Ascension, Part 2

In order to take down the 66 Bridges Gang and rescue Max Anthony, Kevin “Kasper” Cole realizes that he needs to be more than just a guy in a Black Panther suit.[1] He has to become the Black Panther. This will require him to undergo the Right of Ascension which will earn him the right to consume the heart-shaped herb that gave all past Black Panthers their enhanced abilities.[2]

He has to undergo the proper training and so T’Challa sends his chief combat trainer. Despite her heavy weight, this unthreatening looking woman with an infant sleeping on her back is a fierce warrior that catches Kasper completely off guard. During the fight, she expresses her dislike of Cole, something he can’t understand since she is speaking in what he thinks is Swahili. When he tries to grab her spear, he is jolted because it is electrified. She then throws him out the nearest window. This sends Kevin falling onto the hood of a taxi cab. The combat officer leaps out after him and the two begin fighting on the street. To bystanders, it looks like Cole is attacking an innocent woman and her baby and try to intervene. Surprisingly, the woman begins speaking English and pleading to take her money and leave her be. While Kasper is busy fighting off the men coming to her aid, Okoye pulls up in a royal limo. Both Kevin and the Chief enter the vehicle to escape. Kasper figures that he is being run through the meat grinder to convince him to swear off the ritual. However, he refuses to give up as he wants to save Max and avenge the death of his friend, Francis Tork.[3] Seeing Okoye again reminds Kasper how he has fallen in love with her even though she hates his guts.[4]

When they arrive at the Wakandan Embassy, Kevin meets with Omoro, the head of security. When inviting Kasper in, Omoro is surprised to see how light skinned Cole is.[5] He outlines the trail-by-combat part of the ascension, something that Omoro is convinced Kasper will loose. However, in order to get there he must meet with the Wakandan Tribal Council where he will be quizzed on Wakandan history. To that end, he has gathered a stack of books on the history of Wakanda for Kasper to study.[6]

Meanwhile, in Wakanda, the scientists that have been monitoring Erik Killmonger since he collapsed from eating the heat-shaped herb are shocked when his brain finally starts showing activity.[7] Moments later, Killmonger wakes up with a ringing headache from the alarms. Fearing for their lives, the scientists turn them off and beg that he spare their lives. Erik says he won’t because he is the Chieftan of the Panther Tribe and asks them to get home some headache medication. Hours later, Kasper has fallen asleep while reading. He is woken up by Omoro who says that there is a guest to see him, and suggests that he put on his Black Panther costume before doing so. The visitor turns out to be Triage (Nigel Blanque), the leader of the 66 Bridges Gang. Triage is there because he knows that the Panther is trying to locate and return Max Anthony to his father. As he is a businessman, Nigel wants to know how much of the Panther’s soul he is willing to sell to get the boy back. When Kasper pulls his gun, Triage is convinced that there is room to negotiate and says he’ll be in touch and leaves.

Moments later, T’Challa enters the room and tells Kasper that the Wakandan tribal council will not be seeing him due to matters of the state and won’t be able to hear his petition to become chieftain of the Panther Clan. Kevin explains that he doesn’t want to be chieftain, he just wants T’Challa’s respect. The King responds by offering Kasper one of his energy daggers and a Kimoyo Card, which should be all the equipment he will need to take down the 66 Bridges Gang. Cole respectfully disagrees, saying that he needs the heart-shaped herb and the powers that it provides. T’Challa warns him that the herb will likely kill him. This doesn’t detour Kasper, who insists that he will do whatever is asked of him to earn the right. When T’Challa is reinded that he promised to honor this deal, he has no choice but to comply.

T’Challa brings Kasper to the Great Hall and is told to wait for the council to come to him. Before leaving, T’Challa gives him one more chance to swear off this mission. Kevin ends up waiting for over six hours and decides they aren’t showing up. However, as he is about to leave, the council appears before him via a holographic projection. They already think he is a heretic and blasphemer and catching him about to leave has got things off to an awful start. When Kevin demands that he be allowed to undergo the ritual, they decide to accept his request. However, they decide that the two components: His knowledge on Wakandan history and the trial-by-combat, will be done at the same time. Kasper is then ambushed by two embassy guards decked out in high-tech armor and spears. As he fights back against these foes, the Tribal Council quizzes him.

Kasper is able to answer these questions by doing name associations in his mind. As he correctly answers the questions, his Kimoyo Card learns him to the weakness in the armor of his opponents. Using the claws built into his Panther suit, and slashes at the power pack on the back of one of his attackers. In incapacitating the other with energy daggers he also damages the holographic projector.[8] The next part of Kasper’s challenge comes from Okoye of the Dora Milaje, who hates Cole with a passion. The two fight to a stand-still with Kasper pressing his gun into her forehead. However, rather than fight, he gives into his lust for her. He pulls up his mask and kisses her on the lips. Since this is forbidden as the Dora Milaje are betrothed to the King of Wakanda, Okoye stops fighting and walks off in shame.[9]

This angers the Tribal Council, which confuses Kasper because someone was feeding him intel through his Kimoyo Card. That’s when the person feeding him intel speaks up for the first time via the Card. It is Erik Killmonger, who tells Kasper that — as the current Chieftain of the Panther Clan — it is his duty to kill Cole![10]

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, T’Challa, Okoye, Erik Killmonger, 66 Bridges (Triage)

Continuity Notes

1. Kasper Cole has been trying to shut down the 66 Bridges and expose how they are corrupting the police. To this end, he has blackmailed Sal Anthony, a dirty cop, to help him in exchange for rescuing his son. See Black Panther (vol. 3) #50-56. He made an attempt to rescue the boy last issue.

2. As per Avengers #87, a prospective Black Panther must defeat Wakanda’s greatest warriors in unarmed combat. If they succeed, then they would earn the right to eat the heart-shaped herb. This is typically someone who is part of the Wakandan royal lineage and usually only one person is selected to be the Panther at one time, however, unlike rigid nerd boys on the internet would like you to think, the rules can be bent, clearly.

3. Sergeant Francis Tork was seemingly murdered by the 66 Bridges gang following the events of Black Panther (vol. 3) #54. However, Tork’s death was faked by T’Challa in order to test Kasper as we’ll learn in issue #62.

4. Kasper first met Okoye in Black Panther (vol. 3) #52. She reminds him of his high school girlfriend, Grace. Okoye hates Kasper because she believes he has no right to wear the religious garb of the Black Panther.

5. Kasper is of mixed race as his father was Black and his mother was Jewish. This is clear in Black Panther (vol. 3) #50, but the fact that his mother is Jewish wasn’t clearly identified until issue #55.

6. Omoro mentions the House of Akash and T’Lengua. Of all the world building Marvel has done for Wakanda over the years these two aspects have yet to be explored or detailed in any way, time of this writing (Jan, 2024).

7. Erik Killmonger has been in a coma after defeating T’Challa in battle and earning the right to eat the heart-shaped herbs. See Black Panther (vol. 3) #13-20 for the details.

8. Kasper is able to recite some interesting facts about Wakandan history. The details are:

   • G’Bundo, who developed the philosophical treatise titled “The Fifth Law”. It was a doctrine of tolerance between the tribes. Wakanda #5 expands on this further, clarifying that this happened at some point prior to World War II.

   • He also mentions “The Great Understanding” of Assiri the Wise, which led to the creation of the Tribal Council. This may be a spelling error, and if so, they are actually referring to Aziri the Wise. His birth name was T’Chanda and he first appeared in Fantastic Four Unlimited #1. Although he was first identified as Azuri in Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of our Fathers #1, the connection between these two names was properly connected in Wakanda #5. Azuri is the Black Panther who was active during World War II.

   • Lastly, he mentions the clerical distinctions of the Panther Cult. They are:

     • The White Tiger, which is unrelated to any character who has appeared in a Marvel book prior to this issue. In fact, the first Wakandan White Tiger we’ll meet will by Kasper himself in Black Panther (vol. 3) #62.

     • The Golden Lion has only ever been referenced here (time of this writing), and as such there isn’t anything else known about this title.

     • The Coal Tiger, which Cole refers to as the one of the “original Blues Brothers”. This is a reference to the fact that when Jack Kirby first designed the character who would be the Black Panther, he originally intended the character to be called the Coal Tiger. This original concept art was first published in Jungle Action (vol. 2) #10. An alternate reality version (Reality-355) of T’Challa in this identity was in Avengers #355. In a future timeline (Reality-982), T’Challa sires a son (T’Chaka the 2nd) who takes on the Coal Tiger identity, as seen in A-Next #4. However, we have yet to see an Earth-616 Coal Tiger, time of this writing.

9. Per Black Panther (vol. 3) #1, the Dora Milaje (aka “The Adored Ones”) are women from the various tribes of Wakanda. Traditionally they are brides-in-waiting for the king, but the role has become more of a ceremonial formality in more recent times. The Dora Milaje now operate as bodyguards to the King. Despite the modernization of this role, the women are still supposed to remain chaste. Being DTF with anyone but the King leads to shaming of the tribe, exile, and likely death.

10. Erik Killmonger states here that he grew up in Harlem. Originally born N’Jadaka, Killmonger was kidnapped and taken from Wakanda by Ulysses Klaw following the murder of King T’Chaka (circa Fantastic Four #53). Displaced from his home land, he ended up in Harlem where he reinvented himself as Erik Killmonger. See Jungle Action (vol. 2) #7-8, 12, and 16 for the original (and fragmented) version of that tale. It should be noted that Killmonger is depicted with a leopard here. His original pet, Preyy, was killed in Black Panther (vol. 3) #24. Per the Marvel Pets Handbook #1, this animal is a replacement of the same name.

Topical References

• Kasper notices that some of the speakers in the Wakandan Embassy are made by Bang & Olufsen. This should be considered topical as this is a real world brand.

• When Killmonger wakes up from his coma he asks if anyone has any Excedrin. This is another real world brand, you know what to do.

• Triage speaks in slang that was popular when this comic was published in 2003. As much of these phrases are now considered dated, their use should be considered topical.

• When the Wakandan Tribal Council finally show up, Kasper quips that if they were working for Domino’s, he’d be entitled to a free pizza. Domino’s is (obviously) a pizza franchise that exists in the real world. From 1973 to 1983, Domino’s guaranteed delivery within a half hour or your pizza was free. This should be considered topical because only someone who was alive back then would know this and Domino’s is a real world brand.

• When attacked by embassy guards, he thinks to himself how he thought they’d be wearing “Tarzan diapers”. Tarzan is a character that was created by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs who debuted in the story Tarzan of the Apes, originally published in 1912. Tarzan was an orphaned child who was raised in the wild by apes. In virtually all of his depictions, Tarzan is known to wear simply a loincloth covering his junk and not much else. The first original stories about the character have entered into the public domain and have long since been considered classic literature. The reference would not be topical.

• Kasper makes a number of topical references during his Q-&-A-Life-or-Death Battle. They are:

  • Actor/Comedians Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker

  • The Blues Brothers started off as a sketch on the long running comedy variety show Saturday Night Live in 1978. They were two jazz musician brothers Jake and Elwood Blues (played by comedians Dan Akroyd and John Belushi). The sketch was adapted into a film in 1980 and a forgettable sequel in 2000.

  • Rappers Tu Pac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.