How Do The Black Panther Characters Compare To Their Comic-Book Counterparts?

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  T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Ken Lashley for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Fantastic Four #52 (1966)
  
  
  the opening black superhero in mainstream comics, the Black Panther was created by prolific comics duo Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966. T'Challa made his first appearance in the pages of Fantastic Four — one of Marvel's most successful monthly titles at the time — once he invited the superhero team to the reclusive African nation, the most technologically advanced land in the world, only to conquer them one-by-one. T'Challa had the special responsibility of being both a king and a superhero, however his duty to his people routinely came first. As such, he was a little bit of a loner, yet he did spend some time with those Avengers.
  
  
  the hugest difference between the T'Challa we meet in the MCU and his comics counterpart is the time at which he ascended the throne. In the comics, T'Challa lost his father T'Chaka at a young age, so he had already spent years on the throne by the time he met Reed Richards and firm. Although in the MCU, T'Chaka was killed in the bombing of the Vienna International Centre in Captain America: Civil War, which resulted in an adult T'Challa taking up the mantle. In Black Panther, he's still acclimating to the role of king, nevertheless his duty to Wakanda is still paramount.
  
  
  "He's rich, he's smart, he's good-looking, and he's serious because he has to be," Coogler told MTV News throughout a recent press day for the film. "He's got all of this weight on his shoulders."
  
  
  
  
  





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  Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Alan Davis and Mark Farmer for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Jungle Action #6 (1973)
  
  
  A Wakandan exile, Killmonger's motivation has routinely been revenge. In the comics, Erik Killmonger, place on Earth N'Jadaka, and his family member were exiled from Wakanda following his father's betrayal. So he grew up in Harlem, New York, plotting his revenge against T'Challa and the man accountable for his father's death: Ulysses Klaw. Perfect and cunning, Killmonger eventually returned to the outskirts Wakanda right after graduating from MIT), where he routinely clashed with T'Challa on a physical and ideological level.
  
  
  Their ideological contradictions become the crux of Coogler's film. "The best way to describe him and T'Challa's relationship is Magneto and Professor X," Jordan told MTV News last year. "He's not afraid to take a life." In the film, Killmonger is incredibly smart, especially patient, and he has, as Jordan described, a "by-any-means-necessary" attitude. Not to say, he's effortlessly cool.
  
  
  
  
  





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  Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Mark Texeira for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Black Panther Vol 3 #1 (1998)
  
  
  At a young age Nakia was recruited for the Dora Milaje, an elite categorize of warrior girls who serve because the personalized bodyguards of the Black Panther. Chosen from rival tribes, the Dora Milaje were originally envisioned as a pool of wives-in-training for the king, yet under T'Challa's rule that was disbanded. (He had a thing for following in love with outsiders — like X-Men member Storm — anyway.) Yet, Nakia became enamored with T'Challa and the Black Panther. Her infatuation later turned malicious, resulting in her exile from Wakanda and eventual villainous turn as Malice.
  
  
  Although the Nakia we meet in the MCU is a far cry from the jealous young woman in the comics. As T'Challa's primary love interest, she's anything although sidelined. She is a strong-willed superspy who also happens to be a contributor for using Wakandan technology to help underprivileged communities around the world — something T'Challa is vehemently against. (Exposing Wakanda to the rest of the world could spell danger for the African country)
  
  
  
  
  





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  Okoye (Danai Gurira)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Mark Texeira for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Black Panther Vol 3 #1 (1998)
  
  
  Created by dynamic duo Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira in 1998, Okoye and Nakia were chosen by T'Challa to serve in the Dora Milaje any time if he revived the sort. Since then, the fierce fighting squad has gone through a complete makeover — from long hair and curves to shaved heads and customary Wakandan armor. In the film, Okoye takes on the role of leader of the Dora Milaje, and as such, she's one of T'Challa's most trusted advisors and strategists. (In the comics, there's a queer female character, named Aneka, who has this role.) Her loyalty to T'Challa and to the throne is central to the film's plot, however it's her romance with W'Kabi that's one of the greatest deviations from the source material.
  
  
  
  
  





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  Shuri (Letitia Wright)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Ken Lashley for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Black Panther Vol 4 #2 (2005)
  
  
  One of Reginald Hudlin's several contributions to the Panther legacy, Shuri was originally introduced as T'Challa's younger half-sister (the biological daughter of T'Chaka and Ramonda). In the comics, Shuri had aspirations of becoming Wakanda's first female Black Panther — up until her brother beat her to it — however she ultimately took up the mantle once he was badly injured throughout Hudlin's run. The film, but, changes up this narrative with a charismatic Shuri who has no desire whatsoever to adhere to royal tradition. As a substitute, the feisty princess would rather make fun of her brother and design cool tech. Because the head of Wakanda's technological and scientific innovation, Shuri could with little effort hold her own alongside the MCU's resident Science Bros. Case in point, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner might hope to prepare some room in the lab in Avengers HQ because Black Panther hints at a key role for Shuri in the forthcoming Infinity War.
  
  
  
  
  





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  W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Avengers #62 (1969)
  
  
  Chief of Wakandan security, W'Kabi served as T'Challa's loyal second-in-command up until his death in Hudlin's Black Panther Vol 5 #5 in 2009. A male of few words, W'Kabi never cared for his king's Western superhero acquaintances. The film taps into W'Kabi's warrior roots. Because the head of security for the Border Tribe of Wakanda, W'Kabi and his males are the initial line of defense in Wakanda. Not to say, he and his crew get to train the Wakandan army's horde of war rhinos! If only his loyalty to his friend T'Challa wasn't so conveniently compromised.
  
  
  
  
  





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  Zuri (Forest Whitaker)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Ken Lashley for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Black Panther Vol 3 #1 (1998)
  
  
  A close friend of the late King T'Chaka, Zuri later became a special attendant to T'Challa. A warrior up until the very end, he died alongside W'Kabi protecting a wounded T'Challa. In the film, Zuri is much less of a fighter and more of a shaman and adviser to the king. His relationship with T'Chaka is especially crucial, as it leads to the film's most devastating reveal and presents a major conflict for T'Challa. Still, Zuri is ride or perish for the royal family member up until the very end.
  
  
  
  
  





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  Ramonda (Angela Bassett)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Marvel Comics Presents #14 (1989)
  
  
  In the comics, Ramonda, referred to because the Queen Mother, was T'Chaka's third partner plus a surrogate mother to T'Challa. Originally from South Africa, she was routinely looked at as an outsider in Wakanda. Since her introduction in 1989, the former queen of Wakanda has endured a lot of trauma, from being abducted and sexually abused by Anton Pretorius to almost dying in a terrorist attack. Whenever she endures some emotional trauma in the film, Ramonda is mostly seen as T'Challa's biological mother and one of his most trusted and strongest advisors.
  
  
  
  
  





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  M'Baku (Winston Duke)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Sal Velluto for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Avengers #62 (1969)
  
  
  Originally known by his racially insensitive moniker Man-Ape, M'Baku was the fearless leader of the Jabari people, who live in the snowy mountains of Wakanda, isolated from the rest of the city. In the comics, along with because the film, M'Baku challenges T'Challa's right to rule because he believes Wakanda has become also dependent on technology. Yet he doesn’t go by Man-Ape in Coogler's film (thank the Panther God), M’Baku does wear a white gorilla mask throughout battle — symbolic of his tribe's deity, the Gorilla God. As one of T'Challa's most formidable foes, the warrior M'Baku puts up quite a fight.
  
  
  
  
  





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  Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Leonard Kirk for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Fantastic Four #53 (1966)
  
  
  In the comics, Klaw was a Dutch physicist who attacked Wakanda for its Vibranium resources. The violent assault on Wakanda resulted in T'Chaka's untimely death, yet a young T'Challa didn't let the supervillain escape totally unscathed; Klaw lost his hand in the fight, which led to the creation of his prosthetic hand device: a sonic-force blaster. The MCU, yet, present a much different version of Klaw. The smarmy South African smuggler and black-market arms dealer was first introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and in Black Panther, he's working with Erik Killmonger to get his hands on even more Vibranium.
  
  
  
  
  





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  Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman)
  
  
  Marvel Studios/Mark Texeira and Brian Haberlin for Marvel Comics
  
  
  
  First appearance: Ka-Zar Vol 3 #17 (1998)
  
  
  Soon after introducing Ross in Ka-Zar, Priest used character as a crowd surrogate in his Black Panther run. Inspired by Chandler Bing from Friends and Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties, Ross gave a voice to the (white, male) comic book crowds real misgivings about Black Panther and black superheroes overall. The character's job was to escort T'Challa throughout his diplomatic visit in New York City. In the MCU, Ross is a supporting character who originally popped up in Civil War. In Black Panther, he's far less corny and more serious — and, most importantly (minor spoiler), he's nevertheless "another damaged white boy" for Shuri to repair.