I moderate a very popular videogame forum and I have to deal with a wide range of personalities. So one day this cat strolls up and says this:
“Civil War was awesome....well except for Black Panther. That character is such fail...
My issues with Black Panther go beyond Civil War however, like the way they always have him pull something out his ass. "Yes, we had a plan in place, if Galactus appeared..." Of course you did. (this is the same reason I don't care for Reed Richards most times)
This cat claims that he is indeed knowledgeable about Black Panther and comics in general. That’s hard to believe, but whatever. I did address it, but it’s been over for months. But it still bothers me; if you knew anything about Black Panther you would know that…
THE BLACK PANTHER IS THE MAN!
And I’m not even going to into xyz writer’s run of the character. I’m talking about core concept of the character. Now given as the years progressed the hero has had to advance as well. Spider-Man has always had this status quo which as mostly gone unchanged. Why does it need to, it works wonders to this day. Back in the day you had Black Panther and it was given he was this awesome warrior-king and hero. However it was public knowledge he was educated, highly educated in the west. But back then you just had him jumping around and fighting. So this introduction of the “new Black Panther” is just natural progression of the character.
He’s more than just a cat (no pun intended), who fights, and he NEEDS to be a brilliant tactician. Granted, I am very critical of Batman’s “got a plan for everything” that Grant Morrison and other had years ago. But there is a difference between being unstoppable and having something in the ready, just in case. Granted if Batman (and we know he does) as access to Justice League computers and first hand experience from others, he could have a plan to stop Darkseid. Don’t mean it would work. Same with Black Panther. His access to the Avengers, Fantastic Four, his Wakanda’s spy network and own “greater than you” technology, he could have a plan to for Galactus. And again, not saying he could man up Galactus, but he could have a plan. I don’t think any hero should be above a beat down every now and again, you need to have that check and balance for the sake of a good story. However if you are going to gripe about Black Panther’s tactical abilities (and Heaven forbid he actually has a brain and uses it), it all goes back to Wakanda.
Let’s talk about where Black Panther rests his head. Wakanda is the only African country to not be conqured by outside forces. To review, it’s the ONLY African country to not be overridden by outsid forces. It’s a high tech paradise, a prefect marriage of nature and technology. Along with all the advancements in techology, you have the Vibranium mound. T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father, was wise enough to not just willy-nilly give up this valuable resource. Some scoff at the idea of a Wakanda, and maybe if you look at this with a overly critical eye you could. But then again, no one ever questions why Latveria has ever been invaded and how could Dr. Doom control his country for so many years. To me, Wakanda is and should be seen as inspiration for what can be. Not mocked for the bloody and sad history of the past.
Again, I’m talking about the core concepts of the character. I’m not too big on what’s going on with comics now and I’m cool with that. As long as the core concept of the character is done right and if there is a change it makes sense, I’m good. And I’m cutting this short because I could go on all day. But yeah, if I had to pick teams for my “Superhero Fantasy Team,” I’m going use one of my top picks on Black Panther. And it’s cool not to like him, but don’t be all BS over it. Then again, everyone loves Wolverine, Deadpool, and other “I’ll kill you” type guys and as much as I love the concept of Wolverine (Logan), I think he’s over rated. Now you can make a rant about me and Wolverine. ;)
Peace.













