonderbrezzy

@Mega_spidey01: i so agree hunny. Not cool to snuff one of the most under rated black characters

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Kallarkz

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Edited By Kallarkz

mmmm I thought I had read he WILL be on the Avengers. But I guess it wasn't so.

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slapz88

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Edited By slapz88

O man I didnt even consider the choice that storm is going to have to make in avengers vs xmen. That is going to really create a good dynamic between those characters in this event. Can't wait to see that. Ive grown to like black panther in this series. The art has been great and the stories good, well except for the spider island tie in, him not having his power like he used to makes for a better story. Hopefully they find a good place for him next.

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THEBlaqueBasterd

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Edited By THEBlaqueBasterd

@Danial79: the fact is wether you or any of the few ill-informed naysayers agree or not.. hes an icon, one symbolic of progression in media esp at the era he was first introduced &also significant icon in the international black/african american communities in terms of representatiion of equality in the medium/artform. end of.

the panther has spoken

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BlackPookie

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Edited By BlackPookie

the first red pic looks like bats!

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vance_astro

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Edited By vance_astro  Moderator

I've heard alot of talk about the #'ing of Daredevil comics that Black Panther kind of stole but at the end of the day being the "Man Without Fear" is the only way that Black Panther's character works right now.A street level hero that basically watches over an entire country as it's King never made sense to me.To be honest as of now I think Shuri should be the one and only Black Panther.That just works better fundamentally.

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daredevil21134

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Edited By daredevil21134

@Vance Astro said:

I've heard alot of talk about the #'ing of Daredevil comics that Black Panther kind of stole but at the end of the day being the "Man Without Fear" is the only way that Black Panther's character works right now.A street level hero that basically watches over an entire country as it's King never made sense to me.To be honest as of now I think Shuri should be the one and only Black Panther.That just works better fundamentally.

Interesting

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flexhectic

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Edited By flexhectic

Yep, just toss out everything that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby intended Black Panther to be so that he can slum around in Hell's Kitchen. 
 
The Marvel Universe is full of super heroes that happen to be gods, billionaires, scientists, aliens and blind attorneys but a king fighting crime is too far fetched. 
 
The movie 300 had a fighting king as did a lot of ancient civilizations inside and outside of the bible… Just saying.

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vance_astro

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Edited By vance_astro  Moderator
@flexhectic said:
 The movie 300 had a fighting king as did a lot of ancient civilizations inside and outside of the bible… Just saying.
Do you honestly not understand how this isn't at all comparable to Black Panther's character style? Leading an army as a King is alot different from being a crime fighter whose jurisdiction is an entire country. 
 
@flexhectic said:
The Marvel Universe is full of super heroes that happen to be gods, billionaires, scientists, aliens and blind attorneys but a king fighting crime is too far fetched.  
I think you're putting to much emphasis on the word "king" and not what a king does.An alien such as Superman being a superhero makes alot more sense than the King of a country doing what he should probably be able to get others to do for him.
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flexhectic

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Edited By flexhectic

Okay let's try this one more time... We are talking about science fiction here right? Every scenario you could come up with for why anyone including aliens and billionaires being super heroes in their spare time would still be a forced concept any way that you slice it. Even Doctor Doom has way too much time on his hands for a monarch himself to be consorting with heroes or villains. Black Panther works like every other fictional character that does things real life people don't. If you are a significant character in Marvel or DC you may be called upon to help save lives or the whole world just because you are there and have the resources so you may as well get fitted for your cape and tights day one.

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butterflykyss

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Edited By butterflykyss

I hope writers tackle him and his marriage with Storm. Its pretty much non-existent at this point and I really want it to work.

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Kallarkz

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Edited By Kallarkz

Fantastic Four #606. He is the ruler of Wakanda again.

Very nice.

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Mega_spidey01

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Edited By Mega_spidey01

hell yeah @ kallarkz.

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