10 Little-Known Comics Industry Facts That Shocked Fans

3. Marvel Briefly Changed The Black Panther's Name To Avoid Controversy

Today, the Black Panther is considered one of the most iconic characters in Marvel's library. He's been a tremendous influence over the years, with Don McGregor's Jungle Action series oft cited as a seminal moment in the development of the superhero genre as a whole, but there was a time where he almost wasn't called the Black Panther at all.

During the rise of the Oakland-based Black Panther Party, the revolutionary self-defence group pioneered by Huey P. Newton and other activists, Marvel found their own character in a potentially sticky situation.

Keen to avoid comparisons - and consequently showcasing their own limitations as a publisher - Marvel took to renaming T'Challa's alter-ego as the 'Black Leopard', and went on to explain it in the most awkward way ever in Fantastic Four #119.

The change understandably didn't stick around for long, but it still remains as one of the more bizarre moments in the history of modern Marvel. At least McGregor righted the ship when he had T'Challa confront the KKK in Jungle Action.