Black Panther (vol. 4) #9
Wild Kingdom, Part 4: Jungle Boogie
This story continues from X-Men (vol. 2) #176…
In the destabilized nation of Niganda, the Black Panther (T’Challa) and the X-Men (Havok, Iceman, Polaris, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, and Gambit) are investigating reports of mutated animals that have surfaced among all the political unrest.[1] To try and quell the anarchy in the streets, Storm (Ororo Monroe) has reassumed her former role as a goddess to the African people.[2] However, this has backfired when worshipers turn on a man who points out that Ororo isn’t a goddess, but a mutant from America. Those who believe that she is a goddess immediately brand the man a blasphemer and stone him to death.
In an underground facility, the X-Men are continuing their hunt for Erich Paine, the mad scientist responsible for the mutated animals in the region. The team had just narrowly escaped captivity, but this came at the expense of Paine duplicating all their mutant powers. However, he still has Polaris prisoner and is forcing them to track down and find the Red Ghost (Ivan Kragoff). While Rogue goes ahead to check the upper levels, the rest of the team hears someone talking around another corner and go to investigate. They manage to catch the Red Ghost, who quickly uses his powers of intangibility to phase through the wall to get away. Iceman uses his powers to freeze the room, thinking that Kragoff has turned invisible and by lowering the temperature they’ll be able to see his breath. This angers Wolverine (Logan) who points out that he can’t track the Ghost’s sense in lower temperatures. Havok (Alex Summers) also points out that Kragoff can’t turn invisible.[3] The way this team is doing makes Wolverine wonder if they shouldn’t get Xavier back on the team.[4] That’s when he hears flames and goes to check on their source.
In the next room, Logan finds the Black Panther fighting the android known as the Dragon Man. Wolverine charges in to lend a hand but T’Challa assures him he has it under control. Both men try to one-up each other, but all they manage to do is make Dragon Man angrier, make him harder to grab hold of with the fire sprinklers.
Elsewhere in the facility, the Red Ghost’s Super-Apes — Igor, Mikloh, and Peotor — have just finished creating a virus that will wipe out the human race in a bid to make apes the dominant species. When their former master radios them for a report, they choose to ignore him. As Kragoff wonders why his apes aren’t responding he lets his guard down by becoming solid once more. This results in Rogue knocking him out with a single punch. When Ivan wakes up, he finds himself pinned down by both Wolverine and Havok who threaten to harm him unless he helps them take down Erich Paine. In order to save his own skin, Kragoff agrees to help the mutants. That’s when Storm asks Wolverine where T’Challa is. Logan says he’s still “housebreaking” the Dragon Man and will catch up with them later.
The X-Men are then led to the control room where Erich Pain is hiding out. There, they order him to release Lorna in exchange for Kragoff. However, Paine refuses to do so because it gives up his bargaining chip. Deciding to stop playing around, the X-Men surround Erich and threaten to kill him if he doesn’t comply. Not believing the mutants would resort to murder, he tries to atomize the Red Ghost with the plasmas energy powers he stole from Havok. However, Kragoff manages to become intangible just in time. Before Paine can activate a device that will inject Lorna with a lethal poison the X-Men are on him. As the rest of the team is preoccupied, Iceman leads the Red Ghost to the control panel of the nearby computer to free Polaris. Unfortunately, despite being a scientific genius, Ivan finds himself well behind western technology. Iceman gets fed up and tries freezing the death trap instead, but is blasted by Paine before he can succeed.
That’s when the rest of the X-Men dogpile him, as they do so, Dragon Man comes crashing through the wall with Black Panther riding the creature. Dragon Man bites onto the arm holding the triggering device for the deathtrap. When Erich tries to attack the android with the bone claws he copied from Wolverine, Logan slashes them off with his Adamantium ones.[5] While this is happening, T’Challa frees Lorna with a few quick keystrokes. By this time, Paine has fought off Wolverine and is in the middle of a long winded super-villain speech when the Red Ghost — fed up with this nonsense — uses his phasing powers to rip out Paine’s heart.[6] With his enemy dead, Kragoff phases through the floor so he can continue his search for his rogue Super-Apes. The X-Men take issue with the Black Panther’s lack of outrage that Kragoff killed Paine. When Havok judges him for this, the Panther points out America’s history with capital punishment and that Wakandan law predates all form of western democracies. As they head off to find the Red Ghost, Rogue comments to Storm that T’Challa is both arrogant and attractive. Storm smiles about this but plays coy about how she really feels.[7]
Meanwhile, the Red Ghost has found his Super-Apes on the roof of the facility. There, they threaten to throw their human virus onto the crowd that has gathered around the building to worship Storm. Hearing their plan, Kragoff openly laughs in the faces of his Super-Apes, prompting Igor to throw the canister off the rooftop. Luckily, Storm is there to sweep it up in a wind current before it can shatter and wipe out all humans on the planet. Iceman then freezes the Super-Apes in a block of ice. With the battle over, the X-Men prepare to depart while T’Challa makes preparations to have the virus destroyed.
However, Storm has decided that she is going to leave the X-Men and remain in Africa fore a bit. While T’Challa thinks this means that Ororo is considering giving a relationship a shot, she corrects him by saying she needs time to sort ouf what she wants to do with her life. Wolverine understands and tells Storm to take care. Once the X-Men are gone, Monroe shows T’Challa that he still has a chance by kissing him before flying off, saying that their paths will cross again.
While the insanity seems to be over, the X-Men have overlooked one last ape that was overlooked in the scuffle. From inside the lab it vows that this is not over yet.[8]
Recurring Characters
Black Panther, X-Men (Havok, Iceman, Polaris, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit), Erich Paine, Red Ghost, the Super-Apes (Igor, Mikloh, Peotor), Dragon Man
Continuity Notes
The Black Panther caused Nigandan society to collapse after deposing its tyranical leader M’Butu, as seen in Black Panther (vol. 4) #1-6. T’Challa and the X-Men have been in Niganda since X-Men (vol. 2) #175-176 and last issue.
Prior to learning she was a mutant and joining the X-Men, Storm was believed to be a goddess to the people of Kenya. See Giant-Size X-Men #1.
Iceman complains that the Red Ghost is so old-school that Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters doesn’t have a file on him. Yes, the Red Ghost has been around for a while, having first appeared in Fantastic Four #13 (predating the formation of the X-Men in X-Men #1) In Bobby’s defense this is the first recorded instance they’ve encountered the Red Ghost.
Wolverine mentions how they need Professor X back on the team. Xavier stepped down as leader of the X-Men after he was de-powered following M-Day. This was a catastrophic event that — following the House of M event — stripped the majority of mutants of their powers. See House of M #1-8, Decimation: House of M - The Day After #1, as well as X-Men: Deadly Genesis #5 (the actual issue that reveals Xavier was de-powered).
Wolverine’s claws are actually made of bone and later coated in Adamantium with the rest of his skeleton as we learned in Wolverine (vol. 2) #75.
As of this writing (January, 2024) Erich Paine remains among the deceased.
Storm and the Black Panther have had a will-they-or-won’t-they tension on the back burner since they were adolescents as first depicted in Marvel Team-Up #100.
The apes will have their revenge in Black Panther (vol. 4) #35-38.
Topical References
Ivan Kragoff refers to Russia as the Soviet Union. This isn’t a reference to the fact that the USSR still exists at the time of this story as it dissolved in 1991. Kragoff refers to Russia as the Soviet Union still because he is a Russian nationalist that longs for the old days.
To counter Havok’s judgement about killing, T’Challa points out that the state of Texas still uses the death penalty. This was the case when this comic was published in 2005. While it is still the case as I write it now (Jan. 2024), it’s possible that could change. I don’t see how, given that Texas is Texas and all, but it’s not impossible. As such, this should be considered topical. Modern readers should take this statement in a historical context so that it maintains a comparative relevancy.