The Modular Man ( Stephen Weems ) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . He first appeared in Rampaging Hulk #2 (April 1977) and was created by John Warner and Val Mayerik .
83-562: Stephen Weems was a physicist employed by the Brand Corporation (a subsidiary of Roxxon Energy Corporation ) to perform experiments using microwaves to induce molecular dissolution. An accident destabilized his body and gave him the ability to transform it at will. However, he was forced to wear an exoskeleton to prevent his body from separating entirely. An organization known as The Conspiracy promised to cure Weems of his affliction if he aided them in their plans. They gave him
166-512: A 1998 interview, Lee explained his motivation: "I wasn't thinking of civil rights. I had a lot of friends who were black and we had artists who were black. So, it occurred to me... why aren't there any black heroes?" Soon after Black Panther was introduced, Marvel added two more recurring black characters: Jill Jerrold in Modeling with Millie , and Bill Foster in The Avengers . There
249-678: A champion boxer of the early 20th century nicknamed the Black Panther and a predominately African-American armored combat unit in World War II also called the Black Panthers, the 761st Tank Battalion of the US Army. Lee and Kirby also borrow from typical pop cultural tropes of their era inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs 's Tarzan , but subvert or transform stereotypes common in the "jungle adventure" genre. The origin of
332-643: A clearly military organization, with shaven heads, rather than the attractive teenage girls previously established by Priest. In 2006, during Hudlin's run, T'Challa marries Storm of the X-Men , and she appeared as a prominent supporting character in many subsequent storylines. Readers and critics compared the wedding to the relationship of Jay-Z and Beyoncé , although they did not marry until two years later. In addition, Hudlin established T'Challa's complex friendship with Luke Cage , another prominent Black superhero created several years after Black Panther. While T'Challa
415-441: A concise (sometimes even transparent) recap; beautifully developed character relationships; at least one cool new villain; a stunning action set piece to test our hero's skills and resolve; and a story that is always moving forward towards a definite and satisfying conclusion. That's what we should all be delivering, every single month. Don [McGregor] and company did it in only 17 story pages per issue. Qiana J. Witted points out that
498-406: A fifth arc in his Black Panther saga, titled "Panther's Vows", but it failed to get off the ground. Writer Christopher Priest 's and penciller Mark Texeira 's 1998 series Black Panther vol. 3 re-invented the character. Scholar Todd Steven Burroughs describes the new vision for the Black Panther as "a combination of Frank Miller 's Batman and South African president Nelson Mandela . Priest
581-419: A grade of 8.6 out of 10, asserting, " Black Panther #1 is a promising start for this new era of Coates' run. It's certainly different enough from previous incarnations. And Acuna's art ensures that the book looks better than it has since Brian Stelfreeze was drawing it. Issue #1 gives readers a fresh start with the character while also offering plenty of incentive to stick around and see where this strange odyssey
664-643: A helicopter to the Empire State Building prior to a television broadcast that would provide the necessary microwaves for Weems to restore himself. This initially caused Weems great pain, but then, instead of curing him, caused him to increase in size and power. He revealed that his true intent had never been to be cured, but to transform into a powerful energy creature. Spider-Man and Beast then appear and use Shrike's energy gauntlets to overload Weems' exoskeleton, causing him to dissolve. The Modular Man possesses immense strength and durability, as well as
747-442: A major character in Black Panther's world. Storm immediately says, "I have been away from Africa far too long." Storm is called to Wakanda to protect a child from aliens. The dispute eventually involves Doctor Doom and Namor . In their renewed interactions, Storm compares Black Panther's sense of commitment and certainty to that of Magneto . The issue establishes that Storm continues to believe that someday she and T'Challa may have
830-456: A member of the Avengers in 1968, and has continued that affiliation off and on in subsequent decades. The storylines of the 1970s written by Don McGregor were critically acclaimed and introduced T'Challa's nemesis Erik Killmonger . However, Black Panther was a somewhat neglected character of low popularity until his reinvention by Christopher Priest in the late 1990s. Priest re-emphasized
913-544: A pantheon known as The Orisha, the term orisha , a Yoruba word for spirit or deity from Yoruba mythology , the pantheon is composed of Egyptian gods and other origins, such as Kokou , an orisha from Benin . Coates also wrote a six-issue series called Black Panther and the Crew that addresses the problem of police killings and also suggests that the Marvel universe includes a number of previously unknown superheroes from
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#1732801800555996-515: A perennial theme. Black Panther vol. 5 launched in February 2009, with Hudlin, again scripting, introducing a successor Black Panther, T'Challa's sister Shuri. According to Diamond Comic Distributors , Black Panther (2005) #1 was the 27th best-selling comic book in February 2005. Tyler Huckabee of IGN included Hudlin's Black Panther comic book series in their "10 Best Black Panther Comic Books" list, stating, "Reginald Hudlin's run
1079-483: A permanent marriage, but this must be deferred because of T'Challa's exclusive commitment to his nation. The last 13 issues of Priest's series (#50–62) saw the main character replaced by a multiracial New York City police officer named Kasper Cole , with T'Challa relegated to a supporting character. This Black Panther, who became the White Tiger , was placed in the series The Crew , running concurrently with
1162-417: A political comedy--but Priest's central insight was that T'Challa isn't actually a superhero in the ordinary sense," but rather a monarch. He also says that the first issue of the run makes no sense at first reading, and requires a continuing interpretation of future issues. He argues that this is unique in mainstream superhero comics. Black Panther #25-27 (December 2000-February 2001) reintroduce Storm as
1245-609: A public speech to apologize for their actions and takes responsibility for Andre's crime. Enchantress and Executioner later allied with Minotaur after Roxxon bought the fictional version of Marvel Comics. They provided him with the magic needed to write out his comic book that enabled Enchantress' ally Keep to become Roxxon's version of Thor while using the alias of Chad Hammer. The comics that are made starts to badly affect Thor and poison Gaea . As Keep fought Thor which ended with Thor slaying Keep, Enchantress had Executioner kill Minotaur and usurps his position as CEO of Roxxon. At
1328-474: A separate, independent line within Marvel as the rest of the company went bankrupt around it. So, he was given a lot of leeway to write the story he wanted to, and what came out was one of the greatest runs on any comic ever." Cultural critic Douglas Wolk agrees that Christopher Priest's run established the canonical version of the character, although: "The tone of Priest's run was wildly different from any other Black Panther stories before or since--it's basically
1411-446: A social app called "Roxx-On", a Champion and a former prisoner of C.R.A.D.L.E.'s harassment, Snowguard rallies a group of mobs because they still openly do not trust Roxxon for their previous activities. Much worst, Roxxon already hired Ironheart's nemesis from Stark Unlimited, Andre Sims, in an attempt to collect data to dispose of those who are deemed threats to its business. He replaced young superheroes with his Chaperon robots to ensure
1494-445: A thousand times better than I. He just about makes up the plots for these stories. All I do is a little editing. Roy Thomas has made claims that support Lee's version of events, while Kirby is supported by his wife and prior artwork. In 1963, Lee and Kirby included a black character, Gabe Jones , in the ensemble cast of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos , and Lee encouraged artists to include black characters in crowd scenes. In
1577-762: Is "an INTERNATIONAL player who's equally at home at the Davos Conference in Switzerland, meeting with Colin Powell in D.C., kicking it in Harlem with Bill Clinton and Al Sharpton , and brokering deals off the coast of Cuba with Fidel Castro and Prince Namor ." While the possibility of conflict with Namor and Atlantis appeared briefly in Priest's earlier stories, Hudlin made the power rivalry between T'Challa and Namor, as well as Doctor Doom and Latveria ,
1660-542: Is "probably the definitive run of Black Panther. This is where Wakanda stopped being backstory and started being a living, breathing place, with geography and politics and history that all contributed to its depth and beauty. It's also where a bunch of what's going on the screen started: Priest introduced Everett K. Ross and the Dora Milaje almost immediately in his first issue. Priest had been separated from Marvel for several years before coming back to write this book under
1743-636: Is a fictional massive petroleum industrial conglomerate in the Marvel Universe appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . The company is depicted as having been run by various executives who are typically ready and eager to use any underhanded and illegal option to secure profits, up to and including violent crimes. As such, Roxxon is a consistent opponent of various superheroes. The company has appeared in various media adaptations as well as many television shows and films set in
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#17328018005551826-402: Is also shown to have previously had a mining operation on Mars, but (due to unexplained circumstances) halted the operation and erased all traces of everyone involved. Roxxon Energy Corporation (alongside Alchemax and Hammer Industries) was mentioned to have once tried to bid on the renovated Baxter Building only to be outbid by Parker Industries . Roxxon is revealed to be orchestrating
1909-474: Is from an African nation that was never colonized, Cage is a street-level New York superhero of a vastly different culture. Hudlin explores these differences in the interactions between the two heroes. Hudlin's run introduces greater connections with the history of African-American culture; for example, in his world Malcolm X met with the previous Black Panther, T'Chaka , Like Priest, Hudlin emphasizes Black Panther's power and independence; as he puts it, T'Challa
1992-518: Is more traditionally superhero-esque in nature than many other titles on this list, featuring costumed villains and super guest stars like the X-Men and Namor. It also introduces a number of characters who've become key players in the Black Panther's life (like his sister Shuri) and tells what has now become the definitive origin story." Douglas Wolk observes that the most well-known moment in Hudlin's run
2075-510: Is no documentation to establish the veracity of either claim to originality, by 1966 Kirby is thought to have been largely plotting the book on his own and explaining the stories to Lee when the pages arrived in the Marvel offices. In a 1968 interview, Lee said: Some artists, such as Jack Kirby, need no plot at all. I mean I’ll just say to Jack, ‘Let’s let the next villain be Dr. Doom’… or I may not even say that. He may tell me. And then he goes home and does it. He’s so good at plots, I’m sure he’s
2158-508: Is the first black superhero in American mainstream comic books ; very few black heroes were created before him, and none with actual superpowers. These included the characters in the single-issue, low distribution All-Negro Comics #1 (1947). Waku, Prince of the Bantu, who starred in his own feature in the omnibus title Jungle Tales , from Marvel's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics and
2241-568: Is the king and protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda , a technologically advanced society drawing from a supply of vibranium , a fictional metal of extraordinary properties. Along with possessing enhanced abilities achieved through ancient Wakandan rituals of drinking the essence of the heart-shaped herb, T'Challa also relies on his proficiency in science, expertise in his nation's traditions, rigorous physical training, hand-to-hand combat skills, and access to wealth and advanced Wakandan technology to combat his enemies. The character became
2324-450: Is the wedding of Black Panther and Storm, and contends that the "mutual admiration leading to matrimony seemed to come out of nowhere," that neither have much in common "besides being superheroes with somewhat formal speech patterns and connections to Africa and divinity," and that while "one is a champion of a cross-sectional group, the other is a monach of a physical nation." Hudlin co-wrote issue #7 with Jonathan Maberry , who then became
2407-728: The Bandung Conference . In 2017, the Africanfuturist writer Nnedi Okorafor wrote the series Black Panther: Long Live the King . In February 2018, Christopher Priest, Don McGregor, and Reginald Hudlin each contributed one story to the Black Panther Annual #1. In spring 2018, Coates wrote a new Black Panther series. Titled The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda , this is a space opera . According to Diamond Comic Distributors , Black Panther (2018) #1
2490-750: The Black Panther . The Roxxon conglomerate's central division is Roxxon Oil. The company currently wholly owns the Kronas Corporation and the Metrobank while the Brand Corporation is another for-profit company that has specialized in creating superhumans and is usually considered a subsidiary that has sometimes made its own decisions and acted independently. Roxxon has also regularly been at odds regarding energy sources with Project Pegasus , which has been involved in alternative energy research that could hurt Roxxon's oil profitability. Roxxon
2573-546: The Dell Comics Western character Lobo , the first black person to star in his own comic book. Previous non- caricatured black supporting characters in comics include U.S. Army infantry private Gabriel Jones of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos . In a guest appearance in Fantastic Four #119 (February 1972), the Black Panther briefly used the name Black Leopard to avoid connotations with
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2656-563: The Maggia . Originating sometime during the early 20th century as Republic Oil & Gas Co. and having rebranded itself at various times, Roxxon has been run by various executives who are ready and eager to use underhanded and illegal option to secure profits, has its own army-like security task force, and has employed a number of special agents. Roxxon has encountered numerous superheroes, such as Captain America , Iron Man , Spider-Man , and
2739-620: The Marvel Cinematic Universe . Black Panther (character) Black Panther is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist-coplotter Jack Kirby , the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #52, published in July 1966. Black Panther's birth name is T'Challa , and he is the son of the previous Black Panther, T'Chaka . He
2822-481: The Marvel Cinematic Universe . The Roxxon Energy Corporation first appeared in Captain America #180 (December 1974), and was created by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema . The name was inspired by oil company Exxon , which comics writer Ed Brubaker says is part of Marvel's policy of referencing the real world but "one step removed", similar to their re-naming the real-world crime syndicate Mafia as
2905-503: The code name "Modular Man" because of his ability to take his body apart and put it back together without ill effect. Agents of The Conspiracy mailed parts of Weems' body in several packages to Delenor Hospital, where fellow agent Killer Shrike was comatose after a fight with Ulysses Bloodstone . Members of the Conspiracy reassembled Weems in the hospital's mail room. Weems kidnapped Killer Shrike and brought him to his masters in
2988-730: The Beetle and the vial containing the sample broke, the sample was rendered worthless. During the Ultimate Enemy storyline, Roxxon Corporation's compound was destroyed by a bio-mass that was secretly created by Reed Richards . Following the Ultimate Mystery storyline, Roxxon Corporation assembles their personal Roxxon Brain Trust consisting of Doctor Octopus , Dr. Arnim Zola III , Layla Miller , Misty Knight , Samuel Sterns and Nathaniel Essex . The Roxxon Brain Trust
3071-512: The Black Panther because I realized I had no blacks in my strip. I'd never drawn a black. I needed a black. I suddenly discovered that I had a lot of black readers. My first friend was a black! And here I was ignoring them because I was associating with everybody else." Lee, in contrast, claimed he created the character because, in the mid-1960s, he wanted to include more African and African-American characters in Marvel Comics. While there
3154-502: The Black Panther had been misused in the years after his initial creation by Lee and Kirby. Priest believed Black Panther was generally considered a dull "also-ran" with no evident powers. To reinvent the character, he emphasized Black Panther's role as a monarch of a technologically advanced independent nation, and hence one of the most powerful figures in the Marvel universe. Influenced by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller , he aimed to introduce moral ambiguity and political complexity to
3237-403: The Black Panther in a self-titled series, bringing in the character's co-creator Jack Kirby —newly returned to Marvel after having decamped to rival DC Comics for a time—as writer, penciler, and editor. However, Kirby wanted to work on new characters and was unhappy at being assigned a series starring a character he had already worked with extensively. He left the series after only 12 issues and
3320-566: The Conspiracy. Unfortunately, the Conspiracy's leadership had been killed while attempting to acquire the Hellfire Helix. Weems managed to make Killer Shrike conscious again, but could not cure his amnesia . Killer Shrike promised to help Weems if he would reveal the Shrike's past to him. The two stole scientific equipment from labs at Empire State University, and came into conflict with Spider-Man and Beast . Weems and Killer Shrike took
3403-700: The Dora Milaje are beautiful teenage girls who are, officially speaking, the Panther's potential wives. Dora Milaje is said to translate from Hausa to "adored ones." Priest made the Panther god another form of the Egyptian goddess Bastet , originally depicted as a black cat . The Priest-Texeira series was under the Marvel Knights imprint in its first year. Priest's initial concept was inspired by Batman but also one of Batman's nemeses, Ra's al Ghul ,
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3486-573: The Marvel Universe and café society." In Coates's first storyline, titled A Nation Under Our Feet , T'Challa faces a popular uprising against his monarchy. At the conclusion of the story, Wakanda is reformed into a constitutional democracy, with the Black Panther continuing as a figurehead king rather than a ruler. This series introduces a new version of The Crew , now including Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight , and Manifold . According to Diamond Comic Distributors , Black Panther (2016) #1
3569-626: The Party, but the new name did not last. The character's name was changed back to Black Panther in The Avengers #105, with T'Challa explaining that renaming himself made as much sense as altering the Scarlet Witch 's name, and he is not a stereotype. Avengers writer Roy Thomas said that the Black Panther name "had more resonance," but that the political implications limited the character's prominence. Co-creator Stan Lee recounted that
3652-534: The ability to reconfigure his own body in any way he wishes. He could absorb microwave radiation to vastly grow in size, but cannot survive without his exoskeleton. Weems carries numerous, but detachable weapons at his disposal, such as a gas gun and others that are unrevealed. Roxxon Energy Corporation The Roxxon Energy Corporation (otherwise known as the Roxxon Oil Company , Roxxon Oil Corporation , Roxxon Corporation or simply Roxxon )
3735-716: The arrival of Roxxon's "Cleanup Crew". stated to be a group of mercenaries that was responsible for putting down the "Savage Land Revolt" decades earlier. Captain America and Hawkeye defeat them and leave hurriedly. It's shown that Emmanuel da Costa plays at least an investing role in the company, as he talks about what happened with its locations with Hulk , another member of the Maker's Council . Roxxon appears in Avengers Assemble , with Roxxon guards voiced by David Kaye , Fred Tatasciore and Jim Meskimen . The Roxxon Corporation appears in live-action media set within
3818-462: The artists in this period incorporated African American popular culture of the era, such as T'Challa wearing a "modified version of the gold-chain outfit worn by singer Isaac Hayes for the Watts, Los Angeles, community benefit concert that was released as the 1973 documentary film Wattstax ." Though popular with college students, the overall sales of Jungle Action were low, and Marvel relaunched
3901-484: The bi-weekly anthology series Marvel Comics Presents (issues #13–37, Feb.–December 1989). The story takes place in South Africa . In the view of critic Todd Steven Burroughs, "'Quest' attempts to show how oppressive apartheid is for everyone involved." McGregor later teamed with artist Dwayne Turner in the square-bound miniseries Black Panther: Panther's Prey (September 1990 – March 1991). He conceived
3984-690: The character has been disputed by both Kirby and Lee, with both claiming the impetus for the idea. However, both of the creators have said they were motivated by general humanistic and inclusive values, rather than any social or political awareness of the Civil rights movement . Kirby claimed sole credit for creating the character in The Comics Journal #134 (February 1990), stating that he realized an absence of Black characters in his comics, and believed that they should be added for "human reasons". In another interview, Kirby declared: "I came up with
4067-496: The character in the first season of the animated series What If...? (2021), which was released after his death. The Black Panther film was a notable critical and popular success. Letitia Wright 's character Shuri , who had appeared in previous MCU films, took on the Black Panther mantle in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), following Boseman's death in 2020. The name Black Panther predates
4150-526: The company, but gets fired so Roxxon could take all the credit. This led to villains Vulture , Killer Shrike and Omega Red being sent to harass Donald. Herman Schultz had gotten a hold of design weapons for Roxxon before employment was terminated. The Roxxon Corporation later got a hold to a sample of the Venom Symbiote which was targeted by the Beetle . When the original Spider-Man fought
4233-609: The creative team. African-American writer-editor Dwayne McDuffie said of the Jungle Action "Black Panther" feature: This overlooked and underrated classic is arguably the most tightly written multi-part superhero epic ever. If you can get your hands on it ... sit down and read the whole thing. It's damn-near flawless, every issue, every scene, a functional, necessary part of the whole. Okay, now go back and read any individual issue. You'll find seamlessly integrated words and pictures; clearly introduced characters and situations;
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#17328018005554316-408: The deterioration of its local fauna and prehistoric species while utilizing it as an industrial base as seen in the footage that Captain America sees, which is later stated to be the result of a violent takeover in the 1970s. Hawkeye becomes an enemy of the corporation as he starts attacking some of their facilities, which attracts the attention of Captain America. After a brief fight, both notice
4399-403: The final few Black Panther issues. The Crew was canceled with issue #7. In 2005, Marvel began publishing Black Panther vol. 4, which ran 41 issues (April 2005 – November 2008). It was initially written by filmmaker Reginald Hudlin (through issue #38) and penciled by John Romita, Jr. (through #6). Hudlin said he wanted to add " street cred " to the title, although he noted that the book
4482-470: The first 13 issues. Critic Jason Sacks has called the arc "Marvel's first graphic novel ": [T]here were real character arcs in Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four [comics] over time. But ... "Panther's Rage" is the first comic that was created from start to finish as a complete novel. Running in two years' issues of Jungle Action (#s 6 through 18), "Panther's Rage" is a 200-page novel that journeys to
4565-608: The following issue in August of the same year. He made subsequent guest appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1967) and with Captain America in Tales of Suspense #97–99 and Captain America 100 (January – April 1968), the Black Panther journeyed from the fictional African nation of Wakanda to New York City to join the titular American superhero team in The Avengers #52 (May 1968). He appeared in that comic for
4648-453: The following issue, written by Don McGregor , with art by pencilers Rich Buckler , Gil Kane , and Billy Graham , and which gave inkers Klaus Janson and Bob McLeod some of their first professional exposure. The critically acclaimed series ran in Jungle Action #6–24 (September 1973 – November 1976). One now-common format McGregor pioneered was that of the self-contained, multi-issue story arc. The first, "Panther's Rage", ran through
4731-692: The founding of the Black Panther Party in October 1966, though not the black panther logo of the party's predecessor, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO). Scripter Stan Lee denied that the comic, which pre-dates the political usage of the term, was, or could have been, named after any of the political uses of the term "black panther", including the LCFO, citing "a strange coincidence". The Black Panther
4814-473: The heart of the African nation of Wakanda, a nation ravaged by a revolution against its king, T'Challa, the Black Panther. "Panther's Rage" also introduces T'Challa's nemesis Erik Killmonger , a rival for the throne of Wakanda who recurs in subsequent series. Rebecca Wanzo, a scholar of African-American literature, describes "Panther's Rage" as "the first major step in decolonizing the character." The cast of
4897-756: The identity of Mr. Okonkwo, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and becomes the owner of a small diner to be close to the people. He fights street crime and various enemies of Daredevil, in this case relying on his own athletic ability and without the traditional Black Panther powers and Wakandan technology. He also confronts a new version of the Hate-Monger , a Silver Age emblem of bigotry who represents contemporary racist and anti-immigrant ideology. A new Black Panther series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze
4980-506: The importance of Wakanda as an independent and technologically advanced African nation. Priest also introduced the Dora Milaje , Black Panther's female bodyguards. In subsequent series written by Reginald Hudlin , T'Challa married Storm of the X-Men and she featured prominently as a supporting character in stories of this period. The Hudlin stories emphasize Black cultural pride, and achieved greater commercial success. In Hudlin's era,
5063-714: The kids who oppose the unjust law. Viv Vision, who survived Roxxon's assault on Aliana, had been monitoring her fellow younger superheroes, but discovers that she is unintentionally selling her friends to C.R.A.D.L.E. and Roxxon. Once the Champions reveals Roxxon's conspiracy to Senator Patrick and the public, the senator finally begins to repeal the unjust law, ending the partnership with Roxxon, and clearing Kamala's name while re-evaluating his business dealings. Later, Miles Morales and Sam Alexander go undercover as interns, prior to being suggested to hire Kamala Kahn. While Roxxon attempts to cover up their illegal activity by releasing
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#17328018005555146-836: The legitimacy of monarchy in Wakanda and articulate a more democratic vision. Black Panther is the first Black superhero in American mainstream comics. The character is also an early example of the Afrofuturist aesthetic. He has made numerous appearances in various television shows, animated films, and video games. Chadwick Boseman portrayed T'Challa in Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe 's films: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). He also voiced alternate versions of
5229-460: The mysterious leader of a League of Assassins. Priest believed this "fearsome African warrior" would simply be too intimidating for the Marvel universe. Priest says the device of Ross's character contributed greatly to his ability to write the series: "I realized I could use Ross to bridge the gap between the African culture that the Black Panther mythos is steeped in and the predominantly white readership that Marvel sells to." He added his opinion that
5312-460: The name was inspired by a pulp adventure hero who had a black panther as a helper. Jack Kirby's original concept art for Black Panther used the concept name Coal Tiger. Influences on the character included historical figures such as 14th-century Mali Empire sultan Mansa Musa and 20th-century Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey , as well as Biblical figures such as Ham and Canaan . Other scholars have identified precursors such as Harry Wills ,
5395-552: The new Spider-Man and a group of amateur superheroes all realize they're guinea pigs/super-soldiers, Donald is defeated by Spider-Man and was arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D. In Earth-6160 , a world in which history was altered by the inferference of the Maker , Roxxon Energy Partners is shown as one of the North American Union's largest corporations and having taken control of the Savage Land , contributing to
5478-533: The new writer, joined by artist Will Conrad. Both T'Challa and Shuri fight Doctor Doom , alongside members of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, in the six-issue miniseries Doomwar (April – September 2010). Doomwar introduces the Midnight Angels, an armored division of the Dora Milaje. In this period, T'Challa has given up his powers and has been replaced by his sister. At the conclusion of
5561-564: The next few years. During his time with the Avengers, he also made solo guest-appearances in three issues of Daredevil , and fought Doctor Doom in Astonishing Tales #6–7 (June & August 1971), in that supervillain 's starring feature. He received his first starring feature with Jungle Action #5 (July 1973), a reprint of a story in The Avengers #62 (March 1969) that focused on Black Panther. A new series began running
5644-436: The role of Black Panther and leadership of Wakanda was also temporarily given to T'Challa's sister Shuri while he was briefly in a coma. The Black Panther comics became particularly commercially successful in 2016, partly as a result of the literary fame of their writer, the journalist and essayist Ta-Nehisi Coates . The first issue of his series was the best-selling comic book of that month. Coates's series call into question
5727-679: The start of the "Stark-Roxxon War" arc, Roxxon collaborates with A.I.M. in a plot to take over Stark Unlimited. They even have a resurrected Justine Hammer on their side. Roxxon exists in the Amalgam Universe and is similar to the main Roxxon. In the Marvel 2099 future, Roxxon is still one of the major corporations alongside such as Alchemax . Roxxon exists in the Transformers 120185 reality. Professor Peter Anthony Morris
5810-529: The story arc is almost entirely Black. The second and final arc, "Panther vs. the Klan", ran as mostly 17-page stories in Jungle Action #19–24 (January – November 1976), except for issue #23, a reprint of Daredevil #69 (October 1970), in which the Black Panther guest-starred. The subject matter of the Ku Klux Klan was considered controversial in the Marvel offices at the time, creating difficulties for
5893-548: The story, Doom steals Wakanda's supply of vibranium, and T'Challa destroys all of it in response. T'Challa then accepts an invitation from Matt Murdock, the superhero Daredevil , to become the new protector of New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. He became the lead character in Daredevil beginning with issue #513 (February 2011), when that series was retitled Black Panther: The Man Without Fear . Under writer David Liss and artist Francesco Francavilla , he takes on
5976-468: The unjust Kamala's Law remains active. During Roxx-On concert, Roxxon lost its public trust thanks to Kamala's public speech about the company's ongoing shady business, thus repealing Kamala's Law and disbanding C.R.A.D.L.E.. However, Roxxon's reputation becomes worst when Andre attempts to dispose of young people like the Champions because of his personal issues, but is immediately stopped by Roxxon's higher-up Miriam Blakemoore. After that, Roxxon finally makes
6059-449: The world of Black Panther. Priest also envisioned the series as a political satire, comparing it to The West Wing . In Priest's characterization, T'Challa actually joined the Avengers in order to spy on them, protecting Wakanda's national interests. Ta-Nehisi Coates has said that Priest "had the classic run on Black Panther, period, and that's gonna be true for a long time." Jim Dandeneau of Den of Geek also states that Priest's
6142-646: The young superheroes being falsely outlawed by the public. Having acquired the dragons from War of the Realms event, their first step was to get rid of the high schooler Aliana Kabua. Although Kamala Khan got injured from saving Aliana, Roxxon begin to shift the blame to the Champions for the damage they never started. While forming a partnership with Senator Geoffrey Patrick and C.R.A.D.L.E., Roxxon manipulates them into unknowingly furthering their shady businesses, such as permanent imprisonment, brainwashing and unethical experimentation, as well as possibly kidnapping of
6225-576: Was charged with the duty of figuring out the attack that was done to the Baxter Building. Roxxon Corporation was then attacked by the same entity that crushed the entire building. The Roxxon Corporation secretly used guinea pigs in experiments as super-soldiers (i.e. Bombshell , Spider-Woman , and Cloak and Dagger ), as well as an experiment to restore the Venom Symbiote, which gets stolen by Roxxon's biochemist Dr. Conrad Markus. When
6308-537: Was launched in 2016 and concluded in 2021. Coates was previously a correspondent for The Atlantic and won the National Book Award for his essay Between the World and Me . As Todd Steven Burroughs writes, "The announcement that Ta-Nehisi Coates––the writer whom Toni Morrison called the heir to novelist and essayist James Baldwin ––was going to write a new, ongoing Black Panther title shook both
6391-411: Was not necessarily or primarily geared toward an African-American readership. As influences for his characterization of the character, Hudlin has cited comic character Batman , film director Spike Lee , and music artist Sean Combs . The Black Panther comics that Hudlin wrote sold much better than any previous series featuring the character, including Priest's. In Hudlin's series, the Dora Milaje are
6474-623: Was replaced by Ed Hannigan (writer), Jerry Bingham (penciler), and Roger Stern (editor). Black Panther ran 15 issues (January 1977 – May 1979). Because the series was discontinued, the contents of what would have been Black Panther #16–18 were published in Marvel Premiere #51–53. A four-issue miniseries , Black Panther vol. 2, (July – October 1988) was written by Peter B. Gillis and penciled by Denys Cowan . McGregor revisited his Panther saga with Gene Colan in "Panther's Quest", published as 25 eight-page installments within
6557-500: Was some debate at Marvel, with Lee wondering how far to go with the commercially-risky introduction of a Black superhero in that era. In the first version of the cover for Fantastic Four #52, Kirby drew the Black Panther wearing a cowl that exposed his face. In the published version, the cowl became a full face-mask. Previews in other comics did not show the cover at all, indicating that Lee was hesitant. Black Panther first appeared in Fantastic Four #52, published in July 1966, and
6640-489: Was the 5th best-selling comic book in May 2018. Oliver Vestal of ComicsVerse gave Black Panther (2018) #1 a score of 97%, writing, " Black Panther #1 made for a strong start to the series. Ta-Nehisi Coates uses thorough world-building to establish a plot and characters. Daniel Acuña uses a mix of blurry and clear details and a dark palette to reflect the tone of the issue." Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave Black Panther #1
6723-511: Was the best-selling comic book in April 2016, while #2 was the 9th best-selling comic book in May 2016. The first issue received positive reviews from Comics Beat and IGN . Critics found the second issue compelling and unusual, but enigmatic. In Coates' second storyline, Avengers of the New World , Wakanda's mythology was expanded, showing the panther goddess Bast as a member of
6806-506: Was the first Black creator to become an editor at Marvel. Inspired by the Eddie Murphy film Coming to America , Priest and his artists returned to the fundamental sovereignty of Wakanda. He revisited Erik Killmonger and other characters introduced in "Panther's Rage", together with new characters such as State Department attorney Everett Ross and the Dora Milaje , the Panther's female bodyguards. In their original characterization,
6889-522: Was working for them in Oregon, where he came up with the theory that the Transformers were controlled by oil tycoon G.B. Blackrock. He accidentally kills a Roxxon security guard. The Ultimate Marvel version of the Roxxon Corporation is responsible for various immoral activities and is led by inept heir Donald Roxxon . Elijah Stern discovered a way to use vibranium as a power source for
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