The Moorbecx Communique!

T’Challa, the Black Panther, has traveled to Paris to meet with Malika a member of the Order of the Panther who conducts business for Wakanda abroad. He has come to learn more about the nuclear threat posed to Wakanda by neighboring Azania. Azania is an apartheid country that has blamed the Black Panther for the slaughter of a number of government officials and triggering a rebellion among the oppressed blacks of their country.

Although she had gotten orders from the tribal council to return T’Challa to Wakanda immediately, she decides to disobey their orders so she can help T’Challa prevent their homeland from being wiped off the map.

To this end, Malaika arranges a meeting with Frank Little, a former member of the CIA who deals in selling secrets. Little wants to sell them information on the Azanian nuclear missile. However, he doesn’t want money for this transaction, but the Black Panther’s Avengers ID card since he can sell it to a collector for much more than he could make off this deal. Since T’Challa is currently only a reserve member of the group, he willingly gives it over.[1]

In Azania, the slaughter of government officials and rebellion from the black population continues. Getting fed up with this attack on his rule, General Magnus Morrbecx orders the nuclear missile prepared for launch.

Back in Wakanda, the ruling council is trying to figure out why T’Challa has left. While the others are busy bickering with one another, Ndebele decides to use the palace computers to see if they hold the answers. It is here that he discovers that Wakanda is being targeted for a nuclear strike by Azania.

In France, T’Challa uses his financial resources to purchase a helicopter so he and Malaika can travel to Azania and stop the nuclear strike. In order to travel there as quickly as possible, T’Challa installs some Vibranium into the chopper’s engine housing to absorb all of the vibrations and tipple its travel speed. Slipping below radar, T’Challa lands the helicopter near an abandoned diamond mind that the Azanian government has converted into a missile silo. Unaware that the Panther has spotted his arrival and is now stalking Malaika, T’Challa goes to stop the missile from being launched.

As the Black Panther, T’Challa manages to sneak into Moorbecx’s office and agrees to surrender if he calls off the nuclear attack. The general agrees and forces T’Challa to go on state television and order the rebels to put down their arms. T’Challa does so, and uses the opportunity to once again make his stance that change must be done peacefully as war would cost too many lives. However, he does a quick 360 and tells the people to continue fighting until the rest of the world sees the Azanian government for the monsters they are. Pulling on his mask, the Black Panther then lunges at the soldiers in the TV studio and tries to fight his way to freedom. However, T’Challa is weaker than ever before and ends up passing out before he can flee outside. He is quickly captured and then shackled up in a dungeon to rot.

Here, T’Challa is visited by the Panther who has been responsible for the slaughter of the local authorities. It tells people that it has been chosen by the Panther Spirits to answer to the cries of injustice being called out by the Azanian people, a rage that T’Challa had chosen to ignore. The Panther will fight him to the death, but first T’Challa must save his own people and so he is freed. The Black Panther then fights his way to the missile silo and manages to grab hold of the nuclear missile just as it is being launched. Racing against time, T’Challa manages to get access to the warhead’s guidance control system and disables the missile and sends it harmlessly careening toward the ocean. Jumping from the missile over the jungle, the Black Panther grabs a vine to break his fall but hits the ground hard and is knocked out. Despite this graceless fall, he has still managed to save his people.

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, Panther, Magnus Moorbecx, Ndebele, Malaika

Continuity Notes

1. The Black Panther has been a reserve Avenger since Avengers #166, so he could focus on matters back home in Wakanda. Although he has rejoined the team on occasion (particularly from Avengers #173-181) he will remain on reserve status until he rejoins the group full time again in Avengers #305.

Topical References

• T’Challa buys a helicopter for $750,000 American dollars. Adjusting for inflation this would be worth over 1.7 million in 2022 money.