10 Shocking Comics Events That Changed Characters Forever
3. Wakanda Embraces Democracy - A Nation Under Our Feet
Ta-Nehisi Coates' 2016 run on Black Panther, and his inaugural storyline - A Nation Under Our Feet - is one of the greatest runs on a Marvel book in decades, if not of all time. The kind of story that calls into question everything the character stands for, but instead of doing so with the aim of mockery or parody, does so as a necessary deconstruction of the idea of Wakanda, and of the Black Panther too.
After a series of disastrous brushes with supervillains and enemy armies and the death of Queen Shuri, a revolutionary army made up of opportunistic zealots and disillusioned Dora Milaje rise up to overthrow the Wakandan monarchy in favor of a more democratic system. T'Challa's failures as a monarch are amplified by tragedy driving him to repeat his ancestors' most grievous mistakes, cut off friends and family, and even momentarily forget his roots as a hero. And when the dust has settled, no one is more aware of his mistakes than him.
Something has to change.
The finale of the storyline sees T'Challa restructuring Wakanda's government to be more democratic, with the throne holding significantly less power than it has for centuries. A truly MASSIVE upheaval for Marvel's most famous fictional nation, but definitely a necessary one.