Black Panther (vol. 4) #35

Back to Africa, Part 1

Credits

Off the coast of Wakanda, a small boat makes its way toward American Naval ships that have been practicing war games for weeks. On board is Shuri, sister to the Black Panther (T’Challa), and her two bodguards. They have come out at the instence of G’Mal, who thinks Shuri should be in charge while her brother is away.[1] When they arrive, Shuri tells them that she is the only one with proper training to not get caught. She decides to go alone, telling the two guards to get help if she’s not back in an hour. Shrui then silently scales up the side of the aircraft carrier and slips past the sentries. Looking through a skylight, she sees the commanding officer going through somebody’s papers. He says that they are in the proper order and they will drop this man off on the shore before leaving. When Shuri sees who it is, she is shocked.

Meanwhile, Shuri’s disappearance has already gotten back to T’Challa and he is now racing home. Along the way he wants an update on the search, the new plans for the Wakandan Embassy, and them to figure out who killed Captain America. When he is told that was a tall order, T’Challa isn’t in the mood for excuses saying he was just on an alien world, just fought the Hulk, and had to bury a friend.[2] He then gets a call from his step-mother Queen Ramonda. She expresses her concerns about Shuri, the fact that he doesn’t call, and that she has suspicions about the ruling council. When he asks her to elaborate on that last point, she says she cannot trust their channel isn’t being monitored and tells him to speak with her in person.[3]

When T’Challa finally arrives in Wakanda, he finds only one of Shrui’s security detail waiting for him. He asks where Shuri is and he tells the King that she went out to investigate the US Naval ships off their shores. While she was there, she was captured by one of his foes. When he asks which one, he is told that it is the only man he has never been able to defeat.[4]

At that moment, in neighboring Niganda, two children are scavaging for food and water when they are attacked by a mutant alligator that can talk.[5] However, before the beast can snack on them, its head is pulped with a single shot fired. The children turn to see who their savior is and he introduces himself to them, his name is Erik Killmonger.

Meanwhile, Shuri and G’Mal have been captured and are now locked up in a dungeon. Chained to the wall, Shuri tries to find a weak link in the chain in order to break free. No matter how hard she pulls, she can’t get loose. Giving up for the moment, Shuri sits down next to G’Mal. He tells her that he has fallen in love with her and wishes to be in a romantic relationship with her even though he is nothing more than a commoner in Wakandan society. When he makes a move to kiss her, Shuri pulls away, telling him that now is not the time as they are probably being watched. When Shuri turns away from G’Mal, the expression on his face turns into one of seething hatred and murder.[6]

At the same time, T’Challa has no choice but to contact Iron Man (Tony Stark) and as for his help in finding out who returned Killmonger to Africa and why. Stark admits that this is out of his purview, but agrees to help however he can.

Simultaneously, Killmonger has traveled to a Nigandan village and begins rallying the people there. He tells them that he will lead them into the current century and modernize Niganda. When soldiers come and order Killmonger to drop his massive gun. He complies, but then quickly draw a smaller pistol and shoots two of the soldiers in the head. He then offers the last survivor to either join his army or die. Unsurprisingly, the soldier bows to Killmonger. When he asks the villagers who else is with him, they all begin to cheer.

This situation quickly gets back to Wakanda and the Black Panther decides to deal with Killmonger alone. W’Kabi expresses his concerns, since he feels that T’Challa is too close to this to the point that he is considering using guns to deal with his old foe. That’s when Stark calls back. He tells him that the people backing Killmonger can’t reign him in and have decided to clean up the matter themselves. To deal with Erik, they have sent Monica Rambeau in order to avoid another international incident.[7]

Meanwhile, Killmonger and his followers have taken over a government building. The people are shocked by how comfortable their leaders lived while everyone else was in poverty. Killmonger assures them that this is all going to change. He promises them that he uses science to harness power that was only believed in superstitions. He promises that their lives will never be the same again. That’s when Monica Rambeau arrives. However, when she tries charging at him in her light form, she stricks an invisible forcefield that stops her dead in her tracks.

He then contacts T’Challa in Wakanda to tell him that he is treating Shuri well. He also tells him not to worry as with Monica as his prisoner, Shuri will have someone to keep her company.

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, Erik Killmonger, Shuri, “G’Mal”, Taku, W’Kabi, Ramonda, Monica Rambeau, Iron Man

Continuity Notes

1. The United States moved Navy battleships off the coast of Wakanda after T’Challa fought against the Super Human Registration Act, as seen in Black Panther (vol. 4) #21-25.

2. This huge exposition dump gives the reader a frame of where this story takes place in the greater continuity of the Prime Marvel Universe at the time. The details:

   • The Wakandan Embassy was destroyed during Civil War. See Black Panther (vol. 4) #24-25.

   • T’Challa states that he has been on an alien world. That’s putting it lightly. The Panther had just completed a brief stint as leader of the Fantastic Four, which took him into space, the Marvel Zombieverse, and the Skrull planet of Kral IV. See Fantastic Four #544-550 and Black Panther (vol. 4) #26-34.

   • Captain America had just recently been killed by an assassin’s bullet in Captain America (vol. 5) #25. The shooter turns out to be a mind controlled Sharon Carter, as revealed in issue #32 of that series. Cap’s death won’t last long, as he will be resurrected in Captain America: Reborn #1-5.

   • He also talks about fighting the Hulk. This story follows the events of World War Hulk. Around the time of this story, the Hulk had been on a lengthy exile from Earth from Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #91 to 105. He had just recently came back for revenge in a story primarily told in World War Hulk #1-5.

   • Captain America’s funeral was held in Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America - Iron Man #1.

   • It’s also mentioned here that Storm is not by his side for the first time since they’ve been married in Black Panther (vol. 4) #18. This is because Storm is involved in trying to rescue the first mutant child born after M-Day. See X-Men: Messiah Complex #1, Uncanny X-Men #492-494, X-Factor (vol. 3) #25-27, New X-Men (vol. 2) #44-46, and X-Men (vol. 2) #205-207.

3. Here, T’Challa makes emphasis on the fact that Shuri is Ramonda’s daughter. This is because Ramonda is not T’Challa’s biological mother. Per the Black Panther entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2, his mother was N’Yami. As explained in Black Panther (vol. 3) #1, N’Yami died giving birth to T’Challa. Shortly thereafter his father, T’Chaka, fell in love with and married Ramonda.

4. This is a clue that Erik Killmonger is the villain in question. However, saying that T’Challa has never beaten him is not correct. T’Challa defeated Killmonger once before, as seen in Jungle Action (vol. 2) #17.

5. This mutant alligator is the product of a scientist named Erich Paine. See X-Men (vol. 2) #175-176 and Black Panther (vol. 4) #8-9.

6. This is a clue that G’Mal has been possessed by the Cannibal, a body thief who was hired by Ulysses Klaw during an invasion of Wakanda in Black Panther (vol. 4) #1-5. Although Klaw failed, the Cannibal has remained in Wakanda hopping bodies to complete the assassination. He jumped into G’Mal’s body during T’Challa and Storm’s wedding. This will be revealed in Black Panther (vol. 3) #38.

7. Tony mentions all the various codenames Monica has gone under over the years. This is because people keep stealing her names. She originally started calling herself Captain Marvel in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16, because the name wasn’t being used at the time. When the original Captain Marvel’s son took issue with Monica using that name, she changed it to Photon in Avengers Unplugged #5, Genis started calling himself Captain Marvel shortly thereafter. Genis then took her name a second time, when he started calling himself Photon in New Thunderbolts #6. This led to Monica taking the name Pulsar in issue #9 of that series. Currently, Monica has dropped codenames all together starting in Nextwave #1.

Topical References

• Among the many things that Killmonger promises the people of Niganda, he offers them free wireless internet. While this is actually quite common now, internet service back in the 2000s, particularly internet transmitted to cellphones was metered and sustained use was cost prohibitive. At any rate, since this is a modern technology and it could change to something better in the future makes this a topical reference.