Avengers #87
Look Homeward, Avenger!
The Avengers are enjoying some downtime following their adventures in another dimension with the Squadron Supreme. As Jarvis brings them tea, Iron Man notices that the Black Panther is looking a little glum. T’Challa admits that he is feeling the pangs of homesickness for his homeland of Wakanda. That’s when the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver express an interest in knowing more about the Panther’s homeland.[1] He decides to indulge them by telling them of his origins.[2]
He recounts decides to recount the tale he originally told the Fantastic Four when he first met them but provides new details.[3] He tells his fellow Avengers that he is the son to T’Chaka who was the ruler of Wakanda. T’Chaka was a benevolent ruler that was loved by his people. He taught his son about the great Vibranium mound that is unique to Wakanda and how the rare metal is precious and valuable to the outside world due to its ability to absorbs all heat, sound, and vibrations and how it is the job of the ruler of Wakanda to protect the mound. Not longer after this, a man named Ulysses Klaw came to the village seeking to obtain Vibranium to complete his sound transformer, a device that would make solid constructs out of sound energy. When T’Chaka refused this, his father was gunned down by Klaw and his men. T’Challa vowed to avenge his father’s death.[4]
During this lonely period of his life, T’Challa’s only friend was B’Tumba, although by this time T’Challa had become more focused on his future duties as prince of Wakanda. B’Tumba’s father N’Baza decided that both boys should get an education in the outside world.[5] Soon T’Challa and B’Tumba were sent to various schools in Europe and the United States. T’Challa excelled in both sport and study, seconded by B’Tumba. When he returned to Wakanda as an adult with a full education, T’Challa was then put through a number of trails to see if he was worthy of ruling Wakanda. By this time, T’Challa had grown suspicious of N’Baza and feared that the old witch-doctor might be attempting to seize control of the throne.
The first test was for T’Challa to defeat Wakanda’s greatest warriors in hand-to-hand combat. Succeeding in this first trial, N’Baza then ordered T’Challa his next task was the Night of Vigil within the temple of the panther god.[6][7] That night, T’Challa put on traditional clothing and entered the temple, which was raised out of its hidden silo. While inside, a computer panel opened up revealing the costume of the Black Panther. Putting it on, T’Challa was praised by his people when he emerged from the temple. He was now ready for the final test, N’Baza ordered T’Challa to travel to the great plateau and consume the special heart-shaped herb that grows there and is told that they will grant him great powers.
Like the other challenges before this, T’Challa succeeded in finding the herbs. As he ate them, he heard voices in the distance. Going to investigate he discovered scientists from Advanced Idea Mechanics trying to steal Vibranium from the region. Thinking they were brought into the country by N’Baza, the newly minted Black Panther attacks only to be stunned and taken prisoner. Prepared for execution, T’Challa is shocked when the traitor turns out to be none other than his childhood friend B’Tumba. Apparently, B’Tumba resented always living under T’Challa’s shadow and decided to work with AIM when they contacted him in university. Left alone to eliminate T’Challa, B’Tumba was unaware that his allies planted a bug on him to listen in on the conversation. B’Tumba is just about to execute T’Challa when he realizes he can’t and they both agree to work together to drive AIM out of Wakanda.
In the ensuing battle, the Black Panther manages to drive off the rogue scientists but B’Tumba was fatally shot. B’Tumba’s final words were asking T’Challa for forgiveness for betraying his people and that his father, N’Baza was not involved at all. The Panther believed his friend and was able to forgive him before he died.
Concluding his story, the Black Panther admits that his origin doesn’t bring much pride, and some aspects of his past still haunt him to this day. Thor and Goliath point out that every one of the Avengers has suffered tragedy in their time.[8] T’Challa thanks them for being so understanding, but explains that he brought up this story because it was N’Baza who looked after the kingdom in his absence while working with the Avengers. Now he has received word that N’Baza has died and now T’Challa has to consider his future: Does he return to his people, or does he remain with the Avengers? While Goliath is confident that the Panther will always be an Avenger, T’Challa isn’t so certain of his future.
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Black Panther, Thor, Iron Man, Goliath, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, the Vision), Edwin Jarvis, (in flashback) T’Chaka, Ulysses Klaw, AIM, S’Yan (unidentified, see notes)
Continuity Notes
The Black Panther refers to the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as mutants here. However, they are not. It’s later learned in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5, that they were actually experimented on by the High Evolutionary while they were children. In order to cover up his work, he made it so genetic testing would register them as mutants.
Mention is made of how some of the Avengers presents have already been to Wakanda. He is referring to Goliath (who was Hawkeye at the time) the Vision, and the Black Knight, who accompanied T’Challa to Wakanda in Avengers #61.
The story told here is similar to the tale T’Challa told in Fantastic Four #53. It should be noted that there are different accounts of the Black Panther’s origins, some are wildly different. Go here for my interpretation of these different origins. Per Black Panther (vol. 3) #8, it was revealed that T’Challa didn’t initially trust the Avengers and originally joined the team to spy on them. One could assume that the accounts told here are different from the others as T’Challa was only telling a partial truths to the Avengers as he hadn’t fully begun to trust them yet.
What this version of the story omits is that T’Challa severely damaged Klaw’s right hand during this encounter, as recounted in Fantastic Four #53. There are conflicting origins told in Black Panther (vol. 4) #3, Rise of the Black Panther #1 and Black Panther Legends #1.
In Black Panther (vol. 4) #1-5 details that following the death of T’Chaka, the kingdom of Wakanda was ruled by his brother S’Yan who took on the mantle of the Black Panther. He also took a hand in preparing the throne for T’Challa upon reaching adulthood. The Garbage Database will say that S’Yan’s appearance in later stories negates the role of N’Baza, as they have not apparently heard of the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.” As S’Yan was one of the warriors that T’Challa had to defeat in ritual combat, he retroactively appears in this story.
Later recountings of this trail-by-combat reference people who are absent in this telling of the story. Zuri, an old friend of T’Chaka is revealed to have been involved in Black Panther (vol. 3) #5, while Black Panther (vol. 4) #2, reveals that the final opponent was S’Yan, then current Black Panther.
The panther god is not mentioned by name here. However, Black Panther (vol. 3) #5 specifies that the Wakandans worship Bast of the Ennead (Egyptian) pantheon of gods.
Goliath mentions a few personal tragedies among the Avengers:
He mentions that his brother, Barney Barton, died during one of his missions with the Avengers. Barney appeared to die when the Avengers clashed with Egghead in Avengers #64. It is later revealed that Barney survived and will resurface again in Hawkeye: Blindspot #1-4.
He also mentions how Pietro and Wanda were mutant outlaws. They were recruited into Magneto’s original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Men #4 but later left the group in X-Men #11 and joined the Avengers shortly thereafter in Avengers #16 in an effort to redeem themselves.
Topical References
AIM states here that they are trying to obtain Vibranium so they can beat both the United States and Russia to the moon. They also mention building space stations. In the context of the story, it sounds like Roy Thomas intended this flashback to take place in the early days of the space race. At any rate, these references should be considered topical. Modern readers should ignore this and instead interpret these events as happening in the Pre-Modern Age, the period of time in all humans with normal life spans were born in prior to the birth of the Fantastic Four.
