A new variant of Black Panther (T'Challa) has made its debut on Avengers Forever #6. Black Panther has been one of the most successful Marvel characters in comics and live-action. We first saw him in Fantastic Four #52 in the silver age of comics. The character was created by legendary writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby.
With added courage and character, the king of Wakanda is the one to be respected and feared. But, Avengers Forever #6 does not tell the story of this legendary king. It tells the story of a different T'Challa, The Invincible Vibranium Man.
The origin of the new Black Panther variant
Vibranium Man's origins are much more similar to Superman than one would like to admit. In the latest issue of Avengers Forever, we are introduced to an alternate earth where Killmonger is coming to destroy Wakanda and kill T'Challa. The villain has taken the initiative to destroy every Earth, perish every Wakanda, and kill every Black Panther in the multiverse.
The feud between the cousins, T'Challa and N'Jadaka (Killmonger), started with their fathers. The cousins belonged to Wakanda's undefeated royal family, where T'Challa's father, T'Chaka, was the king for a lengthy period, while N'Jadaka's father, N'Jobu, was living in America.
Upon seeing the terror that black people were facing in America, N'Jobu decided to provide them with Wakandian Vibranium technology to help them defend themselves. Unfortunately, when T'Chaka heard the news of his brother supplying Wakandian technology to a different country, he became furious at his brother's actions and eventually killed him for the crime. Enraged by his father's death at the hands of his very own uncle, Killmonger won't rest until he makes him pay.
The king of Wakanda has the ability to contact the ancestors on the grounds of Djalia. On the alternate Earth portrayed in Avengers Forever #6, the king at the time, T'Chaka, was alerted about the upcoming attack through the ancestors. The King and Queen of Wakanda then act quickly and send their son away in a rocket as everything gets destroyed.
As little Black Panther escapes his land that is inherently doomed, we can't help but correlate his situation to Superman. Superman's origins are some of the most notable lineages in history. It has been played over and over in the DC universe, and it is safe to assume everyone is aware of it.
The events in the comic make us reminisce about the famous scene where King Jor-El and Lara send off little Kal-El in a rocket to Earth as Krypton gets destroyed. However, as Superman lands on Earth, Black Panther takes off from it and lands on Chandilar, the throneworld of the Shi'ar Imperium.
The comic then takes us several years into the future where our hero is all grown up and has made a suit out of the Vibranium technology found in his rocket. He's even created a webbing technology inspired by Spider-Man and also goes by the name Sky Spider, apart from his original superhero name, The Vibranium Man.
The all-new Black Panther has been in the headlines for the fascinating choices made in his origin story. The full effects of his powers have not been revealed yet, and we have a long way to go to fully understand the new character.
However, fans are excited to experience a fresh T'Challa. There's more to come from the phenomenal writer of the comic, Jason Aaron.