Fantastic Four #53
The Way It Began..!
Welcomed as guests of the Black Panther in Wakanda, the Black Panther explains that the nation of Wakanda is unique in that it is home of a rare metal known as Vibranium. Explaining that when explorer Ulysses Klaw came to Wakanda to steal the Vibranium to make weapons, he killed the Black Panther's father. In retribution, the young T'Challa stole one of these weapons and used it to destroy Klaw's camp and in the ensuing battle Klaw's right hand was rendered useless when T'Challa's weapon caused Klaw's pistol to explode in his hand.
When Klaw unleashes solid sound creatures created by a device, the Fantastic Four and Wyatt Wingfoot help Black Panther defend his nation. Tracking Klaw to his hide out, the Black Panther battles him and in the battle Klaw's base is destroyed and his solid sound creations vanish. Surviving and his solid sound device intact, Klaw crawls into the device hoping to gain the power necessary to crush the Black Panther once and for all.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Black Panther, Wyatt Wingfoot, Ulysses Klaw, T’Chaka
Continuity Notes
This is the first appearance of Wakandan Vibranium, a derivative known as Anti-Metal or Antarctic Vibranium was previously seen in Daredevil #13.
The panther god worshiped by T'Challa and his people is Bast, of the Ennead pantheon of gods.
As revealed in Fantastic Four #56, Klaw emerges from the sound converter as a being comprised of living sound.
The origin of the Black Panther presented here has been told in vastly different ways over the years:
Comics that support the origin told here include Jungle Action (vol. 2) #7, Black Panther #14, Black Panther (vol. 3) #5, Black Panther (vol. 3) #27. A Marvel Legacy primer for the Black Panther featured in Black Panther #166 also confirms this origin.
Rise of the Black Panther #1 tells a similar story to the stories above. However, in that version of events Ulysses Klaw was representing Hydra.
A vastly different origin is given in Black Panther (vol. 4) #3, in that version it is said that T’Chaka was assassinated during a meeting with the United Nations far away from Wakanda and that Klaw’s motivation was avenging the death of his grandfather over anything else.
At the time of this writing (November, 2021) a new series titled Black Panther: Legends is currently in publication. The first issue tells a new origin for the Black Panther. Most of the basic elements are still the same. However, in this story, Klaw is a representative of the United Nations trying to broker a deal with T’Chaka for Vibranium exports. The deal turns violent when it’s discovered that Ulysses stole some Vibranium leading to T’Chaka’s death and T’Challa injuring Klaw’s hand.
Click here for more on how the Index chooses to interpret this differing accounts.
