Still, it would be even longer before readers got to see another person bearing the mantle. Avengers #62 that first hints at the origins of the 'Panther Power' as M’Baku remarks “If mere herbs gave you the skills of the stalking panther…” but it is 1971’s Avengers #87 that establishes Black Panther as a mantle passed from warrior to warrior as a flashback to T’Challa’s ascension to the throne is chronicled by Roy Thomas, Frank Giacoia and Sal Buscema. Though T’Challa would team up with Captain America in the pages of Tales of Suspense and join the Avengers in 1968’s Avengers #52, it would be a while before readers learned more about the character’s back story. Later, it would be other creators that would clarify that there had been Black Panthers before T’Challa. The impression of these two issues is that while T’Challa’s Panther Power may be a touchstone passed from chieftain to chieftain, Stan Lee’s caption and dialogue suggest that the title and costume of 'Black Panther' were initially meant to be of T’Challa’s own invention. Furthermore, when T’Challa bests Klaw he seems ready to hang up the title of Black Panther for good, until the Fantastic Four urge him to use his powers to fight for good. Though the issue later establishes that T’Challa’s 'Panther Power' is a secret handed down from chieftain to chieftain, when T’Challa challenges Klaw in the present day, Klaw remarks "The Black Panther! The one whose name is muttered in whispers thruout Africa! I thought you were just a legend - a myth!! But - you do exist!" While that certainly adds to the cool factor, it does seem a bit odd for someone to say given that he killed the previous Panther chieftain. In fact, the only mention of the Black Panther during this flashback is when T’Challa swears over his father’s body, "I shall be as strong- and as fearless- as the sacred Black Panther!! This I do swear to T’Chaka - my father who is no more!" A brief annotation by Stan identifies the Black Panther as “a figurative god image, and is considered to be a secret being- as the cow is venerated in India.” When T’Chaka is killed, he is not seen wearing a version of the panther garb T’Challa later dons. In fact, it may not have been intended as a mantle at all. And while this backstory establishes the nature of Vibranium and its key to Wakanda’s success, very little is established about the mantle of Black Panther. T’Challa tells the Fantastic Four of the day that his father, King T’Chaka was brutally murdered by the villainous Klaw. However, Fantastic Four #53 doesn’t answer everything as clearly as one might initially believe. Readers would have to wait another month to learn the intentions and history of the Black Panther. T’Challa ambushes his guests, defeating Marvel’s premiere superhero team single handedly before revealing his true identity at the very end of the issue. In this issue the Fantastic Four are invited to the small African nation of Wakanda by the nation’s chieftain, a man called the Black Panther. The Black Panther story start in Fantastic Four #52, by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott, and Sammy Rosen. So, here I intend to cover the history of the mantle of Black Panther and the characters that have worn it. While T’Challa has been the primary Black Panther of the Marvel Universe ever since the character debuted in Fantastic Four #52, he isn’t the only character to have held the mantle in that 60+ year history. So, I ask you as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?" - T’Challa as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman in Captain America: Civil War And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations.
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