Enemy of the State: Book Two

Then

Wakanda has been taken over by the mad man known as Achebe.[1] His sanity crumbling he has taken to holding council with a finger puppet he calls Daki. As he revels over his victory over the Black Panther, Daki suggests that they kill their co-conspirator T’Challa’s step-mother Ramonda.

Meanwhile, in America, the Black Panther has uncovered a conspiracy where groups within the United States government were helping fund Achebe’s coup back home. The trail has led to Queens where the Black Panther finds the home of Danny Vincent, a member of the Volcan Domuyan Secret Service. The Panther sneaks into the back seat of Danny’s car as he is about to leave for the night.

When confronted, Vincent explains that his country got involved in the conspiracy against Wakanda because Jack Taylor — head of a major technology company called Spectrum Dynamics — dangled a new high tech processor that his country needed. He took the job because it would have otherwise went to someone else. He did what he had to do in the service of his country and doesn’t apologize for bad deals. T’Challa knows that Vincent also writes books about the NSA. He also reveals that the chips being sold to Volcan Domuyan are built to fail within five years and suggests that this is a reason why he should write an exposé on the involvement of the NSA, Spectrum Dynamics and the Russian mob conspiring to cause a bloody ethnic war in Ghudaza as part of a scheme to destabilize and replace the Wakandan government with a ruler more agreeable to their interests. Danny says he’ll look into it and T’Challa promises to check back in with him soon.[2] However, before leaving, the Black Panther decks Danny causing his head to hit the passenger window of his car so hard it cracks. After which, Danny goes back in side to get some ice for his head and get some food to eat. We learn that the doting voice of what sounded like Danny’s mother is actually a high tech drone.

Meanwhile, Hunter — aka the White Wolf of Wakanda’s exiled Hatut Zeraze — entertains Monica Lynn, T’Challa’s former fiancée. As she watches the news, Hunter thinks about his past. He recounts how, as a baby, he was the lone survivor of a plane that crashed on the outskirts of Wakanda. He was found by a farming couple who didn’t know what to do with him. The man wanted to drown the white baby because he thought it would bring bad luck to their farm. The woman wanted to keep the baby and raise it as their own. Unable to make a decision, they brought the baby to T’Chaka to make a decision. Rather than let the couple keep the baby, T’Chaka took it in and raised it as his own. Naming him hunter, T’Chaka raised the boy as his own son and the two formed a strong bond as Hunter grew up. Eventually, however, things started to change after T’Chaka’s first wife, N’Yami gave birth to their son, T’Challa. Many years later, after the death of N’Yami, T’Chaka took a second wife, a South African woman named Romanda. By this time, Hunter was a grown man and the two formed a strong bond due to the fact that they were viewed as outsiders by Wakandan society.[3]

Monica then interrupts his thoughts by turning his attention to a news story about how T’Challa is going to be addressing the United Nations Security Council on a serious matter. She wants to know when Hunter is going to stop making her wait and bring her to him. Hunter assures her they will be reunited when the time comes, but right now it appears that T’Challa is biting every hand that feeds him. Monica doesn’t care because she is tired of being a target for his political enemies all the time. Hunter assures her that T’Challa wants to keep her safe above all else because he loves her more than anyone, even so much so to end their engagement.[4]

Elsewhere, Everett Ross — T’Challa’s US government liaison while he’s in America — is out exercising in Central Park. He just received a call from Nikki Adams, his boss and lover. She wants to know what he has on T’Challa’s recent attack on Jack Taylor. Unfortunately, Ross knows nothing about it. Moments later, he is nabbed by some Secret Service agents.[5] Later, when T’Challa addressed the United Nations, he presented all of his evidence that the United States was interfering with his country’s leadership. After presenting all the evidence he has proving this, he announces that this constitutes as an act of war against his nation. Meanwhile, Everett was brought before the President who ordered him to go back to New York to convince T’Challa to rescind his accusations or else Ross would be relocated to Iceland. Flying back to New York with his boss and girlfriend, Nikki Adams, the two talk about what to do next. Nikki is somewhat distracted by memories of her past relationship with T’Challa.[6] Hearing Everett whine about the task ahead, Nikki tells him to get the job done, thinking it wouldn’t be that hard. In hindsight, Everett recalls what happened next, ultimately being exiled to Iceland after all.

However, before all of that, T’Challa and the Dora Milaje were swarmed by the press as they left the United Nations. Waiting for them outside is NYPD Sergeant Francis Tork, he tells them that there were some “white guys” looking for them. Sure enough Tork is correct as members of the Hatut Zeraze emerge from the crowd.

Meanwhile, the news about T’Challa’s call for sanctions against the United States reaches Ramonda, his step-mother who had been running Wakanda alongside Achebe. She feared that this moment would come eventually and asks her aides to leave her alone. As Ramonda thinks about her time as a prisoner in South Africa many years earlier, she doesn’t notice when Achebe sneaks into her office.[7] Beating her over the head with a stone bust, Achebe seemingly kills Ramonda and then begins looking for the access codes to Wakanda’s defenses.[8]

Back in America, the Black Panther and his entourage are led by the Hatut Zeraze to a nearby alley where T’Challa meets with Hunter. Hunter has once again come to petition his brother to reinstate his team as they will be needed for the conflict ahead. He also reveals that he has brought Monica Lynn with him as well. That’s when they are shot at by a sniper in a helicopter passing overhead. Caught off guard, T’Challa agrees to let Hunter and his team help and both change into the Black Panther and the White Wolf respectively. Meawnhile, Francis and the Dora Milaje take off and are chased by an unmarked car with gun toting goons. As they peel out they pass by Everett Ross who was on his way to the UN building and they pick him up.

In Wakanda, Achebe tries to wake Ramonda up so she can see his moment of triumph but she is unresponsive. After some bickering with Daki he decides to move ahead with his plan without an audience. Entering the access codes for the country’s defense system, Achebe activates massive robotic panthers to destroy everything in sight.

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, Achebe, Junta, Ramonda, Everett Ross, Niki Adams, Monica Lynn, White Wolf, Nakia, Okoye, Francis Tork

Continuity Notes

1. Gaining power from Mephisto, Achebe took over Wakanda over the course of Black Panther (vol. 3) #1-5. Although Ramonda appears to be betraying T’Challa, it will be revealed that she was actually working with him this whole time in order to defeat Achebe as we’ll see in issue #12.

2. We’ll see more of Danny Vincent in Black Panther (vol. 3) #41-45.

3. According to sources, N’Yami either died giving child birth to T’Challa, or died shortly thereafter. Five years later, T’Chaka met Romanda and the two fell in love and were married. See the Black Panther profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Avengers 2004 #1 and Rise of the Black Panther #1.

4. Monica Lynn has been a long time ally of T’Challa dating back to when he saved her from the Sons of the Serpents in Avengers #73. T’Challa proposed to her in Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #3. However, by the time we see her again in Black Panther (vol. 3) #8, T’Challa had called off their engagement. It’s revealed in Black Panther (vol. 3) #48-49 that this was due to the fact that T’Challa met a future version of himself that was dying of a brain aneurysm that he himself was just in the early stages of. Seeing that he had no future to offer Monica was the reason why he broke off their engagement, although he kept the reason why a secret.

5. As we saw in Black Panther (vol. 3) #6-8, this was in order to give a briefing of the situation to the President of the United States.

6. It was revealed in Black Panther (vol. 3) #6 that Nikki and T’Challa briefly dated when he was stateside getting a college education. The relationship ended because the Wakandan people would never approve of Nikki as a love interest.

7. Not long after she married T’Chaka, Ramonda was kidnapped by Anton Pretorius a man who was obsessed with her. He kept her prisoner and sexually assaulted her for years. She was believed to be dead until T’Challa learned that she was still alive and rescued her. See Marvel Comics Presents #13-37 and Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #1.

8. Ramonda survives this brutal beating as we’ll see in Black Panther (vol. 3) #12.

Topical References

• When referring to the conspirators that were hired to eliminate T’Challa in America, Everett Ross refers to them as “The 1999 ‘Mr. Kill You Without a Second Thought’ Image Award". The year 1999 should be considered topical as it is relative to the date of publication. The Image Awards is a real life award ceremony held annually by the NAACP, which recognizes Black and African-American talent in the arts.

• The President of the United States is depicted as Bill Clinton as he was President at the time this story was published. This should be considered a topical reference as Clinton’s time as President ended in 2001.

Translations

Danny Vincent’s drone speaks entirely in Spanish, with the text untranslated. Here is what it is saying:

• Page 3, Panel 1: “¿Danny, cuando va usta encourtrar a una muchacha buena y establecerse?” = “Danny, when are you going to find a good girl and settle down?”

• Page 5, Panel 2 = “su cena está poiéndose fria” = “Your dinner is getting cold.”

• Page 5, Panel 3 = “¿Cuál es, hijo?” = “Which one son?”

• Page 5, Panel 5 = “Usted no debe comer poniéndose de pie, estemado Danny.” = “You shouldn’t eat standing up, dead Danny.”