"The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. And now because Ulysses Klaw had murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep Klaw safe from me?" ― Black Panther
T'Challa aka the Black Panther is a fictional character appearing in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the first black superhero in mainstream American comics, debuting several years before such early African-American superheroes as Marvel Comics' the Falcon and Luke Cage, or DC Comics' Tyroc, Black Lightning and Green Lantern John Stewart.
Biography[]
Millennia ago, a meteorite made of the indestructible metal Vibranium crash-landed in the north-eastern corner of Africa, or to be more specific, the Kingdom of Wakanda. Although the natives appropriated the material for use as weapons and tools, radiation from the crash mutated them into rampaging beasts mistaken as demonic spirits. To protect his people, a local chieftain by the name of Bashenga prayed to Bast - the Panther Goddess; by becoming her Totem in the mortal realm, she would bestow upon him various superhuman abilities. Bashenga used these gifts to unite the tribes as one and drive back the dangers which threatened them, becoming their leader and protector, having been bestowed the title of the Black Panther.
Since then, the title of Black Panther and King of Wakanda was passed on through Bashenga’s descendants, but it was not just a simple matter of inheritance. To become the kingdom’s protector involved completing numerous rites of passage to prove one’s resolve and gain Bast’s blessing, and all members of the royal bloodline have followed it without fail. As the years went by, the rulers of Wakanda opted to keep their country hidden away in the dark for fear of outsiders misusing the Vibranium for their own ends. All of this would change with the rise of the modern Black Panther: a young prince by the name of T’Challa.
After his father T’Chaka was murdered by arms dealer Ulysses Klaw over the Vibranium mound, T’Challa prepared himself for the responsibilities he needed to accept as his uncle S’yan assumed the role of king for the time being. After receiving further training and education abroad to hone his skills as a warrior and leader, he returned home to challenge and defeat the other chieftains of Wakanda’s tribes and S'yan himself, allowing him to consume the Heart-Shaped Herb and earn the title of Black Panther, along with the powers it possessed.
His tests finally complete, T’Challa ascended to the throne and became king, but he came to the realization that he needed to do more than his predecessors as protector, and began taking a more active role as his masked alter-ego. He started slowly re-integrating his country with the international community, all while he allied himself with superheroes such as the Avengers and battling villainous forces who threaten not only Wakanda’s safety, but the rest of the world as well. In his dual roles as king and warrior, one thing is certain: the Black Panther will rise to defend his people at all costs until his dying breath.
Stats[]
Attack Potency: Multi-City Block Level (Consistently shown to be Captain America's equal and has fought Wolverine) | Likely Low Multiverse Level (Regularly trades blows with Namor and physically damaged Heralds that are around Thor and Hulk's level)
Speed: Massively Hypersonic+ , with Faster Than Light reactions (Dodged a girder thrown by Hulk in a microsecond. Comparable to Captain America, Daredevil, and several other Marvel Street Levelers) | Massively Faster Than Light+ (Keeps pace with Namor and Heralds characters around Thor and Hulk's level)
Durability: Multi-City Block Level (Endured attacks from Captain America) | Likely Low Multiverse Level (Tanked blows from Namor and those on par with Thor and Hulk)
Hax: Resistance to Magic-based attacks and Diseases. Durability Negation, Soul Manipulation, Teleportation, Invisibility, Forcefield Creation, Attack Reflection, Sleep Gas.
Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius. He is among the top 10 smartest men on the planet, has a Ph.D. in physics from Oxford University, is a brilliant inventor, extremely skilled tactician and strategist, and has the skills to run a powerful nation. In addition, he is a master of almost all martial arts styles, is a great gymnast and acrobat, a skilled hunter and tracker, and has many years of direct fighting experience against all kinds of foes.
Stamina: Superhuman
Powers, Techniques, and Equipment[]
Powers[]
Divine Empowerment: T'Challa was originally enhanced by the Heart-Shaped Herb which granted him to have Super Soldier powers. He was given additional powers by the Goddess Bast when he became the King of the Dead. This blessing seems to have restored him to the same power levels which he possessed as the chosen Black Panther. Aside from his senses, T'Challa's natural strength, speed, agility, durability, healing, stamina, and reflexes have been augmented to a nearly superhuman degree.
- Black Panther Knowledge: T'Challa has the power to draw all the knowledge, strength, and every experience from every previous Black Panther.
- Superhumanly Acute Senses: T'Challa can see with greater clarity and greater distances than an ordinary human. His vision extends into the ultraviolet and infrared areas of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see in near-total darkness and retain the same level of clarity. T'Challa's hearing is similarly enhanced, enabling him to detect sounds normal humans can't and sounds they ordinarily could but at much greater distances. T'Challa can memorize tens of thousands of scents. His sense of smell enables him to recognize people/objects by scent, even if they are well hidden. He can track a target by scent and track them to the exact location, can smell fear, and detect if someone is lying by the change in body odor. T'Challa's sense of taste is sensitive to the point that he is able to taste the exact ingredients of any particular food he is eating.
- Peak Human Strength: T'Challa's strength is enhanced to the peak of human potential. He received a blessing from the Panther Goddess Bast, which elevated his strength between peak human and superhuman levels. His physical strength is noticeably superior to any Olympic-class weightlifter and far superior to normal humans, allowing him to press lift approximately 800 lbs (363 kgs). His legs extend with his strength enabling him to leap approximately 10 feet off the ground and 15 feet in a standing broad jump.
- Peak Human Speed: T'Challa is able to run and move at speeds superior to any Olympic-class runners. At peak capacity, he is capable of reaching speeds up to 35 mph. He has the ability to attack faster than the eye can follow. His combat speed seems more enhanced then anything else, as he has frequently kept up with other enemies in combat, and blitzed people before they pull their trigger fingers.[35]
- Peak Human Stamina: T'Challa's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles and his musculature generates considerably fewer fatigue toxins than the muscles of an ordinary human being, granting him exceptional endurance, and lung capacity. He can physically exert himself at peak capacity for an hour before fatigue toxins begin to impair him. His lung capacity is at the peak human levels, enabling him to hold his breath underwater for 6 minutes.
- Peak Human Durability: His skin, muscle, and bone tissues are augmented to levels that are much denser and harder than normal humans, making him far more durable and resistant to damage to various degrees.
- Peak Human Regeneration: T'Challa's enhanced healing speed and capabilities allow him to have a conditioned metabolism and immune system that enables extraordinarily efficient healing.
- Peak Human Agility: T'Challa's equilibrium, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels superior to any Olympic-level athlete that has ever competed. This gives him cat-like agility.
- Peak Human Reflexes: T'Challa's reaction time is beyond the natural limits of an Olympic-level athlete, allowing him to dodge multiple bullets at point-blank range with ease. He has been noted to have reflexes faster than an actual panther.
As King of the Dead, T'Challa possesses powers as listed:
- Necromancy: T'Challa is able to take command of the dead itself. He was able to take control of an entire army of zombies and order the spirits of the Necropolis to aid him in his fight with Tetu.
- Spirit Energy Constructs: T'Challa learned he could create weapons out of spiritual force through his title as King of the Dead. Creating a spear out of ectoplasmic energy with which to affect both the material and ethereal planes.
- Hyper-Cosmic Awareness: T'Challa's exposure to Galactus's mind before and after his transition from the devoured to seeder of worlds due to his odd means of warping to his world ship, he began experiencing visions in his dreams and day to day life. He was beginning to see and sense the cage around The Marvel Universe and the goings on outside it in the Multiverse as well. An unknown effect that intake of the Heart Shaped Herb has, is that it also connects the head of the Panther Tribe to the precious metal which mutated it. Kings of the secret nation possess a sixth sense for the unique energy signature Vibranium gives off, letting them know when it is stolen out from Wakanda and where it's thieves are headed with it.
Equipment[]
- Kimoyo Card: An extremely powerful and versatile PDA. It functions similarly to the Avengers' communicards, but with many more practical applications. In one instance, the Panther called up a schematic of a jumbo jet's cockpit controls and took command of the plane, landing the plane safely in a river. "Kimoyo" is Bantu for "of the spirit".
- Panther Habit: As chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan, the ruler is crowned with a ceremonial regalia in the form of a Vibranium laced panther habit. T'Challa received this crown-like garb after being judged by the Panther Goddess. The appearance of the suit has changed over time but has retained its ability to absorb vibrations via its Vibranium lacing, as well as negate or lessen powerful kinetic based attacks such as bullets shots, penetrating blades, and crushing blows. The lenses in the mask cut glare and enhance the Panther's natural night vision, and allow him to see in infra-red and other visual spectra. The suit features:
- Vibranium Microweave Mesh: The microweave robs incoming objects of their momentum; bullets do not ricochet off, but simply fall to the ground when they come in contact with the weave. Likewise, the Panther cannot be stabbed; however, the costume can be cut if the attacker slashes along the uniform's grain.
- Vibranium Ear Plugs: Earplugs made of Vibranium used to block sounds
- Anti-Metal Claws: The Claws in the gloves are made of Antarctic Vibranium-based "Anti-Metal" that can break down basically all metals at the molecular level.
- Energy-Dampening Boots: Energy regulators create varying fields from the Vibranium in the molded soles of the boots, enabling Panther to land soundlessly without any injury from heights of 50 feet. Given enough momentum, the Panther can also scale walls or skim across water. The field can be also used offensively to shatter or weaken objects, or defensively to rob incoming objects of their momentum as shown when he stopped a car thrown by the Hulk from crushing him by using the Vibranium in his boots.
- Disguise Technology: The cloak can be elongated, shortened or eliminated with a thought, and the entire costume can be reconfigured by a light energy pulse allowing it to pass as normal street clothes or render T'Challa completely invisible.
- Teleportation device: T'Challa has also been shown using a teleportation device as part of his standard gear. The range is not known as of this moment.
- Hard-Light Shielding: T'Challa was shown using a small shield comprised of hardened light, to defend himself and others as part of his standard gear.
- Vibranium Energy Daggers: Energy constructed blades, the wielder has the ability to gauge between power levels, releasing a beam, powerful enough to slice through various structures and foes. This weapon can also be fired as a projectile. Energy daggers are T'Challa's default weapon of choice in armed combat situations.
- EMPs: Device used to take out electronic devices
- Flash Marbles: Flash bang grenades used to blind enemies
- Force Push: T'Challa can use the stored kinetic energy in his suit to either enhance his strikes or release it as an omnidirectional energy burst.
Key[]
Base | King of The Dead
Minor Feats[]
Attack Potency/Strength[]
- Holds a full grown man over a building one handed
- Punches the White Wolf across an alley into a wall, making a crater
- Slams the White Wolf into a walll making a crater and holds him one handed effortlessly
- Rips a mailbox out of the ground and uses it to beat Vlad
- Punches the American Panther into the ground hard enough to cause a crater
- Lifts a giant wheel and then snaps through steel chains
- Knocks out Man-Ape, who can lift at least 10 tons
- Wrestles with a crocodile and snaps its jaw
- Wrestles with a lion and wins
- Wrestles with a rhino and breaks its neck
- Lifts a Giant wheel then snaps through the steel chains
- Wrestles a Crocodile
- Wrestles a Lion
- Breaks Super Skrull's arm and leg
- Tosses around robotic animals and stops an elephant from moving
- Rips Through an airplane hatch while underwater The room had been pressurized by Hydro Man.
- Old T'Challa body slams a Rhino
- Backhands Malice into another room
- Tears Through a Wall
- Brings down a 5 ton Rhino
- Pulls up a full grown man while getting from the streets to roof in 10 seconds
- Breaks a man's wrist one handed
- Backhands Malice into another room
- Tears through a wall with no problem
- Punches through a metal coffin
- Fights off mind altering drugs and rips himself free from restraints
- Effortlessly leaps and runs while carrying 2 people
- Shatters stone with a strike
- Almost punches off the Red Skull's jaw
- One-shots Karnak and Mindless Ones
- Strong enough to decapitate Doombots with his strikes
- Decapitated another robot with a kick
- Lifts a man off the ground with a kick and then tosses a full grown man one handed
- Rips out a tree and uses it as a spear
- Lifts a throne that took 3 men to carry
- Punches back Namor, the King of Atlantis
- Throws a spear through a solid stone wall
- Killed a T-Rex by using a palm tree as a catapult while in a weakened state
- Strong enough to stagger the likes of the Hulk
- Overpowers Black Dwarf, one of Thano's top generals
Speed/Reactions[]
- Casual bullet-timer
- Can move and attack faster than the eye could follow
- Leaps across an opera theater to stop an assassin
- Getting from street to roof in 10 seconds while pulling a man
- Running barefoot on wire
- Gets from the street to the roof in 10 seconds while pulling a man
- Faster than the animal he was named after
- Catches the punch of Vlad the Impaler
- Leaping from the top of a bridge to his car
- Anticipates where Malice will go and beats her there
- Lands 3 blows in the time it takes a man to throw one
- Catches Spider-Man on more than one occasion (Spider-Man admitted that Black Panther is much more swifter than he is)
- Faster than Wolverine
- Takes down Cyclops before he can fire
- Beats up 4 men in the time it takes to say "quite severely" also dodges bullets
- Catches a spear thrown from behind
- Reflects and dodges multiple energy daggers
- Caught up to Sabertooth who had a head start
- Managed to outmaneuver the Human Torch
- Dodges an energy spear thrown by Vlad the Impaler
- Casually deflects multiple projectiles during recovery from a coma
- Intercepts Silver Surfer's board
- Reacts to Namor when he was empowered by the Phoenix Force
- Reacts to a sneak attack during coma recovery
- Blitzed a Super Skrull and tore it's eyes out
- Fast enough to react to Namor the Sub-Mariner
- Got into Invisible Woman's force field before it closed up
- Punches through an alien and blitzed another one that was looking at him
- Catches bones thrown with the precision of Bullseye from the Super Skrull
Durability/Endurance[]
- Fights off the Effects of a powerful mind altering drug
- Fought Killmonger for 13 hours (Killmonger is genetically enhanced and killed an Elephant by shoulder charging it)
- Stays Conscious after getting blasted by Star Dust
- Knives do nothing At all
- Tanks a PBR Explosion
- Fought a possessed/enhanced Iron Fist and took the punches
- Psychic resistance, Emma Frost in pain from trying to read his mind
- Blocks Magneto's best attack
- Withstands attacks from Star Dust, a herald of Galactus
- Takes blows from Namor the Sub-Mariner without damage
- Takes a blast from Namor possessed by the Phoenix Force
- Withstands blows from the Hulk
Skill/Intelligence[]
- Officially ranked as the 8th smartest man in the Marvel Universe
- Learned every fighting style and weaponry in the world
- Consistently ranked as one of the best martial artists in the Marvel Universe alongside Captain America, Wolverine, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, Elektra, and Psylocke
- Can read body languages to anticipate an opponent's next move
- Skilled at pressure point fighting
- Beat six of Wakanda's best warriors at once
- Successfully defeated his uncle to earn the right to become the King of Wakanda
- Defeated the Fantastic Four to test them if they were capable of helping him fight off Klaw and his mercenaries
- Teamed up with Captain America and Sharon Carter defeat an imposter of Baron Zemo
- Rescued Goliath, Wasp, and Hawkeye from Grim Reaper, earning membership among the Avengers
- Went into hell and ripped out Mephisto's heart, then managed to trick him
- Managed to regain control of Wakanda from the insane war strategist, Achebe
- When his sister Shuri became the new Black Panther, he was crowned by Bast as "The King of the Dead", gaining the strength and experience of all past Black Panthers
- Was a member of the Illumanati, a group of superheros composed of Black Bolt, Iron Man, Black Panther, Dr. Strange, Mr Fantastic, Namor, and Beast
- Has earned the respect from the likes of Doctor Doom and the Asgardian Gods
- In 10 minutes, created a device that dampens psionic abilities
- Modifies his ancestral dagger to defeat Klaw
- Designed the Falcon's wings
- Helps Reed Richards with scientific experiments
- Replicates tech that can steal the power cosmic
- Knows many languages
- Built magnetic gauntlets that yank way guns with magnets from the home department store
- Created a device that neutralizes Vlad's powers
- Highly intelligent and cautious planner
- Prepares for mind control based on evidence he found at a crime scene
- Deduced that Hydroman was messing with the plane and develops a plan to take him down
- Possesses excellent detective skills
- Deduces that Black Dragon was behind a plot he was caught in
- Has a contingency plan for beating Galactus
- Has developed a contingency plan for other heroes
- Outwitted the likes of Mephisto, Nightmare, Black Dragon, and Apocalypse
- Outsmarted Doctor Doom, Reed Richards, Tony Stark, some of the world's smartest men
Powerscaling[]
Equipped with his Vibranium suit, weapons, and technology. Groomed to be a warrior since birth, having been trained in all forms of armed and unarmed combat including various Wakandan martial arts unknown to the outside world. Black Panther is one of the finest combatants of the Marvel Street Levelers, the top of his class. Easily comparable in physicality and skill to the likes of Captain America, Wolverine, Daredevil, and Iron Fist.
With the King of the Dead, he has been able to consistently fight Namor on a regular basis as well as trade blows with Heralds tier characters around Thor and Hulk's level having been able to stagger Hulk himself, overpower Black Dwarf, and one-shots Mindless Ones (who are extra dimensional creatures with magic and levels of strengths comparable to Hulk).
But perhaps one of Black Panther's most dangerous weapons in his arsenal, are his Antarctic Vibranium Claws, Spirit Energy Constructs, and Vibranium Daggers as three of them can bypass the durability of Planet Level and Cosmic Level beings. His daggers have also been shown to be able to phase through his opponents causing their brains to scramble or have the weapon be set on shock mode. Lastly, Black Panther can forge weapons out of spiritual force which can harm or kill individuals on a physical or astral plane.
Weaknesses[]
- If his Vibranium Suit absorbs too much kinetic energy, it could potentially overload and explode
- His enhanced senses can be used against him
- Still human
Source[]
- T'Challa (Earth-616) | Marvel Database
- Black Panther (Marvel Comics) | Vs Battle Wiki
- Black Panther & Wakanda (Updated) | Reddit Respect Thread
- Black Panther is The King in Death Battle! | Deviantart (Black Panther Bio by Dynamo1212)
Versus Compendium's Conclusions[]
Notable Wins:
- None
Notable Losses:
- None
Inconclusive Matches:
- None