Black Panther (vol. 4) #20
World Tour, Part 2: Fly me to the Moon
The Black Panther (T’Challa) is in a sparring match with his sister, Shuri. When he compliments her moves, she takes it as being condescending and allows her anger to get the better of her. This leaves her open to being taken down by her brother, much to her chagrin. They are then interrupted by an aide who tells the Panther that he has a call from Black Bolt, the ruler of the Inhumans on the moon. T’Challa takes the call immediately.
With Black Bolt’s wife, Medusa, acting as his interpreter he learns that the King of the Inhumans wishes to speak with him both about a years ago meeting as well as recent developments of great import.[1] Medusa then apologizes to T’Challa’s new bride, Storm (Ororo Monroe) as she knows how royal duties can impact a new relationship.[2] Storm accepts the apology, but when offered a chance to stay in Wakanda, Storm wants to go along even though space travel makes her feel incredibly uncomfortable.[3]
The idea of the King and Queen of Wakanda going to the Moon alone gives W’Kabi a great amount of stress, particularly after their recent clash with Doctor Doom in Latveria.[4] However, T’Challa insists that this visit is necessary to make sure the Inhumans don’t turn against Wakanda should the superhero civil war in America spreads beyond its shores.[5] Using a Wakandan made space shuttle to get to the moon, Storm recalls how the Uatu the Watcher also lives on the moon as well. They recount that Uatu appeared during their wedding but they have yet to know what he had come to observe. However, T’Challa learned that the Watcher was seen smiling once the wedding ceremony was complete.[6]
They soon land in the Blue Area of the Moon, a section that has a breathable atmosphere where the Inhuman city of Attilan is located.[7] There they are greeted by Triton of the Inhuman Royal Family who escorts them to see Black Bolt. In audience for this meeting are Queen Medusa, and royal family members Gorgon and Karnak. Speaking for her husband, Medusa explains that the Inhumans have declared war on humanity because Quicksilver — the ex-husband of Crystal, Medusa’s sister — had stolen a supply of Terrigen Crystals in a foolish attempt to restore Earth’s de-powered mutant population. As a result, these have ended up in the hands of the American government. The Inhumans view this as a threat to their security, and recounting these events deeply upset both Gorgon and Karnak. When T’Challa asks if Black Bolt agrees with their sentiments, the King of the Inhumans silently nods in agreement. When the Panther then asks why he was summoned, that’s when Crystal emerges from behind the curtains and says that this audience was at her insistence. IT was her ex-husband who was responsible for the Terrigen Crystals getting leaving Attilan and she believes that the Panther has more credibility than most humans. Gorgon disagrees as T’Challa is married to a mutant, just like Crystal’s former husband, Quicksilver. Medusa scolds him for speaking out of line. Now with all the facts, T’Challa asks the Inhumans to give him time to explore the situation for a diplomatic solution. He promises to get back to them and advise them on how to act against the Americans.[8]
To lighten the tensions, a huge banquet is held in honor of the Black Panther and Storm. As they sit down to their meal, T’Challa begins asking about how the Inhumans came to be on the moon, noting that the Blue Area of the Moon shows signs of a civilization that lived there well before the Inhumans did.[9] When he then asks if they Inhumans have explored these ruins, Karnak speaks up and says that is classified information. This leads to a tense moment among the Inhumans until Black Bolt becomes angry and storms out of the room. Crystal apologizes for the outburst, saying that Black Bolt’s inability to talk sometimes causes his orders to be interpreted differently than the intention. As Crystal is explaining this, Black Bolt heads to a underground vault where the Alpha Primatives are kept. Meanwhile, it is Karnak’s turn to get angry, accusing the Black Panther of insulting their king.
When he challenges T’Challa to a fight and shows off his ability to find the flaws by chopping the dining table in half with a single blow. However, the Black Panther proves that he is faster than Karnak’s ability to strike and knees him in the face. When Gorgon steps in to avenge his cousin, Storm incapacitates him with a jolt of lightning. Thinking that Ororo is trying to kill her cousin, Crystal summons a whirlwind to try and stop her, prompting T’Challa grab her in a headlock in an effort to stop anyone else from getting harmed. Medusa pulls T’Challa away and demands to know what’s going on. When Gorgon tries to claim that the Panther started the fight, Medusa is unconvinced given what Black Bolt just found. When she turns to T’Challa and Ororo, she discovers that the couple sneaked out while they weren’t looking.
By this time, the Panther and Storm have put back on their space suits and are making their way back to their trip. When Ororo asks why they didn’t stay behind, T’Challa had enough after being attacked three times within 15 minutes. That’s when Gorgon and Karnak catch up with them. T’Challa tells his wife to get back to the ship (since her mutant weather powers don’t work outside the Blue Area’s atmosphere) while he deals with the two Inhumans. However, the fight doesn’t last very long as Black Bolt soon arrives on the scene and he is thoroughly pissed off. When everyone returns to the palace, it’s revealed that Black Bolt uncovered the fact that Gorgon and Karnak were secretly using Alpha Primitives for menial labor, something that was outlawed years ago.[10]
Gorgon refuses to take responsibility and insists that he is only following Inhuman customs. This prompts Medusa to seek private council with T’Challa. They leave Storm with Black Bolt while they talk. On the way back to Earth, Ororo asks her husband what Medusa had asked, noting it was odd. T’Challa agrees, but tells her that Medusa wanted to as the Panther to construct a room made out of Vibranium in the hopes that its sound absorbing properties will allowing Black Bolt to finally be able to talk without destroying everything around him. T’Challa agreed to try, but tells his wife that if he does succeed he’ll send a messenger next time.
Recurring Characters
Black Panther, Storm, Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal), Shuri, S’Yan, W’Kabi
Continuity Notes
This meeting they are talking about was the formation of the secret group known as the Illuminati. It was a group of prominent superheroes who banded together in secret following the Kree/Skrull War as part of an attempt to pre-emptively deal with threats. The Black Panther and Black Bolt were both invited to join. While the Inhuman leader agreed to join, T’Challa did not. See New Avengers: Illuminati #1. The “recent developments” he mentions here will be covered below when we get to it, hold your horses.
The Black Panther and Storm have just recently been married in Black Panther (vol. 4) #18. Meanwhile, Black Bolt and Medusa have been married for years at this point, having tied the knot in Fantastic Four Annual #18. I guess it should also be mentioned here that Black Bolt cannot talk due to his powers making his vocal chords highly destructive, a fact we first learned in Fantastic Four #59.
Storm’s discomfort with space travel was first seen in X-Men #99. Issue #102 of that series explains that this was because she suffers from claustrophobia. This fear stems from being buried alive as a child in an incident that also claimed the lives of her parents.
T’Challa and Ororo went to Latveria last issue.
This story is occurring around when the Super Human Registration Act was put into force in the United States following the Stamford Disaster. This required all superhumans in America to register with the government. This led to a war between those who support the new law (led by Iron Man) and those who are against it (led by Captain America) see Civil War #1-7. T’Challa will be dragged into this conflict in Black Panther (vol. 4) #22-25.
The Watchers are sworn to observe matters of cosmic significance and Uatu was selected to watch over Earth and the surrounding part of the universe, as explained in Tales of Suspense #53. That he lives on the moon was discovered in modern times by the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #13. Storm learned about Uatu’s home here during a mission with the X-Men in X-Men #137.
The Blue Area of the Moon has a breathable atmosphere because it was once the place of a test run by the Skrulls to see if they would accept either the Kree or the Cotati into their empire. Things didn’t go very well. See Avengers #133 for deets. Here, Triton complains about living on the Moon, saying it is worse than when they lived in the Himalayan Mountains. Per What If? #29, Attilan was originally in the middle of the Atlantic and was relocated to the Himalayas once the human race became technologically advanced enough to potentially discover the Inhumans. We’ll get to how they ended up on the moon in a minute, read on!
There is a lot to unpack here so lets break it down:
The Inhumans are an offshoot of humanity who was genetically modified by the Kree. Once exposed to the Terrigen Mists, Inhumans are endowed with unique superhuman abilities. This was all detailed in Thor #146-147.
Quicksilver is referred to here as a mutant, which was what was believed at the time. However, it’s later revealed in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 2) #4-5 that Quicksilver was never a mutant to begin with. He was experimented upon by the High Evolutionary when he was just a baby. In order to cover up his work, the Evolutionary made it so genetic scans of Pietro would make him register as a mutant.
Quicksilver and Crystal had been in a rocky marriage for years, starting in Fantastic Four #150.
Prior to this story, the vast majority of mutants on Earth had their powers stripped away by Quicksilver’s sister, the Scarlet Witch, as seen in House of M #1-8, driving the mutant race to the brink of extinction. This will remain the status quo until the mutant gene is jumpstarted again in Avengers vs. X-Men #12.
In the interim, Quicksilver stole some of the crystals to procure the Terrigen Mists from the Inhumans in the hopes that it would restore the lost powers of mutants. However, it had horrifying effects as the mists are toxic to those with the mutant gene as we learned Son of M #1-6. They were then sold by the military, leading to the cold war between the Inhumans and America and the annulment of his marriage to Crystal.
Despite the Black Panther’s assurances, the Inhumans will eventually strike back against the United States and recover what was stolen from them, as will be depicted in Silent War #1-6.
This is actually the second time the Inhumans have lived on the Moon. The first time was in Fantastic Four #240, when pollution created by the humans threatened their lives (a weakness that was first revealed in issue #105 of that series). This was a stop-gap measure until the could establish immunity. Attilan was returned to the Atlantic in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1. The Inhumans eventually returned to the Moon following the events of Fantastic Four (vol. 3) #54.
The Alpha Primitives were genetically engineered slave labor created by the Inhumans centuries earlier. This was explained in some detail in the Alpha Primitives profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1. The AP’s were supposedly freed in Fantastic Four #150, however due to their genetic disposition and Inhumans holding onto regressive traditions (such as Gorgon and Karnak in this story) the Alphas are still often treated as slaves.
Topical References
When commenting on Karnak’s powers, he quotes Bruce Lee by saying “boards don’t hit back”. This was a line from Enter the Dragon, a kung fu film released 1973. It is considered an iconic film for the lead actor, martial arts expert Bruce Lee, particularly since it was released one month after his death. This wouldn’t be considered a topical reference since changing the pop-culture reference to a more contemporary example would change the point of the joke. One could argue that since Enter the Dragon is considered a cult classic film, it wouldn’t be subject to the usual topical reference rules either.