Black Panther: The Young Prince

Monica Lynne is the love interest of T’Challa throughout these comics and plays the role as the primary outsider in the royal court of Wakanda. Monica is from the American South and unaccustomed to the traditions of Wakanda. As such, she is disliked by T’Challa’s advisors, who see her as a poor influence on his reverence toward tradition. Additionally, she becomes a scapegoat for the people of Wakanda, who already distrust T’Challa’s technological advancements that shape Wakandan society. This distrust leads to Monica being framed for a murder, solely because of her status as an outsider, a role she recognizes well: “T’Challa...I’ve seen a dozen flicks where the local yokels go out for the blood of the strange dude in town...Never thought I’d be playing that role” (123). Monica can see that she is largely unwelcome in Wakanda, understands more clearly than T’Challa that she represents all that his people distrust in the world. They see her presence as a further threat to their traditions as well as to their leader. T’Challa’s long absence in the US, fighting with the Avengers and being with Monica, leads to the political turmoil and civil war in Wakanda.

In Jungle Action #19 through #21, Monica and T’Challa return to the US, where they investigate the murder of Monica’s sister and fight the KKK. While there, T’Challa and Monica encounter a lot of racism from Monica’s community, and it becomes through his relationship to Monica that T’Challa experiences American racism. When Monica and T’Challa go to the grocery store, T’Challa is attacked by citizens in his suit after he defends Monica from attackers. Afterward, Monica recognizes their distrust as similar to the distrust she experienced in Wakanda: “I don’t like the way they reacted. I didn’t like that hostility toward me when I was in your homeland [...] and I don’t like it any better here” (324). There is a sense of distrust from the townspeople, and their looks of suspicion only worsen the sense of hostility that T’Challa and Monica feel. Monica feels unwelcome in Wakanda because she is an outsider, but when she experiences the same feeling at home, it highlights the entrenched racism of the American South. The white townspeople are so unwelcoming of her that she becomes an outsider in familiar settings.

The Fantastic Four are the only other superheroes prominently featured alongside T’Challa in this collection, and the only team featured as well. They are comprised of four superheroes, closely knit like a family, who work together to at first defeat T’Challa, and later work to help him defeat Klaw. Their leader is Mr. Fantastic, or Reed Richards, whose body is elastic, and he is joined by his wife, Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, her brother, Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch, and friend Ben Grimm, essentially made of rocks and super strong, known as the Thing. At first, the group is does not trust T’Challa and his gift of a flying car, not believing that an African chieftain could have such technology. This doubt and disrespect is repeated later on, primarily by Ben, who treats T’Challa as a stereotype when he tells the story of Klaw’s villainy: “Look, kiddo—Why don’tcha save yerself the trouble? I know the rest by heart! Everything wuz hunky dory until the greedy ivory hunters made the scene!” (30). Ben sees T’Challa as a copy of every movie character from Africa he sees and does not take him seriously. This reflects their prejudices, believing that, as an African nation, Wakanda cannot be technologically advanced.

Despite the Fantastic Four’s doubts about T’Challa and Wakanda, they respect his heroic acts and commitment to justice and are instrumental in transforming him into the hero he becomes. After the Black Panther defeats Klaw, he expresses to the team that he is sad he must retire the mantle of the Black Panther. His purpose in wearing it is to protect his nation and achieve revenge, both of which he accomplishes. The Fantastic Four, though, recognize that T’Challa has the potential to be a great hero, and convince him to keep up his work: “There’s no reason for the Black Panther’s career to come to an end! The world will always have need of a dedicated, powerful fighter against injustice!” (44). The Fantastic Four know that the world needs heroes committed to fighting against evil and abuses of power. They recognize T’Challa as having the right morals and insist that he continue his role as the Black Panther, helping him see a way forward.

W’Kabi is T’Challa’s principal advisor throughout this collection of Black Panther comics and at times his ally and staunchest critic. W’Kabi helps T’Challa to rule and is a trusted friend, but often stands opposed to T’Challa’s technological improvements and his extended absence in the US. W’Kabi is not afraid to criticize T’Challa either, telling him plainly how his actions lead to the turmoil in Wakanda: “What tears at us is a whispered threat—that leaves terror in his wake! Erik Killmonger! Perhaps if you’d spent more time here, you would not have had to ask!” (52). W’Kabi recognizes that Killmonger is the primary threat to Wakanda, but he blames T’Challa’s own failings for this villain’s rise. W’Kabi believes that T’Challa’s extended absence led to the civil war because T’Challa is not present to guide Wakanda through the technological changes he brings, making his people confused and distrustful to the changes in their society. This opens the door for Killmonger to exploit their misgivings and sow dissent.

W’Kabi is very committed to his traditions and staunchly set in his political beliefs. Not only is he T’Challa’s most critical advisor but also his most hawkish, often advocating for violent means to meet their ends. He advocates for torture and is constantly carrying weapons with him, ready to attack. This creates conflicts with his wife, who is unhappy about his violent leanings, and the ways in which it impacts their home: “I’m surprised! You’re actually taking off your armament. Don’t you feel lost without it, W’Kabi? After all, you’ve turned our quarters into a museum for weapons!” (186). Her criticisms of him are echoed at times by T’Challa and another advisor, Taku, who see W’Kabi’s beliefs and strategies as extremes. Despite this, W’Kabi proves to be dynamic and changes his outlook on the conflict as it lengthens, and the violence becomes widespread. He begins to stray from it, instead preferring to find solutions that do not involve any loss of life.

Erik Killmonger is the primary antagonist of most of the issues in this collection and stands as a foil to the hero T’Challa. Both T’Challa and Killmonger’s origins as a hero and villain begin at the same moment. When Klaw attacks, he kills T’Challa’s father and Killmonger’s family. While T’Challa fights Klaw off and goes on to become the Black Panther, Klaw’s men take Killmonger and others and force them to help mine vibranium. When Killmonger escapes, his past motivates him to blame T’Challa and his father for the tragic events of his childhood, both for allowing Klaw to come into Wakanda and failing to defend the Wakandan people: “You and your father’s reign have taken too much from me already! Your line of descent ends with you, and you’ll take nothing from me ever again!” (59). Killmonger not only wants control of Wakanda but also wants to put an end to T’Challa and his family’s control over the country. Killmonger takes a different leadership strategy as well, depending less on technology and more on traditional magical practices, exploiting people’s misgivings over the technology and promising them better lives.

Killmonger’s pursuit of revenge is severe and unforgiving, and he will not stop until T’Challa is not only dead, but also until the symbolism surrounding the Black Panther is destroyed as well. He promises T’Challa that his aim is to change Wakanda, and erase the Black Panther from its culture, seeing it as a symbol by which people unite around T’Challa: “And when you fall this time, you won’t be getting up again, T’Challa! No ragged, bloodied, victorious figure staggering away triumphantly! Just a corpse...in a torn uniform whose meaning will soon be forgotten!” (270). Killmonger knows that T’Challa rules through inspiring hope in his people through the mantel of the Black Panther. Killmonger, however, rules through fear, and depends on controlling others through their fear of him. Therefore, he not only wants to eliminate T’Challa to stop him from fighting against him, but to also destroy any chance of people coalescing around the Black Panther symbol and hope to resist Killmonger. He will make even more people fear him by destroying the Black Panther.

Taku is one of T’Challa’s advisors and acts as a foil to his other advisor, W’Kabi. Taku takes a more peaceful and patient approach to the issues facing T’Challa and Wakanda, willing to listen to people and find solutions through cooperation. Whereas W’Kabi advocates to torture Venomm to learn information about Killmonger’s plans, Taku takes the time to listen to Venomm’s story and commiserate with him. This gives Taku the reputation of being good at connecting with others: “Taku, who listens instead of inflicting his personality upon others” (120). Though Taku largely remains peaceful during the events of these stories, when he sees a slain child during a battle, he becomes violent, disillusioned with his own philosophy. This magnifies his foil opposite W’Kabi, as they both move closer to each other’s philosophies as the war lengthens. However, Taku does eventually move past his need to inflict pain and returns to a more peaceful and patient attitude. His work with Venomm results in Venomm turning on Killmonger and joining T’Challa’s side during the final fight. When Venomm is led away to be returned to the US, it is Taku who does so, leading him in chains. Their final interaction highlights Taku’s moral philosophy: “I’m glad I can free you from these chains, Horatio. We live in bondage...to our past and to the demands of others. At times, it seems easier to be free of linkages of chains” (280). Taku dislikes the pain and suffering that conflict causes and wants both himself and Venomm to be free of it. He helps Venomm move on to a new life, just as he seeks to do now that the war is over. Taku stands as proof that a more patient, calm approach to issues, with a focus on mutual understanding, can in fact be effective.

Venomm is one of the many secondary villains enlisted by Killmonger to fight T’Challa. Unlike these other villains, though, Venomm’s abilities are developed over time, and not granted through the supernatural. He can control snakes and resist their venoms, after years of training them to follow and his body to adapt to the poison. His origin as a villain begins at a young age, when he is disfigured by a classmate who throws acid in his face. His status as an outcast is what draws him to Killmonger, who promises him a future away from the hatred and odd looks. Killmonger enlists Venomm to help him take Wakanda for himself, promising him a home that will not judge him, and yet it is through Taku that Venomm finds such company. By speaking with Venomm, Taku finds common ground, and his compassion for the villain changes Venomm’s allegiance. During the final battle, Venomm proves to be a dynamic character and turns on Killmonger’s forces, even saving Taku from King Cadaver in the process. Venomm’s efforts help turn the tide of the battle, as he realizes: “Yeah...well...looks like the war is kinda going against Erik on this end!” (267). Killmonger’s promises and fearmongering do not inspire a strong enough allegiance in Venomm, and his need for real human connection and compassion help him gain a new outlook on life.

Klaw is the first antagonist of this collection, being the villain in T’Challa’s first interactions with the Fantastic Four. He is a white man from outside of Wakanda who comes to Wakanda to plunder and steal vibranium for his own greedy purposes. Klaw represents the Western world’s long history of invasion and violence on the African continent, stealing natural resources and destabilizing communities for their own greed. When he confronts T’Challa’s father, Klaw proclaims that the Wakandans cannot stop him, his technology too powerful, and that once he possesses the vibranium, he will truly be unstoppable: “You have no choice! Once I gain possession of the world’s only supply of vibranium, all the riches of the Earth shall be mine!” (31). Klaw’s primary objective is to grow richer through the theft of vibranium, and he kills T’Challa’s father and Killmonger’s family to do so. He has no regard for the people standing in his way, and this motivates both T’Challa and Killmonger to radically change Wakandan society.

Malice is a secondary antagonist working for Killmonger and the only woman to do so. She stands in stark contrast to many other women characters in the issues, particularly that of Karota. While Karota is fearful of how the technological changes transform Wakanda, Malice acts and joins Killmonger to resist the changes. She also takes pride in her action, becoming independent and fighting for her future, claiming how she is different from the women in T’Challa’s life when they meet: “And I’m not some palace handmaiden made soft by palace intrigues!” (93). Malice is fierce and joins Killmonger to move Wakanda toward a different future, citing her mother’s belief that T’Challa’s technology was magic as a reason why. She, like many of the other secondary villains, fights against T’Challa because of her unhappiness in her life in Wakanda, impacted by the changes brought on by T’Challa, and exacerbated by his absence.

Baron Macabre is another secondary antagonist in the Jungle Action series who fights for Killmonger. He is the sidekick of King Cadaver, the most powerful of Killmonger’s allies, and guards the entrance to King Cadaver’s secret layer and the secret entrance to T’Challa’s armory. Baron Macabre seemingly controls the dead and uses death as a fear tactic tied to his character. The Baron protects King Cadaver and is one of T’Challa’s fiercest antagonists, fighting him more than once. Additionally, Baron Macabre kills Karota’s husband and Kantu’s father, sending them both on journeys that have them interact with and mirror Monica and T’Challa.

King Cadaver is one of the supernaturally gifted villains created by Killmonger. Like the others, King Cadaver joins Killmonger because of dissatisfaction in his life. It is because of this that he undergoes the painful and risky transformation overseen by Sombre. The ceremony results in King Cadaver developing a physically repulsive appearance and psychic powers. These powers allow him to see into the minds of others and cause physical and mental anguish. King Cadaver represents the mental battle that T’Challa must undergo to defeat Killmonger, acknowledging that the journey of a hero is not merely physical. T’Challa must not only physically defeat his enemies but stay mentally strong enough to resist them and the self-doubt they instill in him.

Karota is the widow of M’Jumbak, murdered by Baron Macabre, and represents the distrust the Wakandans have for the outside world and particularly for Monica. When Karota first sees Monica, she shares her anger at Monica’s presence as an outsider. Karota sees Monica as a threat to tradition and believes that T’Challa’s involvement with her signals a breaking from traditional life on T’Challa’s part. Though she is nearly constantly at odds with Monica, when T’Challa goes missing in the mountains, she and Monica bond over the loss of the men in their lives and cooperate. This falls apart, however, when Monica tries to help her by bringing her to the hospital to combat her malnourishment. The new technology and medical treatments scare Karota, and she runs from Monica, once again cursing her.

Kantu is the son of Karota and M’Jumbak and is seriously impacted by his father’s death at the hands of Baron Macabre. M’Jumbak’s death sets Kantu up as a mirroring character to T’Challa, as the deaths of their fathers become the central focus and most influential moments of their lives. Kantu blames Killmonger for his father’s death and follows T’Challa up to Warrior Falls to witness the last confrontation between the two men. It is Kantu, who rushes in at the last moment and shoves Killmonger, causing him to fall to his death, that saves T’Challa and Wakanda. After this moment, T’Challa looks at the child and once again sees the same pain he feels for his father in the child’s eyes: “It is Kantu, and as he looks into the sad depths of those young eyes he sees reflections of himself, mourning for his father, unable to accept his father’s death” (247). Kantu and T’Challa share the same grief in their lives, and this unites them during this special moment. Kantu allows T’Challa to see his own grief play out in real time and reflect on how it still impacts him as an adult.

Lord Karnaj is one of the secondary antagonists that fight T’Challa on Killmonger’s behalf. Like the others, he dislikes T’Challa, and cites T’Challa’s disconnection from the average Wakandan as a reason to fight him. Lord Karnaj does not like T’Challa’s posturing and self-righteousness and connects it with the chieftain’s use of technological advancements to change Wakanda. Lord Karnaj is yet another reflection of how T’Challa’s absence turns many against him.

Sombre is another antagonist that T’Challa faces, and in many ways is a foil to the Black Panther. Like T’Challa, Sombre wears a mask. Sombre inhabits a mystical temple in the mountains that contains the remains of a fallen star. The star imbues others with powers, whether it be through magic or radiation, and it is Sombre who helps create Killmonger’s many superpowered allies. Sombre’s commitment to the mystical and traditional is at odds with T’Challa’s use of technology in Wakanda. It is Sombre who helps drive Killmonger’s civil war, using the seemingly mystical to do so. Sombre is corrupted however, his mask melded to his flesh, his eyes vacant.

Mokadi is a minor character in the Jungle Action series who acts as T’Challa’s conscience as he surveys the devastation the war between T’Challa and Killmonger brings to Wakanda. As Mokadi and T’Challa look over a river, clogged with oil being used to trap dinosaurs, Mokadi, which means spirit in the language of a neighboring tribe, asks T’Challa to contemplate the pollution of the trees and river. Mokadi asks T’Challa if his palace and gardens are worth more than the nature of the land that is being destroyed around them. This scene before T’Challa, of dying nature, is a physical manifestation of how the war is impacting the nation of Wakanda. Mokadi forces T’Challa to consider the negative effects of the war and then disappears, never seen again.

Salamander K’Ruel is another one of the secondary antagonists in the series that fights with Killmonger because of his misgivings toward T’Challa and the way he changes Wakanda. Salamander K’Ruel is enhanced through Sombre’s ceremonies, but his powers manifest through physical changes like King Cadaver. Salamander K’Ruel’s skin is like a cactus, with painful needles sticking out. Excited after he believes he defeats T’Challa, Salamander K’Ruel tells him companion that “knew [Killmonger] would over-throw T’Challa’s reign” (215). Killmonger convinces Salamander K’Ruel to fight with him by showing him a better way forward and manipulating his village’s disconnection from the rest of Wakanda and T’Challa. One of the primary consequences of T’Challa’s absence from Wakanda is that the outer villages become isolated. Salamander K’Ruel is an example of why that consequence is so severe for T’Challa.

Madam Slay is the love interest of Erik Killmonger and the last antagonist that T’Challa faces in Wakanda. She makes herself known after the death of Killmonger, and seeks T’Challa in an effort to achieve revenge for her fallen lover. She is not enhanced like Killmonger’s other allies, but she does control leopards, revering these creatures and loving them. She even cites Wakandans hunting leopards as a motivation for her antagonism. Madam Slay blames T’Challa for the deaths of many leopards, once again highlighting how T’Challa’s position as a leader only makes him enemies. Even if he does not have a direct impact on the hunting of leopards, Madam Slay blames him, and T’Challa must once again confront how every move he makes as the Black Panther has consequences.

Tayete and Kazibe are two lower-level henchmen of Killmonger who frequently interact with T’Challa throughout the civil war. They are unique in these stories because they are two of the few characters who interact with both Killmonger and T’Challa. At first, their fealty to Killmonger instills them with confidence when they face T’Challa. Their hatred for T’Challa is apparent, and they hope to impress Killmonger by defeating his primary adversary. Despite this initial bravery, their interactions with both T’Challa and Killmonger change their perceptions of each over time. While T’Challa consistently outmatches them, he often shows mercy and a willingness to work with them while Killmonger constantly berates and abuses them. This leads to Tayete even declaring favor for T’Challa during the final battle. While Tayete expresses support for T’Challa, Kazibe immediately feels fear for how Killmonger might react to such a statement. In this one interaction, both show how their views of the two leaders of the civil war change because of their different leadership styles.

Kevin Trueblood is an ally and sidekick to Monica and T’Challa while they stay in Monica’s hometown. He is a local journalist who was working with Monica’s sister before she was murdered. He claims that Monica’s sister uncovered a KKK scheme at the real estate firm she worked at. Kevin Trueblood is a foil to many of the other white characters in this story arc, as he represents idealism and a sense of justice while so many others are influenced by racism and intimidation. Trueblood understands that his family may be hurt by his work trying to uncover the injustices of the KKK and hold them accountable, but he will not allow himself to be intimidated because he is firm in his beliefs of what is right and what is wrong. Trueblood counteracts Harrison K. Stryker’s role in the story and shows the competing views of the US surrounding civil rights and racism.