The Complete Illustrated History of Black Panther

Black Panther debuted 52 years ago in Fantastic Four #52.

He was the first African-American superhero and went by the name of T'Challa. His homeland? Say it with me now...Wakanda.

Black Panther wasn't always as you see him today, however, as he went through quite a few changes in his long history. Here is a brief history of those changes with pictures (where I could find them).

It started in 1965 when Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (no one is sure which one came up with idea first) decided to create the first African-American superhero. What we do know is that the first attempt at Black Panther came off the pen of Jack Kirby. He was called "Coal Tiger"

Then in 1966 Marvel's owner Martin Goodman decided it was time to give the character a new look. (You may recall 1966 being the same year that the Batman TV show became a smash hit.) The mask was designed so it wouldn't cover the whole face, leaving the mouth exposed, and the entire costume was to be black, with the mask having pointy ears.

For some unknown reason, however, at the last minute Stan Lee told Joe Sinnott to make the mask totally cover the face. As the story goes, Jack Kirby was not told of the change for months.

In 1967 Kirby adjusted the costume further by removing the cape and collar. It was done in time for Captain America Team-Up in the pages of Tales of Suspense. The new look was released to the public in Fantastic Four Annual #5.

Here's the funny thing...even though Kirby had gotten the memo about the mask by this time, Avengers artist John Buscema had not. So, when Black Panther joined the Avengers he was wearing the half mask. This lasted for four issues.

Black Panther's look went back and forth over the next couple of decades until the launch of Marvel Knights. It was the Artist Mark Texeira who introduced the gold accessories.

In 1999 the Marvel Knights were absorbed into the Marvel Universe and Black Panther came under a new artist, Sal Vellutto. Sal shifted the gold accessories into a more edgy look.

Then in 2003 Black Panther rejoined the Avengers. This was done beautifully in Avengers #66. Then artist Olivier Coipel decided to bring back the lines on the gloves and boots, but kept the gold accessories, adding a panther head pendant.

In 2005 Black Panther got a new series with a new #1 and a new creative team. John Romita Jr. decided it was time to do a throwback costume. He went back to the original design but added two straps instead of one.

Over time T'Challa lost his power in Wakanda (see below for the explanation) and was asked by Daredevil to replace him in Hell's Kitchen. He was to be the new guardian. It was at this point that artist Francesco Francavilla stepped in and gave his own creative twist.

When Daredevil returned to his duties in Hell's Kitchen, Black Panther went back to his regular duties as well. This transition saw Black Panther go back to some of his more "classic" digs with his gold turning to silver.

In 2016 Black Panther's 6th #1 issue hit the stands. In this iteration of his costume artist Brian Stelfreeze made the necklace less "tooth-like" and gave the mask a more "cat-like" look.

In 2016 the Civil War movie gave the Black Panther costume another change. Designers Judiaanna Makovsky and Ryan Mynerding changed the costume adding more silver accessories and different textures to the bodysuit.

Which brings us to today and the release of Black Panther the movie. In the movie, T'Challa's sister Shuri upgrades the costume adding more silver accessories and simplifying the bodysuits textures. In reality, it was costume designer Ruth E. Carter who did all the adding.

As a side note, there were a couple of bumps in the history of Black Panther. Since I don't want you walking away with only half of the story, let's take a look at the "bumps".

In 2000, Erik Killmonger defeated T'Challa in ritual combat officially making him Black Panther and ruler of Wakanda. Killmonger, however, became deathly ill due to the power transfer as it required the person to be part of the royal bloodline.

In 2002 Kasper Cole pretended to be Black Panther. His goal was to clean up his precinct using tactics outside what his job as a narcotics officer allowed. He later became the White Tiger. My question is, is this an Easter Egg from Marvel? The last name of "Cole" and him becoming "White Tiger". "Cole Tiger" or Coal Tiger? Who knows.

The last "bump" seemed to be in 2009 when T'Challa's half-sister Shuri stepped in while he was incapacitated. In order to be able to take up the role of Black Panther, Shuri had to complete a series of trials, which she did successfully. She remained Black Panther and ruler of Wakanda until her death.

Well, there you have it! You are now officially a Black Panther expert! Now go see the movie and wow the audience with your knowledge.

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The Comic Whisperer