Black Panther

"Wakanda forever!"

- T'Challa

T'Challa was the monarch of the African nation of Wakanda. As the Wakandan monarch, he was also the former holder of the Black Panther mantle. After his father was killed in a bombing attack orchestrated by Helmut Zemo, the new monarch set out to kill the Winter Soldier, whom was widely believed to be responsible for the attack. After being drawn into the Avengers Civil War and siding with Iron Man, T'Challa learned the truth about Zemo's deception and decided to help the Winter Soldier by granting him asylum in Wakanda and also help him get a cure for his mental programming.

After his coronation, T'Challa began hunting down Ulysses Klaue, only to be confronted by his cousin Erik Killmonger, who sought the throne for himself. After a lengthy campaign, T'Challa defeated Killmonger and decided to introduce Wakandan technology to the United Nations.

Two years later, he assisted the Avengers in trying to stop Thanos and the Black Order from obtaining the Infinity Stones, resulting in a massive confrontation between the Black Order, the Avengers, and Wakanda's army. However, while T'Challa and his allies managed to kill off all of Thanos's forces, Thanos came to Wakanda. The Mad Titan completely overpowered T'Challa and the heroes and retrieved the Mind Stone, completing the Infinity Gauntlet. T'Challa disintegrated into ashes alongside Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Bucky Barnes and Groot when Thanos wiped out half of every civilization in the universe with the completed Infinity Gauntlet.

Raised in Wakanda
"For a man who disapproves of diplomacy, you're getting quite good at it."

- T'Chaka

T'Challa was born in Wakanda, an isolationist country located in Africa, to the reigning monarch T'Chaka and his wife Ramonda. He eventually has a younger sister named Shuri. Trained for most of his life to take his father's place as the next Black Panther, T'Challa grew into a man with a highly active mind and, despite T'Chaka's best efforts, a great dislike for politics.

Becoming the Black Panther
"My whole life I would watch him wearing the suit. He could pick up a man with one hand, run as fast as a zebra. Then he told me he was too old to carry the mantle of Panther; he would pass it to me, and just be king." "He told me he was too fat to fit the suit."

- T'Challa and Zuri

One week after becoming the protector of Wakanda, T'Challa, as the Black Panther, was sent with Okoye to save Wakandan hostages from Zanda and Douglas Scott.

Black Panther took on Zanda as Okoye retrieved the hostages, and was shot in the shoulder by her Vibranium bullets. Before she could kill him, however, Zanda moved to shoot the fleeing hostages, giving Black Panther the chance to overpower her, and ensure the hostages escaped. Once the police stormed the building, the mercenaries fled, with Black Panther deciding to pursue them in his aircraft.

Following them to a yacht, Black Panther and Okoye took out the mercenaries and then confronted Zanda and Scott, with Black Panther killing Zanda by igniting one of her grenades, and saving Okoye by dropping a metal bar on Scott's hands.

Assassination of T'Chaka
"For generations, the Black Panther has been a protector of Wakanda. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. Now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of King."

- T'Challa and Natasha Romanoff

When the United Nations decided to approve the Sokovia Accords in order to control and monitor the Avengers in the wake of the devastating battle between the Avengers and the now deceased terrorist Crossbones, during which several Wakandan citizens were killed among other innocents, T'Challa and the Wakandan government chose to support the accords as they felt the Avengers could become a true risk to the safety of Wakanda and the rest of the world considering their involvement in Ultron's creation. T'Challa and his father T'Chaka attended the conference in Vienna, meeting Natasha Romanoff there. T'Challa spent time speaking with Romanoff where they had discussed the accords and their shared discomfort of such political meetings. T'Challa commented on the fact that the last time Romanoff was in such company, she had just exposed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets during the HYDRA Uprising, claiming her dislike for it made him happy to have seen her there. They were then interrupted by T'Chaka who had teased his son and greeted Romanoff, noting that Captain America had decided not to attend as he disagreed with the control the accords would put on his and the Avengers' actions. Once Romanoff had taken her own seat, T'Chaka then expressed his pride of seeing his son's skill at politics getting much better as they thanked each other for their continued support during this difficult time for Wakanda's future. During the conference, T'Challa's watched as his father then gave a speech about Wakanda's dark history and unfortunate involvement in the creation of deadly weapons made with Vibranium, using these as his reasons for signing the accords. Upon hearing the commotion outside, T'Challa realized danger was incoming but was too late to stop his father being killed in a terrorist attack that was orchestrated by Helmut Zemo under the disguise of the Winter Soldier. While the fire was being put out, T'Challa mournfully took his late father's ring and took over his rightful role as King of Wakanda. While considering his next actions, T'Challa was greeted by Romanoff who expressed her own grief at T'Chaka's sudden death and promised him the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre would arrest the Winter Soldier and bring him to justice. T'Challa however then informed Romanoff that he intended to find and kill the Winter Soldier himself.

Hunting the Winter Soldier


"T'Challa, Task Force will decide who brings in Barnes." "Don't bother, Ms. Romanoff. I’ll kill him myself."

- Natasha Romanoff and T'Challa

T'Challa put on the Panther Habit in order to avenge his father's death. He then quickly managed to track the Winter Soldier down to where he had been hiding in Bucharest, where he fiercely attacked him. Despite being momentarily shocked by the arrival of such an unexpected enemy, the Winter Soldier quickly got to his feet and began fighting Black Panther but gets overpowered many times by T'challa's furious attacks. Using the incredibly sharp claws on his suit, Black Panther slashed at his enemy and tried to kill him, eventually pinning him to the ground and attempting to stab his target through the throat. When all hope looked lost for the Winter Soldier their battle finally stopped when Black Panther had then been shot at by a helicopter, with his own Vibranium suit saving him. The Winter Soldier then attempted to escape by running off the side of the building, only for Black Panther to follow, grinding down the building's side. While the Winter Soldier attempted to escape by running on foot, the Black Panther hunted and chased Barnes down through a long traffic tunnel, pursued himself by Captain America and Falcon who were now attempting to aid the Winter Soldier's escape. Determined not to allow the man who seemingly killed T'Chaka to escape, the Black Panther charged through the tunnels, as his enhanced speed allowed him to run past cars as he began to gain on the Winter Soldier. When Rogers apprehended a Joint Counter Terrorist Centre car to try and catch up to Barnes, who was escaping on a motorbike, Black Panther jumped onto the back of the car to gain extra speed as well as jumping on the back of Falcon and flying through the tunnel, trying several times to knock Barnes off the motorcycle he was riding but finding that Barnes' Prosthetic Arm gave him an advantage as the Panther was grabbed by the throat, but T'Challa soon recovered. Eventually, Barnes reached the end of the tunnel and tried to use an explosive to block their way, only for Black Panther to leap through the blast and slice through Barnes' tires, causing his own bike to crash. Although Rogers stopped him from killing Barnes, they were all soon captured when War Machine and an entire police squad arrived and surrounded them, to which he unmasked and revealed himself as the King of Wakanda to the surprise of everybody.

Held by Everett Ross
"How long do your psychological evaluations usually take?" "Why? You bored?" "Not currently, but my prisoner and I have a plane to catch."

- T'Challa and Natasha Romanoff

The police apprehended them all, who were now fugitives due to the new Sokovia Accords. The group was then brought into Berlin in an armored car to await their own punishments for all the chaos they caused. Along the way, T'Challa explained to Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson the history of the Black Panther and why he had targeted Bucky Barnes, while he desired to avenge T'Chaka and vowed that Rogers would not be able to keep Barnes safe from him for long. The group arrived at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building and were soon greeted by Sharon Carter and her boss Everett Ross while Barnes was locked up in a maximum security prison of the German anti-terror police force GSG9. T'Challa was also brought into their custody and saw Captain America's Shield and EXO-7 Falcon being taken away. When Rogers questioned what would happen to Barnes, he was told he would be questioned by Ross' own men before being taken away to begin his sentence, which T'Challa seemed to agree with. Ross then explained that while he was there, T'Challa would be provided with an office rather than a prison cell to stay in. While awaiting news on what would happen with the Winter Soldier at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building, T'Challa was visited by Natasha Romanoff who expressed her surprise at his secret identity, citing that this now placed him under the Accords' jurisdiction. T'Challa noted he wanted to move on so he could take Barnes to Wakanda. As Romanoff claimed this would be unlikely, Everett Ross confirmed T'Challa had been granted Barnes' extradition.

Hunting Bucky Barnes
"My resources are considerable." "Yeah, it took the world 70 years to find Barnes... so you could probably do that in about half the time." "You know where they are."

- T'Challa and Black Widow

T'Challa waited as Winter Soldier was questioned by Helmut Zemo posing as the psychiatrist Theo Broussard. However while T'Challa, Everett Ross and the Avengers watched the questioning unfold, the power was shut off. Sensing that a more sinister plan was unfolding involving the Winter Soldier, who may be attempting to escape, T'Challa then went to investigate the incident himself further. Heading downstairs as chaos was erupting throughout the building, T'Challa discovered the Winter Soldier had escaped and was fighting against Natasha Romanoff and Sharon Carter who had in turn tried to save Tony Stark from the Winter Soldier's fury. Charging in before the clash could prove fatal, T'Challa managed to save Romanoff from being strangled by the Winter Soldier and engaged in a one on one fight with his enemy, determined for him not to get to escape. While they began to fight against each other, it was clear that T'challa was not scared and proved to be lethal asHYDRA assassin, although the Soldier was able to use his Prosthetic Arm to gain an advantage with strength, managing to knock T'Challa to the ground and tried to get away, although T'Challa soon got to his feet and reengaged with the Winter Soldier, seeing his Wakandan Royal Ring seemed to have some strange affect onto the Winter Soldier's Prosthetic Arm. T'Challa refused to allow his father's killer to escape and continued fighting, furiously striking against him before kicking him down the stairs. Once the pair continued their duel, T'Challa managed to gain the upper hand and knocked him off the balcony easily. However losing sight of the Soldier proved to be a dangerous mistake however as T'Challa leaped down to reengage with his target, only to suddenly discover that the Winter Soldier had managed to get away. When T'Challa learned from his Attaché that the Winter Soldier had escaped from the building, seemingly with the help of Steve Rogers, he decided to use Wakanda's many resources to track him down. On his way out, he was stopped by Natasha Romanoff, who came close to fighting Ayo, his security chief. T'Challa spoke to Romanoff politely and explained his current plan, however, Romanoff offered him a new alternative, to join Stark's team of Avengers members in finding and capturing Rogers along with the Winter Soldier for Thaddeus Ross. Knowing that this would prove to be a much faster method of finding and killing his target, T'Challa agreed to join Stark's team.

Clash of the Avengers
"I didn't kill your father." "Then why did you run?"

- Winter Soldier and Black Panther

Having joined Iron Man's side, Black Panther eventually found and ambushed Captain America at an airport in Flughafen Leipzig-Halle, greeting Rogers with respect while Stark continued to argue about the Sokovia Accords while Spider-Man arrived and took away his shield to ensure that he could not fight back, as Stark tried to convince him to surrender himself over to the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre for interrogation. However, Rogers remained confident and had Hawkeye free him from Spider-Man's webbing and Ant-Man gave him back his shield. As Iron Man scanned the area, he spotted the Winter Soldier, who Black Panther attempted to go after, only for Rogers to stand in his way. When Rogers ignored T'Challa's warning to get out of his way, they engaged in a fierce fight, where the claws on his own Panther Habit caused permanent scratch marks on Rogers' shield. T'Challa teamed up with War Machine during the fight but they both proved to be bested by Captain America, who fought them both off while disarming War Machine's weapons. The fight was stopped when Captain America and Ant-Man used a Pym Particle Disk to enlarge and throw a large fire truck towards T'Challa, War Machine and Black Widow, much to their annoyance as both T'Challa and Widow managed to dodge the explosion while Rhodes was hit with full on force, knocking him painfully backwards. As Rogers and the rest of his team attempted to make their way to the Avengers' Quinjet to make their escape from the airport, their path was soon stopped by the Vision, who used the Mind Stone to block their path. T'Challa joined the rest of Iron Man's team as the two opposing sides later gathered up to charge against their former allies, T'Challa first targeted the man he was desperate to get revenge on and who was seemingly responsible for the terrorist attacks. During the fight Winter Soldier tried to convince T'Challa that he wasn't the one who murdered T'Chaka, but T'Challa only questioned why he had run away if he was innocent. He almost succeeded to kill the wrong suspect as he pulled away his Prosthetic Arm and then attempted to cut his throat, but Scarlet Witch intervened and stopped his claws from reaching Barnes, and threw T'Challa through a distance with her powers, hitting a jet bridge.

Losing his Targets
"We haven't met yet. I'm Clint." "I don't care."

- Hawkeye and Black Panther

Later, T'Challa spotted both Captain America and the Winter Soldier attempting to escape with a Quinjet which was inside the hangar, but Giant-Man held him and all the rest of Iron Man's team back. When keeping Spider-Man, Iron Man and War Machine away from his team, Ant-Man kicked a bus at T'Challa, only to be saved at the last second by the Vision intervening and blocking the bus with his own Vibranium body. With Vision's help, T'Challa was able to elude Ant-Man to reach the Quinjet Hangar. Before he can do so, Hawkeye tries keeping T'Challa at bay by firing many of his explosive arrows directly at him. T'Challa dodged many of the arrows and caught two before they exploded right in his face, angering him enough to fight Hawkeye by showing him his Vibranium claws unleashed from his own Panther Habit as the Black Panther prepared to fight his legendary attacker. Seeing that his current fighting technique was not working and still attempting to ensure his ally's escape, Hawkeye turned his bow into a staff and introduced himself to T'Challa, since they had never been introduced before this point, with the latter replying that he did not care who he was fighting. The pair started fighting one another until T'Challa broke his staff in half and knocked Hawkeye out of the fight, before then continuing his pursuit to the Quinjet Hangar. Despite the best efforts of Vision to block them, Rogers and Barnes reached the hangar due to the Scarlet Witch's interference. Panther came close to them, only to be stunned multiple times by the Black Widow's Widow Bite, allowing Rogers and Barnes to escape, despite T'Challa trying to get a hold of the Quinjet. Romanoff claimed she had only promised to help him find not kill them. T'Challa was furious with her and he later reported her betrayal to Everett Ross.

Capturing Helmut Zemo
"Vengeance has consumed you. It is consuming them. I am done letting it consume me. Justice will come soon enough." "Tell that to the dead." "The living are not done with you yet."

- Black Panther and Helmut Zemo

Having had a meeting with Thaddeus Ross onboard the Raft prison where he had a top-secret meeting with Falcon, Tony Stark discovered the location of the now fugitives Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Once Stark had put on his Iron Man suit and went to find them, T'Challa secretly followed Stark while onboard his jet towards Siberia, where the Winter Soldier laboratory was located. T'Challa then successfully infiltrated the building with the plan to kill Winter Soldier; following close behind as Iron Man had made peace with Rogers. However, T'Challa overheard the conversation between Rogers and the terrorist Helmut Zemo, in which he had confessed to killing all the other Winter Soldiers and admitted to framing Barnes for killing King T'Chaka. Having learned this truth that he had been deceived, Black Panther focused his efforts on Zemo himself. While Zemo rested on top of a hill outside the missile bunker, certain that he had succeeded to pit Iron Man and Captain America against each other, T'Challa quietly confronted him. However, rather than going face-to-face with T'Challa, Zemo instead explained to T'Challa that his family had died in the Battle of Sokovia and that he wanted to tear apart the Avengers to find justice for his family. Zemo had also admitted that T'Chaka's death was not intended and apologized for it, saying that T'Chaka was a good man and had a dutiful son. Realizing how revenge could consume men, T'Challa had decided to spare Zemo and even stopped him from committing suicide, using his Vibranium-protected hand to block the gunshot. stating to Zemo that the living are not done with him yet. Binding his prisoner, T'Challa reunited with Rogers and Barnes, telling Barnes that he had sources in Wakanda that could remove all HYDRA's programming. T'Challa then handed Zemo over to Everett Ross for his punishment.

Coronation
"You want to hand the nation over to this Prince who could not keep his own father safe. We will not have it. I say: we will not have it! I, M'Baku, leader of the Jabari..." "I accept your challenge, M'Baku."

- M'Baku and T'Challa

One week after his father's death at Helmut Zemo's hands, T'Challa then returned to his home country to be formally crowned king. First, however, he decided to retrieve his former lover Nakia, a Wakandan spy, from her current mission with the help of Okoye. Upon arriving at Wakanda's capital, T'Challa was greeted by his mother and little sister, who held great expectations for him as the new heir. By tradition, T'Challa needed to accept the challenge of any of the warriors chosen by the other four tribes of Wakanda for the title of King. Four of them declined to challenge the throne, but M'Baku of the Jabari Tribe willingly accepted while outright mocking the Black Panther and his predecessor. After an intense duel, T'Challa decided to spare M'Baku, saying that his people need him, and the latter yielded.

Council with Zuri
"I told him not to speak at the UN. He taught me not to trust the outside world. Why did he change his views?" "Time. It has a way of making you look back on the things that you have done."

- T'Challa and Zuri

Following his reunion with T'Chaka in the Ancestral Plane, T'Challa spoke with Zuri about how he became the Black Panther. He remembered watching his father rule as Black Panther, performing amazing feats, but was told by T'Chaka that he'd gotten too old for the mantle, and passed it to his son so that he may rule simply as King. However, Zuri claimed that the only reason T'Chaka had given it up was because he'd gotten too fat to fit the Panther Habit, much to both of their amusement.

T'Challa then mournfully stated that he'd tried to keep his father from speaking in Vienna, and questioned why his father abandoned the isolationist ideals he'd raised T'Challa to follow. Zuri responded by stating that time changed T'Chaka, causing him to look back on his actions in the past, and attempt to correct them.

Upgrades
Shuri then took T'Challa back to her lab to show him new improvements to his equipment, including the newly made Sneakers. The most significant was his Panther Habit, which could materialize instantly and is easily stored in the Black Panther necklace when not in use, as well as absorb any sort of damage and emit it back outward, making it virtually indestructible.

Manhunt for Ulysses Klaue
"Did you think we would forget? Look at me, murderer! Where did you get this weapon?" "You savages didn't deserve it. Whoa. Mercy, King, mercy!" "Every breath you take is mercy from me."

- Black Panther and Ulysses Klaue

T'Challa soon learned that Ulysses Klaue had stolen a Vibranium artifact from the Museum of Great Britain and was planning to sell it on the black market. Accompanied by Nakia and Okoye, T'Challa traveled to Busan, South Korea to intercept the deal and apprehend the longtime enemy of his country. Upon arriving at the underground casino where the deal was taking place, T'Challa was surprised to find that Everett Ross, an old acquaintance from the CIA, was the buyer. After T'Challa questioned Ross' motives, one of Klaue's bodyguards recognized Okoye, and a fight broke out in the casino. Chasing Klaue outside, T'Challa pursued him through the streets of Busan with help from Shuri and the others and managed to disable his ride. He prepared to kill Klaue, but relented after seeing the hundreds of eyewitnesses in the plaza, and handed him over to Ross.

Klaue's Escape
With Ulysses Klaue finally in their custody, T'Challa decided to take him back to Wakanda to answer for his crimes. Instead, Everett Ross asked T'Challa to let him talk to Klaue alone for five minutes. T'Challa agreed, but unbeknownst to Ross, he had secretly planted a Wakandan listening device on the agent. During his interrogation, Klaue explained to Ross that Wakanda is not a third-world country as everyone was led to believe, and the Vibranium he'd stolen in 1992 was insignificant to the mass amount they possessed to date. As Ross confronted T'Challa about the truth of his country, armed gunmen breached the wall of the interrogation room and abducted Klaue. T'Challa chased them, but hesitated after he saw one of them wearing a Wakandan Royal Ring around his neck similar to his father's, allowing them to escape. T'Challa returned to the others to find that Ross had been severely injured while protecting Nakia. Understanding the risks of bringing a foreign agent into his home, T'Challa ordered Ross brought to Wakanda to heal him in gratitude for saving Nakia.

Saving Agent Ross
"I am well aware of my duties General! I cannot just let him die, knowing we can save him."

- T'Challa to Okoye

Despite Okoye's objections, T'Challa brought Ross back to Wakanda and placed him in Shuri's care. She was quite pleased that her brother brought "another broken white boy" for her to fix. Thanks to their advanced technology, he eventually made a full recovery.

Skeletons in the Closet
"Some truths are too much to bear." "That is not for you to decide. What happened to him?" "I promised the King to say nothing–" "I AM YOUR KING NOW!"

- Zuri and T'Challa

T'Challa confronted Zuri and demanded the truth about his uncle N'Jobu, whom his father said disappeared one day. He went on to explain the arrival of a man wearing his grandfather's ring who helped Ulysses Klaue escape from capture. Zuri, hesitant, stated that he had promised T'Chaka, his former king, he would not tell of N'Jobu's fate, but T'Challa furiously stated he is the current King of Wakanda.

Reluctantly, Zuri explained that N'Jobu fell in love with an American woman while on a War Dog assignment, and was discovered through Zuri to have hired Klaue less than thirty years ago to steal Vibranium from the country to aid in the in America after witnessing the tragedies happening to the African Americans there. N'Jobu was upset that T'Chaka couldn't understand the need to share the rare metal with the rest of the Africans in the world, and that he was being punished for trying to help. When T'Chaka ordered his brother to return and face punishment, N'Jobu pulled a gun on Zuri for betraying him but was quickly disarmed and killed by T'Chaka, leaving the king heartbroken, ordering Zuri to keep his actions a secret.

Zuri explained that T'Chaka knew of N'Jobu's child with the American woman, but decided to leave the boy to maintain the lie that N'Jobu disappeared. T'Challa was left appalled by his father's actions but Nakia advises him that he must not let his father's mistakes determine what T'Challa will do as king.

Meeting Erik Killmonger
"I don't care that you brought Klaue, only reason I don't kill you where you stand is because I know who you are. Now, what do you want?" "I want the throne."

- T'Challa and Erik Killmonger

While meeting with the Tribal Council, T'Challa looked on as Erik Killmonger unexpectedly arrived with W'Kabi, who presented Ulysses Klaue's corpse, much to T'Challa's surprise. Killmonger denounced T'Challa's leadership and demanded the king to ask who he really was. Feeling he had already overstayed his welcome, T'Challa ordered Killmonger to leave, but when one of the tribe leaders finally asked for his identity, he revealed himself to be N'Jadaka, the son of N'Jobu, and challenged T'Challa's right to the throne and the mantle of the Black Panther. T'Challa then accepted his terms.

Killmonger's Challenge
"I lived my entire life waiting for this moment. I trained, I lied, I killed just to get here. I killed in America, Afghanistan, Iraq... I took life from my own brothers and sisters right here on this continent! And all this death just so I could kill you!"

- Erik Killmonger to T'Challa

The two arrived at Warrior Falls in accordance with tradition. After T'Challa was stripped of the Heart-Shaped Herb, he found Erik Killmonger's military training and experience made him a worthy opponent. While T'Challa had the upper hand at first, Killmonger capitalized on T'Challa's mercy and indecision to ultimately defeat and badly wound him, cutting his thigh and stomach. Before Killmonger could deliver the final blow, Zuri intervened, claiming that he was truly responsible for his father's death and that he should take his life instead, to which Killmonger happily obliged. Distraught at Zuri's untimely death, T'Challa lunged at Killmonger once more but to no avail. Killmonger decided to finish off the king by throwing him over the falls and declared himself the new king, to everyone's displeasure.

Saved by the Jabari Tribe
"All of you were wrong to turn your backs on the rest of the world! We let the fear of discovery stop us from doing what is right. No more! I cannot stay here with you. I cannot rest while HE sits on the throne! He is a monster of our own making! I must take the mantle back. I must! I must right these wrongs!"

- T'Challa to T'Chaka

The Jabari Tribe had found T'Challa in the freezing rivers where they fish and brought him back to their domain. M'Baku decided to save his life as repayment for his mercy at the falls earlier and showed his comatose state to Nakia, Ramonda, Shuri, and Everett Ross, having escaped while Killmonger consolidated his power. With T'Challa comatose and stabilized only by the surrounding snow, Ramonda remembered to use the one heart-shaped herb they stole to bring him back. Awaking in the spiritual plane again, he was greeted by T'Chaka and invited to join him and the rest of his ancestors. Instead, T'Challa was furious at his father for what happened to his uncle and cousin and angered by the other Black Panthers for how their strict isolationism has led to suffering around the world. T'Challa declared his work wasn't done yet and woke to the relief of his loved ones. T'Challa thanked M'Baku for saving his life and requested that he and the rest of the Jabari help overthrow Killmonger. M'Baku declined, as he had already repaid his debt to T'Challa. The group left the tribe, with Shuri giving T'Challa his Panther Habit for the coming battle.

Battle for Wakanda
"I never yielded! And as you can see, I am not dead!" "All that challenge shit is over with. I'm the king now."

- Black Panther and Erik Killmonger

As Erik Killmonger's agents started delivering Vibranium weapons to War Dog operatives around the world, one of the aircrafts exploded and crashed, with T'Challa emerging from the wreckage. T'Challa then challenged Killmonger, stating that the Ritual Combat wasn't over. Killmonger ordered W'Kabi and the Wakandan Army to attack T'Challa. Okoye and the Dora Milaje moved to counter, and the Battle for Wakanda began.

During the fight, T'Challa fought against W'kabi and his soldiers, and brought down W'kabi's war rhinos. As Killmonger, wearing the another Panther Habit, defeated Okoye and 3 of the Dora Milaje, he turned his attention to Shuri. When T'Challa saw this, he charged at Killmonger, and tackled him, causing both to fall into the Vibranium mine. In the mine, Killmonger and T'Challa fought on the tracks of one of the Vibranium transport trains. T'Challa asked Shuri to activate the train, knowing it would activate the Sonic Stablizers, rendering his, and Killmonger's suits useless. After an extended fight, T'Challa was able to fatally stab Killmonger in the abdomen with Killmonger's short spear.

Killmonger, knowing the fight was over, told T'Challa about his father, and how he told Killmonger that Wakanda was the most beautiful place in the world. After this, T'Challa helped bring Killmonger to the top of the mine to watch the sunset. While there, T'Challa offered to heal Killmonger, but Killmonger refused, saying that he would rather die a free man. With this, Killmonger pulled the spear out of his body, bleeding to death.

Joining the United Nations
"This is the building where our uncle lived, where our father killed him." "They're tearing it down. Good." "They are not tearing it down, not anymore. I bought the building. And that one... and that one."

- T'Challa and Shuri

Some time after reclaiming Wakanda, T'Challa gave a speech at the United Nations in Vienna, officially ending Wakanda's isolation and proclaiming all of Earth as one tribe. Few days before, T'Challa decide to buy an apartment complex and convert it into an embassy to be run by Nakia and Shuri.

Saving the Winter Soldier
"Your friend and my father, they were both victims. If I can help one of them find peace..." "You know if they find out he's here, they'll come for him." "Let them try."

- T'Challa and Steve Rogers

Some weeks after the Battle at the HYDRA Siberian Facility, T'Challa informed Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes that the best chance of having the Winter Soldier Programming removed was for Barnes to return to cryo-sleep stasis, which Barnes agreed to do. After Shuri explained how she intended to remove the HYDRA programming, Barnes willingly let himself freeze in a cryo-chamber until the Wakandan scientists could find a way to cure him of HYDRA's brainwashing.

Rogers warned T'Challa that forces of opposition would come and declare war on Wakanda for allowing the Winter Soldier to take refuge within the kingdom, to which T'Challa replied that they could try as the two overlooked the landscape of the kingdom's mountains.

Months later, T'Challa was told by Shuri that, since Barnes' programming was mostly connected to trigger words, she would use an algorithm that would 'reset' Barnes so HYDRA's programming could be destroyed without removing his memories. Shuri then revealed that her algorithm could be used to improve the Wakandan's technology though artificial intelligence in a more effective way than Ultron.

Recruiting White Wolf
"Where's the fight?" "On its way."

- Bucky Barnes and T'Challa

Following attacks by Thanos' minions in New York City as well as Scotland, the remaining Avengers on the Earth and appealed to T'Challa for help to remove the Mind Stone from the Vision and repel the expected invasion of Earth, of which T'Challa agreed. The King of Wakanda then visited Bucky Barnes and gave him a new metal arm in order to enlist him for the upcoming conflict.

Battle of Wakanda
"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood." "We have blood to spare."

- Black Panther and Proxima Midnight

Shortly after, T'Challa was reunited with the Avengers, while Steve Rogers thanked him for his help by stating that he "always has to thank [T'Challa] for something". T'Challa was also introduced to Bruce Banner, who was tricked by James Rhodes to bow to T'Challa. Surprised, T'Challa explained to Banner that he didn't had to do it. T'Challa also tasked Shuri with extracting the Mind Stone from the injured Vision's forehead. T'Challa rallied the Wakandans in order to fight the members of the Black Order, knowing that they will come to Wakanda for the Mind Stone.

The Black Order quickly appeared, with T'Challa stating that, since they are in Wakanda, everything that Thanos will get will be blood and dust. The Black Order then unleashed the Outriders, who attacked en masse, througth most of them could not penetrate Wakanda's protective force field. To prevent them from flanking their position and reaching Vision, T'Challa ordered the shield wall lowered to funnel the enemy towards them. Though many lives were lost, T'Challa and the Wakandans fought valiantly and killed many of Thanos' forces before Thor had arrived alongside Rocket Raccoon and Groot to help turn the tide of the battle.

Unfortunately, Thanos himself arrived in Wakanda to personally retrieve the Mind Stone. T'Challa and the others tried to stop him from doing so, but found themselves hopelessly outmatched by Thanos's dominion over the fabrics of reality given to him by the nearly completed Infinity Gauntlet, with T'Challa being the third one incapacitated while attempting to help Captain America and use his kinetic energy pulse to attack Thanos to no avail, as the Titan easily grabbed T'Challa in the shoulder with his Infinity Gauntlet hand and punched him with so much force that all the energies in his Habit were expelled, knocking him out instantly. Although they bought enough time for Scarlet Witch to destroy the Mind Stone, Thanos used the Time Stone to undo her actions and retrieved the stone from Vision, destroying him.

Thanos' Victory
"Up, general! Up! This is no place to die."

- T'Challa to Okoye

With a snap of his fingers, Thanos' plan came to fruition as half of all sentient life across the universe began to disintegrate. T'Challa held out his hand to Okoye, only for him to disintegrate in front of her horrified eyes.

Personality
"You were wrong! All of you were wrong! To turn your backs on the rest of the world! We let the fear of discovery stop us from doing what is right. No more! I cannot stay here with you. I cannot rest while he sits on the throne. He is a monster of our own making. I must take the mantle back. I must! I must right these wrongs."

- Black Panther

T'Challa is shown to have high respect towards other people, especially towards his father, T'Chaka. He honors the tradition and principles of Wakanda and is willing to take action whenever it is necessary. When his father died, he was willing and ready to take his rightful place as king of Wakanda. While he does not seem to favor fights, he was very quick to try and avenge his father's death. An honorable fighter, T'Challa respects his opponents and is willing to spare his enemies' lives. That being said, he is not opposed to killing his opponents in a fight and does not always try to avoid lethal measures of disabling them, such as when he threw a gunman under a moving car. Though he mortally injured Erik Killmonger, he still offered him the chance to heal his wounds and even granted his wish to see Wakanda's sunset before dying. When M'Baku challenged T'Challa for the throne, T'Challa focused on forcing M'Baku to yield rather than trying to kill him.

Despite shown to be too action-oriented and had too much of a shoot-first-asks-questions-later attitude early in his introductions, he is however, not incapable to see reason and was level-headed enough to know when to keep his emotions in check, shown when he finally had the chance to avenge his father, he ultimately chose not to, knowing that doing so would make him fall as low as Zemo, and would go against what the Black Panther stands for. As he stood by Zemo, the latter explained to him about how he had also lost his loved ones too, and that he and T'Challa were not so different, as they both are in pursuit of revenge. It was at this moment that T'Challa realized that revenge has completely consumed Zemo, and he realized that this is not what his father would have wanted for him, he even offered to heal Erik Killmonger despite wanting to kill him initially due to the multiple atrocities he committed, and for killing Zuri who was a friend and a mentor to him. In the end, he agreed to help Captain America and Winter Soldier by granting them asylum in Wakanda, despite their status being international criminals now, as he was able empathize with the pain both went through. He also displays a strong resolve, as when Captain America warned him the world might declare war on his country for housing Winter Soldier, he confidently stated to let them come.

According to his father, T'Challa tends to disapprove of diplomacy but was nevertheless supportive of the Sokovia Accords, showing that he is more a warrior at heart than a politician.

Since ascending to the throne as King of Wakanda, he is constantly torn between honoring the traditions of Wakanda, and helping the wider world. T'Challa personally questions Wakanda's isolationism, yet unable to find any solid reasons to take a stand on the issue other than traditions. While he agrees that Wakanda, as the most advanced country in the world, can and should do more to help the world, he is unwilling to revise the country's isolationist policies.

It isn't until T'Challa has been dethroned by his corrupted and very destructive cousin, learning about his father's mistakes and the country being on the brink of declaring war against the rest of the world, that he realizes that Wakanda's isolationism had caused, and will eventually cause, more harm than good to the nation's interests, and that of the world's at large. His epiphany on the matter becomes so firm that he berates his father's and his predecessors' insistence on isolationism in the spirit realm, and vows to make Wakanda truly a part of the world.

To that end, T'Challa initiates a variety of programs dedicated to providing aid to the needy in foreign countries, and promote exchanges in a variety of fields, as early steps to break Wakanda's isolation in a very cautious manner, as it is impossible to fully share Wakanda's wealth, technological advancements, and Vibranium resources, without causing worldwide chaos.

T'Challa is not a very talkative person, as he usually stays silent during convesations and often talks in short sentences. Even though T'Challa almost always shows a mostly serious demeanor, he is actually quite humorous and sarcastic around his family and friends. He jokes and playfully interacts with his sister Shuri, his lover Nakia, and bodyguard Okoye. He also had a good friendship with his best friend W'Kabi and advisor Zuri until the former lost faith in him for his failure to capture Klaue.

Powers
"The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father... I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you... as both warrior and king... how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"

- T'Challa to Captain America


 * Heart-Shaped Herb Enhancement: After having consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa's physical attributes have been greatly enhanced to levels comparable to a super soldier. These powers are long-lasting, at least until the user drinks a serum to negate the powers of the herbs for a trial combat for a fair fight to become King of Wakanda, when he became a regular human.
 * Enhanced Strength: After having consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa's strength is tremendously enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He could fight Winter Soldier on equal grounds, despite the latter's own strength and fighting ability, able to send him flying through the air with his attacks, and even dueled Captain America on equal grounds. Furthermore, he was able to swiftly tackle down a charging rhino and destroy a Wakandan plane using a Vibranium spear. T'Challa was able to overpower the Outriders and even topple down the Cull Obsidian during the Battle of Wakanda.
 * Enhanced Durability: T'Challa is much more durable than a normal human being. Even when not wearing his Panther Habit, he can survive blunt force trauma such as being hit with the Winter Soldier's bionic arm and surviving the explosion at the Vienna International Centre with minor injuries, despite being right next to the blast's epicenter. While wearing the Habit, T'Challa's durability is increased further thanks to its Vibranium composition, which allowed him to withstand bullets and explosions while being completely unfazed.
 * Enhanced Speed: T'Challa can run and move at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, moving and running into the early levels of superhuman condition. He was able to reach the second floor of the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building using his acrobatics before Bucky could walk up a set of stairs. He is able to catch up to and outrun speeding vehicles and outpace the running pace of Captain America and Winter Soldier respectively, eventually overtaking the Winter Soldier's motorcycle by using the vehicle Captain America hijacked as a springboard. T'Challa has proven to be just as fast as Captain America, as shown during the Battle of Wakanda, when he ran at equal speeds with him when rushing towards the Outriders.
 * Enhanced Agility: T'Challa's agility is outstanding, far greater than Olympic athletes. He can coordinate his body with perfect balance, equilibrium, flexibility, and dexterity. His movements are akin to an actual panther, being capable of crawl and climb through walls and leap great distances with accuracy. He was able to lunge several feet when attempting to shield his father from the explosion in at the Vienna International Centre and could reach the second floor of the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre Building faster than Bucky could walk up a set of stairs. After being propelled into the air by a kinetic pulse, T'Challa was able to contort his body mid-air and land on the roof of a vehicle while it was traveling at high speeds.
 * Enhanced Stamina: T'Challa's musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. T'Challa's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing chemicals in his muscles, granting him exceptional endurance and lung capacity, greater than of normal humans. He was able to intensely pursue the Winter Soldier on foot without any signs of fatigue.
 * Enhanced Reflexes: The Heart Shaped Herb enhanced T'Challa's reflexes to be superior to those of the finest athlete, allowing him to effectively process the world at an accelerated rate to more efficiently find solutions using his sense and strategies. T'Challa was able to catch Hawkeye's arrows with ease. He was also fast enough to evade a blast from Ulysses Klaue's Prosthetic Arm and cover a grenade using his body as soon as he saw it. However, his reflexes are no match for the likes of Thanos, as Thanos easily caught him when he attempted to attack him.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: T'Challa's fast healing capabilities allow him to have a conditioned metabolism that enables an extraordinarily efficient recovery. After having consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa has suffered blunt force, cuts, and bruises due to fighting for the Black Panther monarch. Afterwards, T'Challa recovered from many of the damages he endured and were healed in a matter of hours. This even enables him to fully recover from being at the brink of death in mere hours.

Abilities
"What is wrong, my son?" "I am not ready." "Have you not prepared to be king your whole life? Have you not trained and studied, been by my side?"

- T'Chaka and T'Challa


 * Genius-Level Intellect: T'Challa has a high intellectual mind that is on par with some of the greatest scientific pioneers in human history, as seen by him being smart enough to hand-craft his own Panther Habit using his country's greatest resource with his own two hands.
 * Master Tactician: T'Challa is a master in strategy and tactics. Due to his desire for revenge on the Winter Soldier, T'Challa has been shown to be capable of planning an attack on Barnes in the short time the latter was on the run. He used his knowledge of the flaws of the Vibranium suit to get the edge on Killmonger in their rematch.
 * Multilingualism: T'Challa speaks his native, as well as fluent English (albeit with a thick Wakandan accent). He has also shown to be able to understand Korean.
 * Master Martial Artist: T'Challa is an extremely skillful martial artist, having been trained vigorously to become the greatest warrior and protector of Wakanda, the Black Panther, one of the greatest fighters on the planet. His unique Wakandan fighting style is very acrobatic and heavily attack-oriented, primarily utilizing powerful sweeping kicks, aerial takedowns, and slashing attacks with hooked and clawed fists, reminiscent of the manner in which a panther strikes. His attacks are fluid and swift, allowing him to transition from attack to defense rapidly. Black Panther's techniques combine African oriented martial arts and other styles, including Zulu Stick Fighting, Tiger Style Kung Fu, Wushu, Dambe, Laamb, Capoeira, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Shurikenjutsu, and Intonjutsu. T'Challa has displayed the sufficient level of skill that in his fight with Winter Soldier after the latter had swiftly beaten Tony Stark, Sharon Carter, and Natasha Romanoff, he could fight on par with and even pressure Barnes, forcing him to flee eventually. While wearing his suit, T'Challa is skilled enough to fairly quickly overpower and knock out Hawkeye using his staff unarmed, best and almost kill Winter Soldier and even fight on par with Captain America himself, briefly knocking him down, as well as contend with Erik Killmonger while the latter was also in his own Panther Habit and boosted by the Heart-Shaped Herb and eventually defeat the latter, although not without extreme effort. Even without the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa's skill and rigorous training in martial arts make him highly formidable and he is also accomplished with the use of Wakandan weapons, as displayed when he fought for the Black Panther monarchy. He was able to best M'Baku, the leader of the Jabari Tribe, and go up against Erik Killmonger, initially having the upper hand, only losing due to the fact that he was hampered by his mercy and indecision to kill his cousin. He also was capable of easily defeating many Outriders during the Battle of Wakanda, even managing to topple down Cull Obsidian, although he was still no match for Thanos.
 * Master Acrobat: Being immensely agile, T'Challa is an extraordinary master gymnast and acrobat, which allowed him to quickly catch up to and cut off the Winter Soldier mere seconds after being knocked down, and the latter having gone up several flights of stairs. The Heart-Shaped Herb enhances his agility further to allow him to effortlessly outrun and vault over moving vehicles, perform aerial wheel kicks while fighting Captain America, and lunge forward several feet to knock Winter Soldier off his motorcycle.
 * Pilot: T'Challa has shown to be a skilled and elusive pilot, managing to tail Iron Man all the way to Siberia without the latter knowing.

Equipment
"I got a look at your suit. Vibranium weave. I'm very impressed."

- Natasha Romanoff


 * Panther Habit: As the Black Panther, T'Challa dons a uniquely crafted Vibranium-weave combat suit that, like Captain America's Shield, is lightweight, nigh-indestructible, and renders him immune to most physical damages, especially from collisions and conventional firearms, though the Habit was notably susceptible to the electrical charges of Black Widow's Bite and vibranium weaponry. After his return to Wakanda, T'Challa received an updated version of the Habit designed by Shuri to be more advanced than his traditional Habit, capable of absorbing and manipulating energy for various purposes. The updated version also facilitates an extreme ease of storage, due to being constructed from Vibranium nanites embedded in his necklace.
 * Jet: T'Challa utilized an advanced personal jet to follow Iron Man from the Raft to Siberia in his pursuit of the Winter Soldier. The jet was able to follow Stark undetected and could facilitate the transportation of Helmut Zemo after his capture.
 * Wakandan Royal Ring: The Royal ring worn by T'Challa is one of a set originally worn by Azzuri, passed down to T'Chaka and N'Jobu, and later their sons. T'Challa obtained the ring following T'Chaka's death in Vienna.
 * Kimoyo Beads: Vibranium technology used by T'Challa to communicate and control any system they're interfaced with. T'Challa was able to stabilize the condition of Everett Ross by placing one of the Beads into a bullet wound in his back. When needed, they are able to be deactivated, allowing T'Challa and Nakia to speak undisturbed.

Family

 * Golden Tribe
 * Bashenga † - Ancestor
 * Azzuri † - Grandfather
 * T'Chaka † - Father
 * Ramonda - Mother
 * Shuri - Sister
 * N'Jobu † - Uncle
 * N'Jadaka/Erik Killmonger † - Cousin, Attempted Killer and Victim

Allies

 * Attaché
 * Avengers
 * Tony Stark/Iron Man - Former Ally
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow - Recruiter and Temporary Enemy turned Ally
 * James Rhodes/War Machine
 * Vision †
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America - Situational Enemy turned Ally and Friend
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon † - Situational Enemy turned Ally
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch † - Situational Enemy turned Ally
 * Clint Barton/Hawkeye - Situational Enemy turned Ally
 * Peter Parker/Spider-Man †
 * Bruce Banner
 * Thor
 * Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier † - Situational Enemy and Target turned Ally
 * Joint Counter Terrorist Centre
 * CIA
 * Everett Ross - Contact, Friend and Ally
 * Zuri † - Adviser
 * War Dogs
 * Nakia - Love Interest
 * Dora Milaje
 * Okoye - Friend
 * Ayo
 * Xoliswa
 * Border Tribe - Subjects and Temporary Enemies
 * Jabari Tribe - Rivals turned Allies
 * M'Baku
 * Tribal Council - Advisers
 * M'Kathu
 * Merchant Tribe Elder
 * River Tribe Elder
 * Mining Tribe Elder
 * Guardians of the Galaxy
 * Rocket Raccoon
 * Groot †

Enemies

 * Helmut Zemo - Detainee
 * Ulysses Klaue † - Attempted Killer and Attempted Victim
 * Scott Lang/Ant-Man - Situational Enemy
 * Linda †
 * Limbani †
 * W'Kabi - Former Friend and Adviser turned Enemy
 * Thanos - Killer
 * Outriders
 * Black Order
 * Proxima Midnight †
 * Cull Obsidian †

Trivia

 * In the comics, Black Panther was a member of the Avengers and member of the Illuminati, a group made of the smartest and most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe, including Black Bolt, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Medusa, Hank Pym and Stephen Strange.

Behind the Scenes

 * Michael Kenneth Williams expressed interest in portraying Black Panther before Chadwick Boseman was cast.
 * According to Kevin Feige, the Black Panther was included in Captain America: Civil War as a third party, someone with a different point of view from both Captain America and Iron Man.
 * Jason Chu, Gui DaSilva-Greene, Aaron Toney, Daniel Graham, Nico Woulard and Kofi Yiadom were stunt doubles for Chadwick Boseman in the role of Black Panther.
 * Qualen Bradley was a stand-in for Chadwick Boseman in the role of Black Panther.
 * Black Panther, Black Widow and Spider-Man are the only characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to receive a solo movie following their debut.