Lord of the Damned

Everett Ross is a member of the US State Department who is tasked with escorting foreign diplomats who are visiting America. He has just recently been assigned as liaison to T’Challa, the king of Wakanda, aka the superhero known as the Black Panther. Presently he is giving a progress report to his superior — and girlfriend — Nikki Adams.

When he last left off, the Black Panther had just solved the murder of Jamie Robins, the poster child for his Tomorrow Fund charity. This came at the price of Achebe, a Ghudazian refugee who sold his soul to Mephisto, to seize partial control of Wakanda. Visited by the devil himself, the Black Panther sapped Mephisto of his power long enough to rip out the monsters heart and get answers. Mephisto confirmed his involvement and offered to return Wakanda to T’Challa in exchange for his soul. Confident the demon will die in moments with his heart remove, T’Challa and his US government liaison, Everett Ross, found themselves transported to the gate of Hell.[1]

While Everett is swarmed with rats,[2] the Black Panther is greeted by a robed figure with a halo over their head. Once T’Challa gets close enough, the figure removes his hood revealing he is Achebe himself, or at least an illusion of the mad man. Achebe pulls a gun and begins opening fire.

Back in New York City, Sergeant Francis Tork arrives at the Brooklyn apartment T’Challa has been renting during his stay in America. He wants answers about how he convinced a murderer to confess to the killing of Jamie Robins.[3] He wakes up Zuri, T’Challa’s closest confidant who slept through all of the excitement from earlier. Zuri says that his master hasn’t returned yet and goes digging through the fridge for something to eat as Tork turns on the TV. There is a news story about Achebe taking over Wakanda and when Francis asks what that’s about, Zuri assures him that Achebe will be a dead man soon enough. Zuri, in case you’re wondering, found Mephisto’s severed heart in a jar of pickles and is now eating it.

Meanwhile, in Wakanda, Achebe is taking on a tour of the town, reveling in his new position. He puts on a good show for the camera until a bug starts buzzing around his head. Annoyed, he then throws Muatu, a dog he rescued from the battle field of his coup, at the bug.

By this time, Everett has paused his story. It’s dawn in Washington, DC and he has been talking all night so he and Nikki went out to get some coffee. He isn’t sure if he should continue with the rest of the story as what happened was deeply personal to T’Challa and he has come to the think of the Wakandan king as his friend. After a moment of silent consideration, he continues on anyway.

Back in Hell, the Black Panther had fought past the illusion of Achebe. After assuring Ross that Mephisto only has power over the people who give it to him, T’Challa crosses the gat into Hell to confront the devil himself. Once he crosses over the threshold T’Challa is sent through a series of illusions reliving moments from his past.

The first was from when T’Challa was a young boy. He had spied on the Hatut Zeraze torturing a man. T’Challa was then caught by Hunter, the White Wolf, who is the leader of the King’s private army of assassins. Hunter explains to young T’Challa that the man is being tortured for smuggling out a fragment of Vibranium to some white hunters that are in the area. He knows that the white men are up to something and that they’ll find the answers by torturing their captive. T’Challa believes that his father would never allowed this if he knew what was going on. Hunter points out that is exactly the point of the Hatut Zeraze, to do things the king himself has no stomach for, all done in the name of protecting Wakanda from outside threats.[4]

Time flashes forward to when these “white hunters” launched a military assault on Wakanda. They were led by Ulysses Klaw who wasn’t in the region to hunt for ivory at all, but to claim the Wakandan’s Vibranium mound. T’Challa’s father — then the Black Panther — and Zuri led his people on the counter attack. The white men were getting trounced until Klaw brought out a sonic weapon which he unleashed upon the Wakandan warriors. T’Chaka and countless others were killed, allowing Klaw to briefly take control of the nation. Seeking to avenge his father, T’Challa managed to sneak onto Klaw’s camp and use his own sonic cannon against him. Klaw’s right hand was crippled in the assault. Although Klaw would escape, T’Challa’s actions allowed the people of Wakanda to regroup and retake their homeland.[5]

Time skips ahead to T’Chaka’s funeral. As young T’Challa mourns his father he asks to be left alone. That’s when T’Challa asks if there is a point to showing him all of this. Mephisto — speaking through the illusion of T’Challa’s father — says that he is offering him Wakanda — all 6 million souls — in the exchange for his. The Black Panther agrees, shattering the illusion, however he has conditions conditions: The souls of anyone in Wakanda are now off limits forever, the demon is never to to appear before him again, he is to take back the power given to Achebe, and lastly, that the true enemy targeting Wakanda needs to be revealed to him.[6]

With the deal agreed upon, they are soon surrounded by a massive pride of panthers. T’Challa explains that his spirit is forever connected to the panther god. Mephisto refuses to believe in their existence, but T’Challa knows better — the demon knows the truth but, until now, they dismissed it.[7] T’Challa recounts who he won the ceremonial battle and won the right to consume the heart shaped herb that gives each Black Panther his power. Not only did this connect T’Challa to his god, but also to the spirits of everyone else who ever became a Black Panther in the past.[8][9] This is about the time that Everett Ross is sucked into Hell to witness what happened next. At first, Mephisto reveled in the large number of souls that but he soon discovers that there are too many for him to take. Soon the panthers begin overwhelming him and Mephisto pleads with T’Challa to make it stop. The Panther then shrewdly tells Mephisto that he knows the terms.

Moments later, Everett finds himself back in the bathroom of the Brooklyn apartment without pants again.[10] Mephisto then returns one last time to recover what parts of his heart that were uneaten by Zuri.

Meanwhile, the Black Panther contacts his step-mother Ramonda to see how things are going in Wakanda. Without Mephisto’s power, Achebe’s invasion forces have completely retreated. However, the situation is still tense and in order to maintain the peace, Ramonda has been forced to form a coalition government with Achebe. Worse, T’Challa has been ordered into exile. T’Challa has faith the Ramonda will be able to govern things until he can return to his kingdom. When the call ends, Ramonda reports back to Achebe telling him everything is going according to plan. It appears as though Ramonda is a traitor to her step-son and is working in league with the man trying to steal his throne![11]

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, Mephisto, Ramonda, Everett Ross, Francis Tork, Zuri, White Wolf, Achebe, Niki Adams, Bast, (in flashback) T’Chaka, Ulysses Klaw

Continuity Notes

1. Mephisto and Achebe’s plot was slowly revealed over the course of the last four issues of this series. Where were you?

2. Everett says all the rats here are named Buster. This is what he named a massive rat he discovered in T’Challa’s apartment back in issue #1. Ross has a thing about rats.

3. This killer was Delroy Richmond, who confessed to killing the Robins girl in Black Panther (vol. 3) #3 and was turned over to Tork last issue.

4. As we learned last issue, T’Challa would later send the Hatut Zeraze into exile once he took over the throne, seeing them as unnecessary. The origin of the White Wolf is expanded upon in later issues. Hunter, and as a baby he was the only survivor of a plane that crashed in Wakanda and was adopted by T’Chaka and treated him like a son. Hunter later became the leader of the Hatut Zeraze and served T’Chaka loyaly until his death. When T’Challa took the throne, he ordered the Hatut Zeraze into exile and he did not agree with their methods. See Black Panther (vol. 3) #10, 12 and 27 as well as Rise of the Black Panther #4-6, and Black Panther: Legends #1-4.

5. This retelling of T’Challa’s origins are more or less the same as the one originally told in Fantastic Four #52-53. His origins have also been told in Avengers #87, Black Panther (vol. 4) #3, Rise of the Black Panther #1, and Black Panther Legends #1. Some versions tell events differently than others. For more on how this version differs from the original tale and other tellings see below.

6. We later find out in Black Panther (vol. 3) #10 that Achebe had backing from officials within the United States government.

7. The panther god is never mentioned by name here. Black Panther (vol. 3) #21 confirms that it is Bast, the Egyptian god of pleasure, dancing, and music.

8. None of the spirits of the past Black Panthers are identified here and they all appear in the form of panthers so there’s no telling who is who here. Known Black Panthers from the past include:

   • Mosi, the original Black Panther from 1 million BC. He will first be revealed in Marvel Legacy #1, although his existence would be lost to history until later on in the Modern Age. His death at the hands of the invading forces of Levey the Ice Giant were recorded in Avengers: 1,000,000 BC #1.

   • Olumo Bashenga: Incorrectly referred to as the first Black Panther, probably because he was the earliest one known to recorded history, but also because he is viewed as the father of modern day Wakanda. He was first seen in Black Panther #1. He has also long been dead, although the circumstances of his demise are unknown.

   • Negus: The next recorded Black Panther in the line per Wakanda #2. He first appeared as a spirit in Black Panther (vol. 6) #14. Other than being identified as one of the oldest serving Black Panthers the accounts of his demise are also unrevealed.

   • Mamadou Fall: His spirit first appeared in New Avengers (vol. 3) #18. He was the Black Panther who drove the Hyena clan from Wakanda. Wakanda #2 states that he was the fourth in succession although, again, his circumstances surrounding his demise are unrecorded.

   • Nehanda: One of the few female Black Panthers. She existed during the Middle Ages. She was first seen as a spirit in Black Panther (vol. 6) #14. Her past exploits were hinted at in Mighty Thor (vol. 3) #7, King Thor #4, and Avengers (vol. 8) #61. Not much else is known about her time of this writing (December, 2022) but I suspect more will come out in later issues of the Wakanda series.

   • Turkana: Another female Black Panther who only served in the role for three months to stabilize the country and reinstall her father as king. Her spirit appeared in Shuri #10. Also not a lot known about her, I’m sure the Wakanda series will touch on her as well.

   • An unnamed Black Panther who existed in the 19th century and defended Wakanda from British colonizers. He was first seen in Black Panther (vol. 4) #1. His fate is as yet unrecorded but he is most assuredly dead by this time.

   • Chanda: A Black Panther active during World War II according to Fantastic Four Unlimited #1. Also incorrectly referred to as the “first” Black Panther. One could assume that he was the first Black Panther in modern history. That said, his existence conflicts with other stories that have yet to be sorted out.

   • Azzuri: Is also stated as being the Black Panther active during World War II who was first seen in Black Panther (vol. 4) #1 and named in Captain America/Captain America: Flags of our Fathers #1.

   • T’Chaka: T’Challa’s father, which we’ve already covered in great deal.

9. This is the first time that Zuri is depicted as being part of the ceremony of combat to prove if T’Challa is worthy of being the next Black Panther. Absent from this accounting is the involvement of S’Yan, the brother of T’Chaka who took over as king and the next Black Panther while T’Challa was too young to lead. This won’t be revealed until Black Panther (vol. 4) #2. His omission here is due to the fact that the character wasn’t created until later. Readers could assume that S’Yan is behind the scenes in this flashback.

10. Everett lost his pants in a mud wrestling competition in Black Panther (vol. 3) #2. He was given magical pants by Mephisto in issue #3. The devil givith…..

11. Ramonda’s apparent betrayal here is actually a double cross. Ramonda is merely pretending to betray T’Challa to find out what Achebe’s actually plans are. We’ll learn the truth about this in Black Panther (vol. 3) #12.

Topical References

• The TVs in this story are depicted as CRT models. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.

• When describing Zuri, Everett describes him as “kinda like George Clinton without the rhythem. A tribal Uncle Fester…” These are both topical references. To explain:

  • George Clinton was a funk musician who started his career in 1955. He is credited as being the grandfather of 90’s hip hop and G-funk. At the time of this writing (December, 2022), Clinton is 81 and probably won’t be a good descriptor for much longer.

  • Uncle Fester: One of the characters of cast of the Addams Family, which began as a series of cartoons by Charles Adams for the New Yorker magazine. The Addams Family has since been spun off into other forms of media, particularly television and movies. Uncle Fester was the resident mad scientist. He was bald and wore a black coat all the time. He was immortalized by actors Jackie Coogan in the original Addams Family TV series (1964-1966) and Christopher Lloyd in the 1991 Addams Family film and its 1993 sequel. I don’t see the resemblance, but whatever.

• While trying to figure out how to turn on the TV in the apartment, Sgt. Tork asks “Howya get Wheel of Fortune on this thing?” Wheel of Fortune is a gameshow that began in 1975 and remains on the air to this day, time of this writing. That said, this should be considered a topical reference.

• This story states that Ulysses Klaw was posing as an ivory hunter. This should be considered a topical reference as the hunt for ivory in Africa had been banned since 1989.

• When describing Mephisto, Everett refers to him as being like “Ken Starr with a subpeona.” Ken Starr was a lawyer and judge who died in 2022. What he is best known for is being independent council that investigated then President Bill Clinton. He drew particular attention for his focus on the lurid details of Clinton’s affair with staffer Monica Lewinsky. This investigation was still fresh in the minds of Americans when this comic was first published. If you want an idea of how scummy Starr was, he was part of Donald Trump’s defense team when that piece of shit was being impeached the first time. Anyway, this is a topical reference.

The Depiction of the Black Panther’s Origin in This Story

This story tells an updated version of the original origin story first told in Fantastic Four #53. Most of the differences are mostly cosmetic. The biggest one being that this is the first time that T’Chaka is depicted as a Black Panther during this battle. In most past accounts, such as Avengers #87, T’Chaka is not depicted wearing the Black Panther garb during the fight. Added to the fight is Zuri as well, who prior to Black Panther (vol. 3) #1, had not been mentioned before. In earlier tales Wakandans were depicted wearing tribal clothing that is based on the stereotype perpetuated by jungle adventure films that were popular in the 1950s and 60s. In this new depiction, the Wakandans are depicted in a mix of traditional African clothing and more contemporary western outfits. These versions of events were told to the Fantastic Four and the Avengers by T’Challa himself. However, per Black Panther (vol. 3) #8, this was during a period where he did not trust the outside world and he joined the Avengers in order to spy on them. So it could be assumed that he was telling them a version of events that was mostly true but kept salient facts out.

This version of the story expanded on Ulysses Klaw’s backstory a bit. Here, it is stated that he tricked T’Chaka and his people into thinking they were ivory hunters. Whereas the original story, Klaw was going after Vibranium without any pretenses or deception. The ivory hunting cover story should now be considered topical as the practice has been banned since 1989. It was possible that the flashback took place prior to that date when this story was first published, however due to the Sliding Timescale pushing the Modern Age forward in time, this becomes less likely if not impossible to be true now. That said, this is a version of events presented by Mephisto. One could assume that it is different from the later accounts below because this is how Mephisto choses to depict events. Creating false memories and tricking people into believing them to be true is something he has done in the past, notably in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #22-25.

An alternate origin told in Black Panther (vol. 4) #3 states that Klaw was an assassin who attacked T’Chaka and his family while they were attending a Bilderberg meeting in Switzerland. In this accounting, T’Chaka was killed there and that he was the one who severed Ulysses’ hand. This story has since been refuted by other origins told that lean more toward the original origins of these characters. An explanation for this aberration has yet to be provided. My theory is that this version of events was made up by Klaw (since he’s the one telling it) to oversell his credentials.

A Marvel Legacy primer for the Black Panther featured in Black Panther #166 tells a truncated version of the original origin story. It distills everything down to the basics you could pigeon hole it with literally any origin except for the told by Klaw in the example above.

In Rise of the Black Panther #1, Klaw isn’t a hunter at all, but in league with Hydra. In this version of events, Klaw just shows up with his army. The battle is much short, but I think this is more for narrative pacing than anything else. Additionally, in this version of events the massive sonic cannon that T’Challa has used in prior stories is replaced by a hand-held one wielded by Klaw. In this version of events, the weapon falls into T’Challa’s hand after Zuri impales Klaw through the forearm with his spear. This injury makes it easier for T’Challa to blast Klaw’s hand clean off with the sonic weapon. This account is taken from the diary of Ramonda, and one could assume that this is how she remembers events occurring.

Black Panther Legends #1 tells the story slightly differently. In this version of events, Klaw and his associates are posing as delegates from the United Nations and have a meeting with T’Chaka. In this version of events, when T’Chaka refuses to mine Vibranium, Klaw and his men pull their weapons. In this version of events, Zuri chops off Klaw’s hand holding his sonic weapon (now condensed to a wrist mounted blaster instead of a gun). T’Challa then picks it up and uses it to blast Ulysses out of the office they are meeting in. This version features no invasion of Wakanda or clash with its people. It’s a sneak attack. This is the first time that this story was told in the third person, and perhaps it is one that is the most accurate as a result, at least for the time being.