By Joshua H. Stulman

The new Black Panther movie debuts this month, which happens to be Black History Month! Celebrate Marvel’s favorite Wakandan King and brush up on some Black Panther fun facts!

10. Black Panther is the First African Superhero

While Black Panther is not the first Black protagonist in mainstream comics, he is the first black character considered a super-hero. Prior to his debut in Fantastic Four # 52 (1966), black heroes were usually featured in military themed World War II comics. Many of these military comics were written and drawn by people who served in the de-segregated US army, and saw the inclusion of black characters as a natural recount of the war. Some earlier examples include, Gabe Jones, in the retro WWII Marvel comic, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandoes # 1 (1963). Coincidently, the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics was the Falcon in Captain America # 117 (1969).

9. Black Panther Replaces Captain America

Ever wonder how Black Panther ended up on the Avengers? In his early adventures, Black Panther teamed up with the Fantastic Four and shortly after Captain America. In the final issues of Tales of Suspense #97-99, Captain America and Black Panther team up on an adventure in Wakanda. The storyline concludes in the retitled Captain America #100, which sees Captain America so impressed by Black Panther that he gives up his spot on the Avengers.

8. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Most Marvel superheroes in the early 1960’s were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Black Panther was a new version of the “Jungle Warrior” theme, which was traditionally based on the Tarzan motif. Kirby was deeply interested in world cultures, costuming and archeology. He saw these elements as a ripe area for science fiction. Instead of the stereotyped “noble savage,” Jack Kirby originally designed Black Panthers costume to be more colorful and patterned after African textiles deserving of a king. The Black Panther was originally maskless to reveal his cultural origins to the world.

7. Vibranium

Many of Black Panther’s early adventures centered on plots to prevent the theft of his country’s indestructible metal, Vibranium. Vibranium is an alien metal that crashed in the region of Wakanda in the form of a meteorite. The metal has unique properties like the ability to absorb sound and kinetic energy. In retroactive continuity, Vibranium is gifted to the USA by Black Panther’s father, T’Chaka to form Captain America’s round shield.

6. Wakanda is Marvel’s Silicon Valley

Black Panther’s country, Wakanda, is known as the most technologically advanced society on Earth. This stems from Black Panther’s father, King T’Chaka’s emphasis on education. He used the high value of Vibranium to fund the best education of his people. In turn this allowed his people to develop technology that seems futuristic to the rest of the world, including flying cars!

5. Black Panther 1^st Solo Series in Jungle Action

Black Panther was first introduced in the pages of the Fantastic Four and later continued in Avengers. While he had various super-hero team ups, Black Panther didn’t star in his own feature until Jungle Action # 6 (1973). Jungle Action had previously been a comic featuring the adventures of Ka-Zar, a Tarzan-esque character. These first solo stories were written by Don McGregor who created a year long saga called “The Panther’s Rage”. The storyline is an early example of a self-contained story similar in format to a graphic novel. The series ran until cancellation with Jungle Action # 24 (1976)

4. The King Returns

Jack Kirby was nicknamed “the King” by Stan Lee for undeniable impact on the comic industry. In 1977, Kirby returned to work for Marvel after leaving DC Comics. One of his first projects was Black Panther # 1, the first self-titled Black Panther series. Kirby wrote and drew the first 12 issues of Black Panther with a new “adventurer” direction. Kirby’s stamp was a departure from the more mature themes seeping into comics at the time. In retrospect, Kirby’s version of the Black Panther was an adventure/action treated in his classic heroic style. Kirby worked on the series until issue # 12, with the series being cancelled by # 15. The remaining planned Black Panther issues were later released as Marvel Premiere # 51-53.

3. Black Panther VS the KKK

During Black Panther’s original Jungle Action series, he goes up against the KKK. In the mid-1970’s, the Klan was still a formidable threat and there was concern in the Marvel office about publishing the story. Writer Don McGregor developed a story that saw the Black Panther investigating a murder in Georgia only to be confronted by KKK as well as the derivative Dragon’s Circle.

2. Black Panther Marries Storm

Marvel’s new power couple was the Black Panther and X-Men’s Storm who were married in Black Panther # 18 (2006). The couple shared a friendship and flirted with romance nearly three decades earlier in Marvel Team-Up # 100 (1980) written by Chris Claremont. The couple remained together for only six years before Black Panther annulled their marriage due to the events of the Avengers vs X-Men #7 (2012) storyline, which saw Wakanda destroyed by the Submariner on behalf of the X-Men.

1. Don’t Call Him Black Leopard!

A common misconception is that Marvel’s Black Panther was created in response to the Black Panther Party. The comic character debuted in July of 1966, while the political group formed a few months later in September, 1966. It’s possible that the political party borrowed the name from the comic character. However, Marvel’s Black Panther was always conceived as a noble hero and inclusive member of the Avengers. Marvel further sought to distance their character from the politics of the Black Panther Party by changing his name to the Black Leopard for a time in Fantastic Four # 119 (1972).

Bonus Fact: Black Panther was originally pitched as “Coal Tiger” to avoid using the word “Black” in his name.

Let us know what you think about the new Black Panther movie? Leave a comment below!

Joshua H. Stulman

Owner, BrooklynComicShop.com