The Razor: Black Panther, the eore that became king

On August 29, 2020, the cancer took away Chadwick Boseman. This article is dedicated to him.

The character of Black Panther (or Black Panther, as many readers know him) was created in 1966, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, to simply be an opponent of the Fantastic Four, but the King of Wakanda has proven on the field all its value, not only resisting until today the natural wear of time but even making a "leap" from the hated category of villains to that of heroes.

And in fact the premises were there all: from the captivating graphic aspect to the interesting role of “masked protector” of one's country, an aspect that recalls the stories of Lee Falk's The Phantom. The only weak point turns out to be precisely the name, given that, a few months after its first appearance, the well-known African-American revolutionary movement to fight racial segregation was founded, which takes the name of "Black Panthers"; this indirect link initially hinders the character, limiting his popularity and diffusion. In any case, Stan Lee did well to opt for the name of Black Panther discarding the other option, Tigre di Carbone, an actually embarrassing name.

Black Panther, from Africa to the clash with the superheroes

The origins, hastily summarized in a couple of plates in the number 52 of Fantastic Four, were subsequently expanded and better defined, enriching them with unfortunately often tragic details. For T’Challa more than for many other Marvel heroes, the origins are inextricably intertwined with the history of their nation, the (fictional) state of Wakanda.