Thorns in the Flesh Thorns in the Mind

Following his battle with a tyrannosaurus rex, the Black Panther stops by a pond to drink and treat his wounds. There he is ambushed by yet another one of Erik Killmonger’s mutated minions, the boil covered archer named Salamander K’Ruel. T’Challa spies the napalm tipped arrow coming his way just in time to leap for cover in the pond. After the blast, K’Ruel sends one of his men to check for the Panther’s body. T’Challa has survived and after defeating Salamander’s minions challenges his attacker to hand-to-hand combat. When the two combatants grapple with each other, T’Challa discovers — to his horrors — that Salamander’s body is covered with thorns. The pain from having hundreds of needles pierce his skin is too much for the Panther to endure in light of his still healing injuries and he passes out from the pain.

When T’Challa wakes up, he finds himself tied to some cactus trees where K’Ruel intends to leave him to die be eaten alive by the wildlife, particularly the pterodactyls that roam the area. Salamander then leaves, promising to return with his master, Erik Killmonger, to see T’Challa’s dead body. Once his foe is gone, T’Challa tries to break free but every time he struggles the thorns from the cactus cut into his flesh. The pain and loss of blood causes him to become delirious. His mind drifts back to a memory about his father, T’Chaka, when T’Challa was still a boy. T’Chaka had taken his son to watch a sunset and told him the importance of relishing the art of childhood as these experiences will soon be replaced with his coming of age and the duties of being an adult. He tells his boy to hold onto these memories so he never forgets them.[1] The Black Panther snaps out of this recollection when a salamander begins crawling on his body. There is a moment that stretched out for eternity as the tiny lizard crawls about his body and contemplates feeding upon him. Luckily, T’Challa’s blood is not to the salamander’s taste and it flits away. Not longer after this a pterodactyl arrives and sees the Black Panther as easy prey.[2] When the dinosaur swoops down to snatch him away, T’Challa uses this opportunity to pull free from the thorns by grabbing onto the monster’s legs.

While back in Central Wakanda, Monica Lynne and Taku pay a visit to Karota’s hut. Monica wants to check in on the widow and her son who are still struggling with the death of M’Jumbak, Karota’s husband.[3] When they arrive Monica notes that Kantu is vacant and unresponsive. When she tries to help Karota prepare a meal, her aid is refused until Taku convinces Karota that in T’Challa’s absence Monica needs support from Karota. While at the royal palace, W’Kabi and Chandra continue to try and reconcile their troubled marriage. However, W’Kabi’s career as T’Challa’s second-in-command has created a massive wedge between the couple that appears to be unreconcilable. When W’Kabi tries to touch his wife she begins to try and moves away from his caress.

By this time, Erik Killmonger and his legions have returned to his home village of N’Jadaka and have found it in ruins following a battle with the Black Panther.[4] While King Cadaver is furious over this, Erik Killmonger is un-phased by the destruction and tells his followers that the loss of their village will mean nothing once they have conquered all of Wakanda, a victory that will be assured thanks to the dinosaurs they have recovered from the Serpent Valley.

Back in the Serpent Valley, the Black Panther struggles with the pterodactyl in order to prevent himself from becoming its next meal. Managing to get onto the beast’s neck he begins riding the dinosaur out of the valley. This is spotted by Salamander K’Ruel who tries to kill T’Challa with another one of his napalm tipped arrows. However, the Black Panther manages to leap off the pterodactyl just in time to avoid the blast, which kills the pterodactyl. Riding the force of the blast, T’Challa kicks K’Ruel in the face and then smashes his foe over the head with his own bow, knocking him out.

Although it takes a few days worth of travel, T’Challa drags Salamander K’Ruel all the way back to Central Wakanda. When he arrives at the palace steps, T’Challa collapses to the ground, exhausted after his ordeal. Rushing to his side is Monica Lynne who orders Taku to get Mendinao, the tribal medicine man, for help.

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, Erik Killmonger, Salamander K’Ruel, King Cadaver, Monica Lynn, Taku, W’Kabi, Karota, Chandra, Kantu, T’Chaka (flashback)

Continuity Notes

1. There is a brief mention here how T’Chaka later died. This was first depicted in a flashback in Fantastic Four #53. There are many conflicting accounts of T’Chaka’s death, I address those issues here.

2. The presumption in this story is that these dinosaurs survived the mass extinction event that wiped them out millions of years ago. In reality, these dinosaurs were actually created by the Deviants as revealed in Marvel Universe #4-7.

3. M’Jumbak was murdered by Baron Macabre in Jungle Action (vol. 2) #9. Monica mentions how she brought Karota to the hospital recently, this was in issue #12-13.

4. The Black Panther and his army raided N’Jadaka in issue #11.