10 Comic Book Characters You Wish You Could Be

7. Black Panther

King of the highly advanced and wealthy African countries of Wakanda, T’Challa was the first ever black superhero. Created for Marvel by the dream team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in July 1966, the Black Panther (no relation to the militant revolutionary movement of the same name, who he predated by a few months) is one of the noblest and most revered heroes in the Marvel Universe.

T’Challa is a fighter and warrior on a par with, perhaps surpassing Captain America. He’s also a genius, often cited as one of the eight smartest men in the world, and a phenomenally gifted inventor and scientist. And... well, there’s no getting around it, he’s royalty.

A man of fierce, indomitable will and magnetism, the Black Panther is a force of nature with the resources and backing of one of the mightiest nations on Earth behind him, a role model for generations of young black men, and soon to star in his own Marvel Cinematic Universe film. You’ve seen the trailer. You know what’s coming.

All of which might help to explain how Ororo Munroe, also known as the X-Man Storm, fell for the guy and married him in 2006. Yeah, I know - all this, and he married the hottest woman in the world, too. Even Jay-Z had the good grace to be ugly.