10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Black Panther
It's good to be the king... sometimes.
It’s time to rejoice! When Black Panther first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four in 1966, people didn’t know what to make of him. With his sleek black suit, royal lineage, and stern demeanor, T’Challa the Black Panther was a sight to see.
Fast forward fifty years later, and Panther has numerous comic titles under his belt, has taken part in some of the most memorable events in Marvel’s history, and is a highly respected character in and out of the panels he resides in. He's one of the few characters that's both a hero and a king, a trait that has created some interesting dynamics between other heroes over the years.
His inclusion in Captain America: Civil War might have been many people’s first introduction to crime fighter, but his stories stretch back further than Wolverine, Deadpool or Luke Cage's. Now that there’s a feature film centred on the king of Wakanda, however, more people than ever before will be looking to do their research on T'Challa.
Well, never fear comic fans! Because we've done the work for you.
10. Coal Tiger
Black Panther made his debut in an issue of Fantastic Four in 1966. His iconic look of a skin-tight tactical suit complete with cape was a sharp contrast from the Fantastic Four’s bright blue outfits, and made him stand out among his peers.
Even the name “Black Panther” seemed menacing yet regal, and was a name Stan Lee gave the character as homage to a pulp adventure hero who had an actual panther as this ally. Everything seemed to fit T’Challa like a glove, but that wasn’t always the case.
Originally, artist Jack Kirby’s concept art portrayed T’Challa wearing more traditional African garb. These sketches depicted the king of Wakanda, without any face covering at all, and wearing a mixture of grey, yellow, red and white. Kirby also came up with the concept name “Coal Tiger” and, while a "coal" or black tiger might resemble a black panther in terms of appearance, there's no doubt the latter sounds more intimidating.
Since deciding against it initially, Marvel has found many other uses for the Coal Tiger moniker. For instance, in the 355 universe, T'Challa choses the name as his super hero alias.