Black Panther (vol. 4) #40

November 30, 2023 Nick Peron

See Wakanda and Die, Part 2

Secret Invasion continues from She-Hulk (vol. 2) #32…

Earlier

The Skrulls have invaded the planet Earth.[1] A group led by Commander K’vvvr have come to Wakanda to conquer it. However, the Wakandans and their leader, the Black Panther (T’Challa) had already sniffed out many of the spies that were sent to infiltrate their society.[2] As a result, they were able to incapacitate the invaders ships and guns, forcing them to fight hand-to-hand on the ground.

Before the battle began, T’Challa prayed to the Panther God to guide him through the coming conflict. He then went out to address his troops, many of whom were dressed in Black Panther armor to confuse the invaders. He reminds the assembled warriors that Wakanda has historically repelled all invaders and the bones of their dead in the fields of battle are a stark reminder to future generations. He tells them that it their generation’s turn to defend their home and tells them how the children of the future will find the bones of the defeated Skrulls.[3]

Now

The battle has begun and due to the superior numbers of the Skrulls, there have been Wakandan casualties. Even though he is in the thick of battle, T’Challa knows each and every one of the fallen and who they are leaving behind. However, he does not allow himself to feel any sorrow yet because there is too much at stake. More specifically, T’Challa is in the midst of a battle with a Super-Skrull who has been trained to deal with him specifically. This Skrull has been given the powers of Wolverine, Luke Cage, Bullseye, and Iron Fist, apparently the ideal combination of powers to deal with the Black Panther. However, T’Challa has studied Skrulls over the years and know the weak points in their body that work regardless of the form they take.[4]

Seeing their King in danger, two warriors come to his aid, despite his warnings to keep back. They are no match for the Super-Skrull, who slaughters them instantly. It promises that T’Challa’s demise won’t be as swift. He then uses his Bullseye abilities to throw two ribs he ripped out of the body of one of his victims. The Panther stands his ground and is quick enough to snatch the grisly projectiles out of the air. He then lays them next to the dead body of their owner before charging back into the fight. As the two brawl, T’Challa takes note of the fighting styles of Moon Knight, Shang-Chi, Captain America, Daredevil, Elektra and himself have also been imprinted on this Skrull, making him a formidable combatant. T’Challa maintains an even ground with his foe waiting for the moment where he gives away a weakness. Sure enough, his patience pays off. While they are sparring, T’Challa is struck in the face with the Skrull’s fist that utilized Iron Fist’s trademark move. However, since he was using someone else’s skill set, the iron fist was not employed. This makes the Panther realize that this Skrull can only use one of his powers at a time.

To exploit this, the Black Panther allows the Super-Skrull to grab him by the throat. Falling for the trap, he activates his Iron Fist powers in order to land a killing blow. This disables his Luke Cage powers, making his skin vulnerable. T’Challa seizes on this and breaks the Skrull’s arm. The Skrull then tries to strike the Panther with the crestent boomerangs of Moon Knight. T’Challa evades these by leaping over his opponent, slashing out his eyes as he passes. The Skrull gives in to rage at this point and charges in the direction of his foe. The Panther sidesteps and kicks the Skrull in the knee hard enough to shatter the bones. Defeated, the Super-Skrull pleads to T’Challa to end his life. However, the Black Panther has no interest in giving his opponent and honorable death. He tells the Skrull that he can either lay there and die, or go back to his people and tell them that this is what happens when they try to invade Wakanda.

That’s when two more Super-Skrulls appear, who have also equally been trained to deal with the Black Panther. One has the powers of the Juggernaut, the Hulk, and the Thing, while the other employs the power of Thor, Beta Ray Bill, and Loki. Assessing this escalated threat, T’Challa realizes that he is going to need his sword.

Meanwhile, Storm (Ororo Monroe, T’Challa’s wife) and one of the Dora Milaje have left the field of battle. This is because they are to carry out the second part of her husband’s plans to repel the invaders. Their mission is to sneak inside the Skrull leadership, in the hopes that its destruction will throw the Skrull army into chaos. When the female warrior questions this plan, Ororo assures her that her husband has thought of everything, reminding her that he was able to root out all the Skrull spies. That’s when the Dora Milaje warrior pulls a out a dagger and puts it to Storm’s throat. Shen drops her disguise, revealing that there are still some Skrull spies in their midst.

A short time later, the Black Panther has recovered his Ebony Blade and is using it against the two Super-Skrulls that have come to face him. However, the battle is interrupted by Commander K’vvvr, the commanding officer of the Skrull invaders. He shows T’Challa that they have his wife prisoner. He orders the Panther to surrender or Storm will be put to death. The Panther orders all of his warriors to return to the city and let him deal with this alone. When the Super-Skrull with Asgardian powers comes to mock him, T’Challa decapitates the warrior with his sword. That’s when one of his soldiers zaps him with a taser. As he collapses to the ground, the Black Panther watches in horror as all the surviving warriors in his army revert back to their Skrull forms.

… Secret Invasion continues in New Avengers #44.

Recurring Characters

Black Panther, Storm, Skrulls (K’vvvr)

Continuity Notes

The Skrulls have infiltrated Earth for months, seeking to conquer the planet and just sprung their invasion. This is primarily told in the pages of Secret Invasion #1-8 and various crossover issues and limited series. See below for a full listing and read order.
We discovered one of these Skrull spies as seen in issue #38. He was posing as Brother Voodoo. Most of the other spies were quickly found and had their heads put on pikes, as we saw last issue.
We have seen Wakanda has fended off invaders for centuries back in Black Panther (vol. 4) #1.
T’Challa has stated that he has studied the Skrulls over the years. This is likely due to his association with the Fantastic Four (who first fought the Skrulls in Fantastic Four #2 and met T’Challa in Fantastic Four #52) and his membership in the Avengers (since Avengers
#52). Time of this writing (Feb, 2024), his first recorded battle with a Skrull was the Super-Skrull of Counter-Earth in Fantastic Four (vol. 2) #4-6 (of all places). He states he spent time with them recently. This was during an impromptu trip to the Skrull home world of Reality-2149 and the Reality-616 Skrull Colony of Kral-IV in Black Panther (vol. 4) #27-34.

Secret Invasion Reading Order