Black Panther made his debut in Fantastic Four #52, but since then, he has become significantly more prominent and important in Marvel Comics. T’Challa is the King of Wakanda, a highly advanced nation that remained hidden from the rest of the world for centuries to protect their resources, and also stayed out of world conflicts that could threaten its people. Since his early debut in Fantastic Four, Black Panther has become a mainstay in Marvel Comics, an Avengers leader who has built up a massive list of enemies, both in Wakanda and in other countries who wanted to bring his country down.
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From the man who killed his father to his own adopted brother and villains who want to conquer Wakanda and steal its resources for themselves, here are the most dangerous villains Black Panther has faced over his career.
9) White Wolf (Hunter)
The White Wolf is one of Black Panther’s most personal villains. He is also known as Hunter and is T’Challa’s adopted older brother. Hunter was a young boy whose parents died in a plane crash and whom T’Chaka adopted, even though he was a white child. However, Hunter blames Black Panther for the death of their mother, N’Yami, who died a week after giving birth to T’Challa from an autoimmune disease she contracted while pregnant. Hunter never made his Marvel Comics debut until Black Panther Vol. 3 #4 in 1998. He worked as the leader of the Dogs of War (Hatut Zeraze), Wakanda’s secret police under T’Chaka’s rule. However, when he attempted to stage a coup after T’Challa became king, he was imprisoned, and T’Challa dissolved the Hatut Zeraze. When he got out, he set his sights on killing his brother as the White Wolf.
8) Erik Killmonger
Erik Killmonger is one of Black Panther’s most famous villains, but he isn’t among the most powerful, mostly thanks to his repeated failures when it came to his battles with T’Challa. His origin story in Marvel Comics differs significantly from the MCU’s Black Panther movie. His father was still a man named N’Jobu, but he was not T’Chaka’s brother, as he was in the film. N’Jobu was royalty, although he was murdered by Ulysses Klaw and his men, with N’Jadaka escaping the slaughter and starting a new life in America. Changing his name to Erik Killmonger, he sought revenge against Black Panther, as he blamed the Wakandan royal family for his family’s murder, and he has tried more than once to capture the throne. However, the one time he succeeded, he went into a coma when he took the mythical herb, deemed unworthy by the panther goddess Bast.
7) Achebe
Achebe is a Black Panther villain whose most significant power is his ability to lead people and convince even loyal Wakandans to follow him. He was a peasant farmer who helped some injured rebel guerrillas, only for them to repay him by stabbing him multiple times, burning his farm to the ground, and leaving with his wife. He made a deal with the Devil and killed everyone responsible before moving to the United States and receiving multiple degrees from Yale. He then started a war in his home country, forcing people to seek shelter in Wakanda, where he also went, posing as an immigrant. Working with Queen Ramonda and Mephisto, he was able to usurp the throne and take over leadership when Black Panther was absent for some time. However, Black Panther beat Mephisto and severed the agreement, which led to Achebe, who has no powers, to lose his sanity.
6) M’Baku
M’Baku made his debut in Avengers Vol. 1 #62, where he challenged Black Panther’s right to the Wakandan throne. He was a significant threat, as well, since he is the second greatest warrior in Wakanda, second only to T’Challa himself. Since the throne of Wakanda can change hands if the king is defeated in a scheduled battle, M’Baku formed a plan to challenge the king and capture the kingdom. His main goal was to outlaw technology and force Wakanda to revert to living off the land again, thereby making the country stronger. M’Baku revived the outlawed White Gorilla cult, which T’Challa had banned, and he had enough support to challenge for the throne. M’Baku actually beat T’Challa, but when he tried to kill the king with a giant statue, it fell on him instead, costing him the battle.
5) Tetu
Tetu is one of the most current Black Panther villains in Marvel Comics, appearing for the first time in Black Panther Vol. 6 #1 in 2016. He was a student at a prestigious Wakandan university who went into the wilderness to find answers that schools couldn’t teach him. When he returned, he had undergone a transformation, gaining mystical powers of nature manipulation (specifically plants) and the ability to open time portals. He then used his powers to collaborate with rebels in an attempt to overthrow Wakanda, believing he could transform it into a better country. His ability to open time portals was integral in bringing the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda to Earth, resulting in one of the biggest fights in Black Panther history.
4) Klaw
Ulysses Klaw is a very dangerous Black Panther villain, and he is also the one that T’Challa has the biggest grudge against. That is because, when Klaw was still mostly human, he was the man who murdered T’Chaka. By killing T’Challa’s dad, who was the King of Wakanda at the time, he was someone with a death warrant on his head. The fact that he is still alive and able to try to steal more vibranium when he sets his mind to it demonstrates his incredible power. He is also more powerful than the MCU ever hinted he was. That is because he is more than human now, his entire body transformed into solid sound, making him self-sentient, and he can use his sound generation powers from his body without needing the sonic disrupter Klaw used to need. While immortal and indestructible, he is vulnerable to vibranium.
3) Morlun
Most people consider Morlun to be a Spider-Man villain, but he is so much more than that. While most of his appearances have seen him target people connected to the spider-totem to suck their lifeforce like a vampire, he doesn’t stop with just spiders. He can survive on any hero connected to an animal totem, including the panther totem. Morlun is from Earth-001, and he only has to feed on totems to ensure he lives forever, although he loses power when he begins to starve. He came into conflict with the Black Panther when the Crocodile Cult resurrected him to devour the entire Black Panther totem and destroy Wakanda. His power was always legendary, but when he consumed and killed M’Baku, it legitimized him as a major Black Panther enemy.
2) Namor
Out of all Black Panther’s villains, the only one he likely hates the most after Klaw would be Namor, who isn’t technically a villain in Marvel Comics. While T’Challa is the King of Wakanda, Namor is the Prince of Atlantis, and neither man has respect for the other. The turning point of this blood feud occurred during Avengers vs. X-Men, when the Phoenix Force chose mutants to possess, and Namor used it to attack and bring Wakanda to its knees. This was so deadly that it caused Black Panther to end his marriage to Storm on the spot since she stood with the mutants. Even though both are members of the Illuminati, they never were on the same page, and the two proved they will never be genuine allies. When in water, no one is stronger than Namor in Marvel Comics.
1) Doctor Doom
The most powerful Black Panther villain in history is Doctor Doom. It was the Latverian dictator who brought Black Panther and Fantastic Four together for the first time, and the two remained connected for years after that, with Doom leading Latveria and Panther ruling Wakanda, and neither being on the same page. Things got worse when Doom learned about the vibranium in Wakanda and wanted to find a way to tunnel under the country to steal it. Years later, it was Doctor Doom who left T’Challa comatose after a fight, which is why Shuri trained to replace him as the new Black Panther. Finally, Doctor Doom’s might is why Black Panther made all the vibranium in Wakanda inert so that no one would attack his country for the mineral again.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
