Black Panther

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 Alignment | Lawful Good

**T'Challa,** also known as the **Black Panther**, is a superhero from Marvel Comics.

## Background

Millennia ago, a meteorite made of the indestructible metal Vibranium crash-landed in the north-eastern corner of Africa, or to be more specific, the Kingdom of Wakanda. Although the natives appropriated the material for use as weapons and tools, radiation from the crash mutated them into rampaging beasts mistaken as demonic spirits. To protect his people, a local chieftain by the name of Bashenga prayed to Bast - the Panther Goddess; by becoming her Totem in the mortal realm, she would bestow upon him various superhuman abilities. Bashenga used these gifts to unite the tribes as one and drive back the dangers which threatened them, becoming their leader and protector, having been bestowed the title of the Black Panther.

Since then, the title of Black Panther and King of Wakanda was passed on through Bashenga’s descendants, but it was not just a simple matter of inheritance. To become the kingdom’s protector involved completing numerous rites of passage to prove one’s resolve and gain Bast’s blessing, and all members of the royal bloodline have followed it without fail. As the years went by, the rulers of Wakanda opted to keep their country hidden away in the dark for fear of outsiders misusing the Vibranium for their own ends. All of this would change with the rise of the modern Black Panther: a young prince by the name of T’Challa.

After his father T’Chaka was murdered by arms dealer Ulysses Klaw over the Vibranium mound, T’Challa prepared himself for the responsibilities he needed to accept as his uncle S’yan assumed the role of king for the time being. After receiving further training and education abroad to hone his skills as a warrior and leader, he returned home to challenge and defeat the other chieftains of Wakanda’s tribes and S'yan himself, allowing him to consume the Heart-Shaped Herb and earn the title of Black Panther, along with the powers it possessed.

His tests finally complete, T’Challa ascended to the throne and became king, but he came to the realization that he needed to do more than his predecessors as protector, and began taking a more active role as his masked alter-ego. He started slowly re-integrating his country with the international community, all while he allied himself with superheroes such as the Avengers and battling villainous forces who threaten not only Wakanda’s safety, but the rest of the world as well. In his dual roles as king and warrior, one thing is certain: the Black Panther will rise to defend his people at all costs until his dying breath.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Divine Empowerment:** T'Challa was originally enhanced by the Heart-Shaped Herb which granted him to have Super Soldier powers. His body is enhanced to near the pinnacle of human physical perfection. He was given additional powers by the Goddess Bast, when he became the King of the Dead. This blessing seems to have restored him to the same power levels which he possessed as the chosen Black Panther. Aside from his senses, T'Challa's natural strength, speed, agility, durability, healing, stamina, and reflexes have been augmented to nearly superhuman degree.
	+ **Black Panther Knowledge:** After being crowned "King of the Dead," T'Challa has the power to draw all the knowledge, strength, and every experience from every previous Black Panther.
	+ **Superhumanly Acute Senses:** T'Challa's five senses are highly acute, although not superhumanly so like Daredevil's. He can see with greater clarity and greater distances than any ordinary human. His vision extends into the ultraviolet and infrared areas of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him to see in near-total darkness and retain the same level of clarity. T'Challa's hearing is similarly enhanced, enabling him to detect sounds normal humans can't and sounds they ordinarily could but at much greater distances. T'Challa can memorize tens of thousands of scents. His sense of smell enables him to recognize people/objects by scent, even if they are well hidden. He can track a target by scent and track them to the exact location, can smell fear, and detect if someone is lying by change in body odor. T'Challa's sense of taste is sensitive to the point that he is able to taste the exact ingredients of any particular food he is eating.
	+ **Peak Human Strength:** T'Challa's strength is enhanced to the peak of human potential. He received a blessing from the Panther Goddess Bast, which elevated his strength between peak human and superhuman levels. His physical strength is noticeably superior to any Olympic-class weightlifter and far superior to normal humans, allowing him to press lift approximately 800 lbs (363 kgs). His legs extends with his strength enabling him to vertically leap approximately 10 feet off the ground and 15 feet in a standing broad jump. He was able to bulldog a 3000 lb. black rhinoceros, and a 5-ton black rhinoceros. He has been seen to easily lifting a grown man with one arm and throwing him, tearing through a thin wall with just one hand, and wrestling a 20-foot long crocodile while using both of his hands.
	+ **Peak Human Speed:** T'Challa is able to run and move at speeds superior to any Olympic-class runners, able to run at speeds up to 35 mph. However, when pushed to his limit, T'Challa can potentially run up to 41-45 mph. He also has the ability to attack faster than the eye can follow. His combat speed seems more enhanced than anything else, as he has frequently kept up with other enemies in combat, and blitzed people before they pull their trigger fingers.
	+ **Peak Human Stamina:** T'Challa's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles and his musculature generates considerably less fatigue toxins than the muscles of an ordinary human being, granting him exceptional endurance, and lung capacity. He can physically exert himself at peak capacity for an hour before fatigue toxins begin to impair him. His lung capacity is at the peak human levels, enabling him to hold his breath underwater for 6 minutes. He was able to run for 15 miles in the New York sewer with little to no fatigue toxins begin to impair him.
	+ **Peak Human Durability:** His skin, muscle, and bone tissues are augmented to levels that are much denser and harder than normal humans, making him far more durable and resistant to damage to various degrees. He withstood getting smashed on his head by a glass bottle with no visible injury or discomfort. T'Challa can withstand blows from superhuman opponents like Killmonger, who have the strength to overpower and kill an adult bull elephant with his bare hands.
	+ **Peak Human Regeneration:** T'Challa's enhanced healing speed and capabilities allows him to have a conditioned metabolism and immune system that enables extraordinarily efficient healing.
	+ **Peak Human Agility:** T'Challa's equilibrium, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels superior to any Olympic-level athlete that has ever competed. This gives him cat-like agility. T'Challa has been seen to run barefoot on utility pole wires, and leap across an entire opera room.
	+ **Peak Human Endurance:** T'Challa's endurance is about double that of an Olympic athlete. He continued to function for thirteen hours while fighting Killmonger despite being exhausted.
	+ **Peak Human Reflexes:** T'Challa's reaction time are beyond the natural limits of an Olympic-level athlete, allowing him to dodge multiple gunfire at point-blank range with ease. He has been noted to have reflexes faster than an actual panther.

* **King of the Dead:** As King of the Dead, T'Challa possesses other powers as listed below:
	+ **Necromancy:** T'Challa is able to take command of the dead itself. He was able to take control of an entire army of zombies and order the spirits of the Necropolis to aid him in his fight with Tetu.
	+ **Spirit Energy Constructs:** T'Challa learned he could create weapons out of spiritual force through his title as King of the Dead. Creating a spear out of ectoplasmic energy with which to affect both the material and ethereal planes.
	+ **Hyper-Cosmic Awareness:** T'Challa's exposure to Galactus's mind before and after his transition from the devoured to seeder of worlds due to his odd means of warping to his world ship, he began experiencing visions in his dreams and day to day life. He was beginning to see and sense the cage around The Marvel Universe and the goings on outside it in the Multiverse as well. An unknown effect that intake of the Heart Shaped Herb has, is that it also connects the head of the Panther Tribe to the precious metal which mutated it. Kings of the secret nation possess a sixth sense for the unique energy signature Vibranium gives off, letting them know when it is stolen out from Wakanda and where it's thieves are headed with it.
* **Genius Intelligence:** T'Challa is a polymath genius and has an eidetic (aka photographic) memory. His knowledge of physics and engineering ranks him among the top eight intellects of the world.  He possesses accomplishments such as a PhD in physics from Oxford University. He also combined alchemy with science to create a new scientific field called Shadow Physics, a dangerous discipline which allowed him to track Vibranium on a quantum level, craft weapons which would be particularly effective against Vibranium, and create an unstable teleportation device which at the time ripped apart anyone using it with great healing ability.
* **Master Martial Artist:** T'Challa has been groomed to be a warrior since birth. He is a master in practically all forms of armed and unarmed combat, having mastered various styles of martial arts from around the world. He is considered to be one of the best martial artists to have ever walked the Earth. He has stalemated, and at times even gained the upper hand against various highly skilled martial artists such as Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and many other dangerous opponents in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to overpower Wolverine twice without much difficulty, even when Wolverine was using his claws. Captain America himself said that when he won against T'Challa, T'Challa was not his usual self, seeming weaker than he actually was. He was shown to be skilled enough to defeat the skilled combatant Karnak with a single blow to the head.
* **Master Acrobat:** T'Challa is a rigorously trained gymnast and acrobat. He is particularly accomplished at gymnastics, acrobatics, and brachiation (swinging from one branch to another using one's arms).
* **Expert Marksman:** He is a master marksman adept with hunting knives, firearms, and other projectile weaponry.
* **Master Tactician:** T'Challa is a genius tactician, strategist, and leader who is practically peerless. He was taught tactics and strategies in his youth by his father who encouraged him to always think two steps ahead of his enemies and three steps ahead of his friends. His prowess is such that he is able to out think and out maneuver individuals such as Tony Stark, and other geniuses.
* **Expert Tracker & Hunter:** Even without his superhuman senses, T'Challa is a master tracker and hunter. He can pick up a prey's scent and memorize tens of thousands of individual ones.
* **Multilingual:** T'Challa can fluently speak his native language, English, and other various languages.
* **Master Inventor:** He can invent various devices with special properties when needed. He possesses engineering abilities and intellect that makes him a peer and has proven to be able to invent and create weaponry that rivals their engineering capabilities. T'Challa can also duplicate practically any other technologies after learning how they work or by glancing at the designs.
* **Highly Influential Connections:** As King of Wakanda, the Panther has access to a vast collection of magical artifacts, technological and military hardware, as well as the support of his nation's wide array of scientists, adventurers, and superheroes.
* **Diplomatic Immunity:** As the leader of a sovereign nation, he often visits the United States or the United Nations for political reasons. He enjoys diplomatic immunity during these trips, and his embassy is considered foreign soil.
* **Musical Skill:** T'Challa is a skilled musician and can play the flute.
* **Substantial Wealth:** T'Challa is Wakandan Royalty, thus he has access to a vast amount of wealth due to the advanced technology he has created/invented, and the stores of vibranium possessed by his country. His wealth surpasses that of Tony Stark, whose net worth is in the billions.

## Equipment

* **Panther Habit:** As chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan, the ruler is crowned with a ceremonial regalia in the form of a Vibranium laced panther habit. T'Challa received this crown-like garb after being judged by the Panther Goddess. The appearance of the suit has changed over time, but has retained its ability to absorb vibrations via its Vibranium lacing, as well as negate or lessen powerful kinetic based attacks such as bullet shots, penetrating blades, and crushing blows. The lenses in the mask cut glare and enhance the Panther's natural night vision, and allow him to see in infrared and other visual spectrum. The suit features:
	+ **Vibranium Microweave Mesh:** The microweave robs incoming objects of their momentum; bullets do not ricochet off, but simply fall to the ground when they come in contact with the weave. Likewise, the Panther cannot be stabbed; however, the costume can be cut if the attacker slashes along the uniform's grain.
	+ **Energy-Dampening Boots:** Energy regulators create varying fields from the Vibranium in the molded soles of the boots, enabling Panther to land soundlessly without any injury from heights of 50 feet. Given enough momentum, the Panther can also scale walls or skim across water. The field can be also used offensively to shatter or weaken objects, or defensively to rob incoming objects of their momentum as shown when he stopped a car thrown by the Hulk from crushing him by using the Vibranium in his boots.
	+ **Disguise Technology:** The cloak can be elongated, shortened or eliminated with a thought, and the entire costume can be reconfigured by a light energy pulse allowing it to pass as normal street clothes or render T'Challa completely invisible.
	+ **Force Push:** T'Challa can use the stored kinetic energy in his suit to either enhance his strikes or release it as an omnidirectional energy burst.
	+ **Vibranium Energy Daggers:** Energy constructed blades, the wielder has the ability to gauge between power levels, releasing a beam, powerful enough to slice through various structures and foes. This weapon can also be fired as a projectile. Energy daggers are T'Challa's default weapon of choice in armed combat situations.
	+ **Hard-Light Shielding:** T'Challa was shown using a small shield comprised of hardened light, to defend himself and others as part of his standard gear.
	+ **Teleportation Device:** T'Challa has also been shown using a teleportation device as part of his standard gear. The range is not known as of this moment.
	+ **Anti-Metal Claws:** The Claws in the gloves are made of Antarctic Vibranium-based "Anti-Metal" that can break down basically all metals at the molecular level.

* **Kimoyo Card:** An extremely powerful and versatile PDA. It functions similarly to the Avengers' communicards, but with many more practical applications. In one instance, the Panther called up a schematic of a jumbo jet's cockpit controls and took command of the plane, landing the plane safely in a river. "Kimoyo" is Bantu for "of the spirit".
* **Spear of Bashenga:** a Vibranium spear first used by the second Black Panther, King Bashenga, and passed down from Panther to Panther down the royal line of Wakanda.
* **Ebony Blade:** The Ebony Blade is the signature weapon of the Black Knights, first bestowed upon their originator by the wizard Merlin, who had wanted to forge an equal to King Arthur’s Excalibur. In time, other individuals such as Ares, Valkyrie, Namor and eventually T’Challa himself came to wield this mystic sword. Wielders of the Ebony Blade can deflect and absorb energy-based attacks, and is immune to effects caused by other sources of magic. The sword itself is indestructible, and can cut through almost anything, barring other materials - man-made or magical - of similar strengths; Black Panther had once used it to cut through Iron Man's Extremis suit with little effort. Wielders can summon it remotely or can choose to transport themselves instead to the sword’s location, and Merlin’s enchantments prevent them from dying, although they can still be injured or otherwise incapacitated.
* **Heavenly Armor:** Lightweight body armor covering the user from head to toe in a similar fashion as Iron Man that operates by thought. It offers flight at high speeds, enhanced strength, and more protection in combat. The armor provides protection against mystical attacks and is equipped with various weapons.
* **Vibranium Armor:** A special armor used during the Superhuman Civil War.
* **Wakanda Hulkbuster:** a Hulkbuster Armor created by Black Panther to take the new Hulk, Amadeus Cho, down.

## Feats

### Strength

* Is strong enough to punch Red Skull´s jaw off
* Can throw spears through stone walls (20,000 pounds psi of force).
* Energy claws can pierce Iron Man
* Lifted a giant wheel and snapped through steel chains
* Wrestled a crocodile and a lion
* Broke Super Skrull’s arms and legs
* Tossed around robotic animals and stopped an elephant in it’s tracks
* Fought actual black panthers
* Spider-Man states that Black Panther's punches can cripple ordinary people
* Slammed through a rhino
* Almost punched off Red Skull’s jaw
* Decapitated Doombots
* Used a tree as a spear
* Lifted a throne that took 3 men to lift
* Punched back Namor
* Bulldogged a 1.5 ton rhino and a 5 ton one
* Uses Antarctic Vibranium claws to destroy steel
* In his full King of the Dead state, he made the Hulk bleed, destroyed a glass prison meant to restrain the Superior Iron Man, defeated several Mindless Ones and defeated Black Dwarf (one of Thanos' generals) and his army so soundly they were forced into retreat.

### Speed

* Is said to be faster than a panther (50 mph).
* Can outrun traffic
* Caught Spider-Man, in spite of his Spider-Sense
* Outraced Wolverine
* Caught Sabretooth, despite Sabretooth having a head start
* Faster than the animal he was named after
* Dodged attacks from Super Skrull
* Blitzed Cyclops
* Intercepted Silver Surfer’s board
* Beat up 4 men in the time it takes to say “quite severely”
* Caught bones being thrown with precision like Bullseye from Super Skrull
* Dodges automatic gunfire pretty much every single day of his life

### Durability

* Blocked bullets
* Blocked Magneto’s best attack
* Fought Killmonger for 13 hours, who can kill an elephant with a shoulder charge
* Stayed conscious after getting blasted by Star Dust
* Blocked knives
* The shells from a helicopter-mounted minigun don't even faze his suit.
* Tanked a PBR explosion
* Tanked a blast from Phoenix Namor
* Got backhanded by Hulk
* Resisted magic
* Has an emergency force field
* Took punches from Namor
* Fought and tanked hits from a demon possessed Iron Fist
* Psychic resistance is great enough that Emma Frost hurts herself trying to read his mind. \*Even Cable struggles to detect him.
* Redirected Storm’s lightning
* Vibranium prevents EMP attacks
* Enemy blades are destroyed by the Habit
* Absorbed a Repulsor blast from Ezekiel Stane and released it into the ground
* Survived his own suit exploding while he was wearing it.

### Skill

* Fought Namor
* Fought Iron Man in a suit that was designed for fighting T’Challa and outsmarted him
* Fought Killmonger
* Fought Captain America (Cap notes that T'Challa is unfocused on their fight, and is still dominant)
* Claimed that his senses rivals Wolverine's.
* Fought a space werewolf
* Bested the Fantastic Four
* Beat Karnak twice, who can sense all weaknesses
* Skilled at nerve strikes
* Fought Doctor Strange
* Beat six of Wakanda’s best warriors at once
* Has mastered every martial art on Earth.
* Fought a Super Skrull who possessed the knowledge of multiple master martial artists and won.
* Used energy daggers to cut through steel
* Wielded the complete Infinity Gauntlet to battle the Beyonder-powered Doctor Doom.
* Energy daggers can bypass Ultron's Adamantium shell to scramble his internal systems
* Stated to be the 8th smartest person in the world
* Tony Stark claims that T'Challa knows as much as him about the Iron Man suits
* Considers Reed Richards to be one of the only people that can keep up with him and created shadow physics
* Is at least as smart as Tony Stark
* Has a contingency plan for beating almost anyone in a fight, including Galactus
* Created the techno jungle under Wakanda
* He and Reed have been stated by Tony to be the smartest people he knows
* Read the body language of a Super Skrull
* Learned every fighting style in the world
* Ambushed Mephisto with prep time and ripped out his heart
* Outsmarted Doctor Doom
* Developed a Hulkbuster with Wakandan technology to defeat Amadeus Cho, the second Hulk
* Capable of making gadgets from a normal hardware store, like a watch which can hack into nearby devices or a forcefield.
* Can literally track a person's soul.
* Kimoyo card can hack and shut down alien technology
* Depowered Silver Surfer using technology copied from Doctor Doom
* Used Shadow Physics and the Nowhere Room to probe Galactus' memories
* Saw Doctor Strange's Astral form
* He can track your soul
* He takes down Luke Cage
* Defeated Klaw, Wolverine, Red Skull, Namor, & Doctor Doom
* Under T'Challa's leadership, Wakanda has warded off many would-be invaders. Even with Doctor Doom, Namor, and Ulysses Klaw charging in, Wakanda was never truly conquered, even against an alien invasion.

## Weaknesses

* **Suit's** **Weak Spots:** Despite the Black Panther Habit’s Vibranium composition, it is not entirely invincible; small linings along the grains of the suit that can be cut through can allow observant opponents to exploit these openings and bypass much of T’Challa’s defenses.
* **Enhanced Senses:** C be abused to an extent through radically strong stimuli like flashbangs and the Hulk’s thunder claps, although he has found ways to work around them.