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This article is about T'Challa's counterpart for the Marvel Comics. For the character from the Earth-199999 universe, see Black Panther (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

T'Challa/Black Panther is the titular main protagonist of the comic books by Marvel Comics.

He is the first black superhero in mainstream American comics, debuting several years before such early African-American superheroes as Marvel Comics' the Falcon and Luke Cage, and DC Comics' Mal Duncan, Tyroc, Black Lighting and the Green Lantern John Stewart.

An iteration appeared in the 2016 film, Captain America: Civil War.

History[]

Biography[]

Early Life and Background[]

The Black Panther is the ceremonial title given to the chief of the Panther Tribe of the advanced African nation of Wakanda. In addition to ruling the country, he is also chief of its various tribes (collectively referred to as the Wakandas). The Panther habit is a symbol of office (head of state) and is used even during diplomatic missions. The Panther is a hereditary title, but one still must earn it.

T'Challa was born in Wakanda to T'Chaka and his first wife, N'Yami. After his mother's death, T'Chaka remarried Ramonda, who loved T'Challa as if she were his own son. She eventually gave birth to T'Challa's sister, Shuri, who T'Challa was closest to.

Personality[]

Powers and Abilities[]

Powers[]

  • Divine Empowerment: T'Challa was originally enhanced by the Heart-Shaped Herb, which granted him to have Super Soldier powers. He was given additional powers by the Goddess Bast, when he became the King of the Dead. This blessing seems to have restored him to the same power levels which he possessed as the chosen Black Panther. Aside from his senses, T'Challa's natural strength, speed, agility, durability, healing, stamina, and reflexes have been augmented to nearly superhuman degree.
  • Black Panther Knowledge: T'Challa has the power to draw all the knowledge, strength, and every experience from every previous Black Panther.
  • Superhumanly Acute Senses: T'Challa can see with greater clarity and greater distances than any ordinary human. His vision extends into the ultraviolet and infrared areas of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see in near-total darkness and retain the same level of clarity. T'Challa's hearing is similarly enhanced, enabling him to detect sounds normal humans can't and sounds they ordinarily could but at much greater distances. T'Challa can memorize tens of thousands of scents. His sense of smell enables him to recognize people/objects by scent, even if they are well hidden. He can track a target by scent and track them to the exact location, can smell fear, and detect if someone is lying by change in body odor. T'Challa's sense of taste is sensitive to the point that he is able to taste the exact ingredients of any particular food he is eating.
  • Peak Human Strength: T'Challa's strength is enhanced to the peak of human potential. He received a blessing from the Panther Goddess Bast, which elevated his strength between peak human and superhuman levels. His physical strength is noticeably superior to any Olympic-class weightlifter and far superior to normal humans, allowing him to press lift approximately 800 lbs (363 kgs). His legs extends with his strength, enabling him to leap approximately 10 feet off the ground and 15 feet in a standing broad jump.
  • Peak Human Speed: T'Challa is able to run and move at speeds superior to any Olympic-class runners. At peak capacity, he is capable of reaching speeds up to 35 mph. He has the ability to attack faster than the eye can follow. His combat speed seems more enhanced then anything else, as he has frequently kept up with other enemies in combat, and blitzed people before they pull their trigger fingers.
  • Peak Human Stamina: T'Challa's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles and his musculature generates considerably less fatigue toxins than the muscles of an ordinary human being, granting him exceptional endurance, and lung capacity. He can physically exert himself at peak capacity for an hour before fatigue toxins begin to impair him. His lung capacity is at the peak human levels, enabling him to hold his breath underwater for 6 minutes.
  • Peak Human Durability: T'Challa's skin, muscle, and bone tissues are augmented to levels that are much denser and harder than normal humans, making him far more durable and resistant to damage to various degrees.
  • Peak Human Regeneration: T'Challa's enhanced healing speed and capabilities allows him to have a conditioned metabolism and immune system that enables extraordinarily efficient healing.
  • Peak Human Agility: T'Challa's equilibrium, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels superior to any Olympic-level athlete that has ever competed. This gives him cat-like agility.
  • Peak Human Reflexes: T'Challa's reaction time are beyond the natural limits of an Olympic-level athlete, allowing him to dodge multiple gunfire at point-blank range with ease. He has been noted to have reflexes faster than an actual panther.

Abilities[]

  • Master Martial Artist: T'Challa has been groomed to be a warrior since birth. He is a master in practically all forms of armed and unarmed combat, having mastered various styles of martial arts from around the world. He is considered to be one of the best martial artists to have ever walked the Earth. He has stalemated, and at times even gained the upper hand against various highly skilled martial artists such as Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and many other dangerous opponents in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to overpower Wolverine twice without much difficulty, even when Wolverine was using his claws. Captain America himself said that when he won against T'Challa, he was not his usual self, seeming weaker than he actually was. He was shown to be skilled enough to defeat the skilled combatant Karnak with a single blow to the head.
  • Genius Intelligence: T'Challa is a polymath genius and has an eidetic (aka photographic) memory. His knowledge of physics and engineering ranks him among the top eight intellects of the world. He possesses accomplishments such as a PhD in physics from Oxford University. He also combined alchemy with science to create a new scientific field called Shadow Physics, a dangerous discipline which allowed him to track Vibranium on a quantum level, craft weapons which would be particularly effective against Vibranium, and create an unstable teleportation device which at the time ripped apart anyone using it with great healing ability.
  • Master Tactician: T'Challa is a genius tactician, strategist, and leader who is practically peerless. He was taught tactics and strategies in his youth by his father who encouraged him to always think two steps ahead of his enemies and three steps ahead of his friends. His prowess is such that he is able to out think and out maneuver individuals such as Tony Stark, and other geniuses.
  • Master Inventor: He can invent various devices with special properties when needed. He possesses engineering abilities and intellect that makes him a peer and has proven to be able to invent and create weaponry that rivals their engineering capabilities. T'Challa can also duplicate practically any other technologies after learning how they work or by glancing at the designs.
  • Highly Influential Connections: As King of Wakanda, T'Challa has access to a vast collection of magical artifacts, technological and military hardware, as well as the support of his nation's wide array of scientists, adventurers, and superheroes.
  • Diplomatic Immunity: As the leader of a sovereign nation, He often visits the United States or the United Nations for political reasons. He enjoys diplomatic immunity during these trips, and his embassy is considered foreign soil.

Navigation[]

Series
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Characters
Black PantherErik KillmongerShuriEverett RossOkoyeAyoXoliswaNakiaUlysses KlaueZuriW'KabiBucky BarnesM'KathuM'BakuT'ChakaN'JobuQueen Ramonda
Groups
Wakandan Tribes (Golden TribeBorder TribeRiver TribeJabari TribeMining TribeMerchant Tribe) • Dora MilajeWar DogsWakandan Tribal CouncilWakandan Desgin Group
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