Wakandan Technology in the MC2: Wakandan Airship

 

While I am late to the party (as I often am) I still wanted to offer a short post tangentially related to the recent Eyes of Wakanda mini-series. Here is that post, a kind of cousin to the Spider-Symmetry and Patriotic Parallels posts, but without a set name just yet (any suggestions welcome!).

 

The world is first introduced to T’Challa aka The Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52 when a snazzy Wakandan Airship (identified as a Magnetic Wave Rider) greets the Fantastic Four and whisks them away to the nation of Wakanda.

 

Reed would test a new model of the Magnetic Wave Rider sent by the Black Panther in Giant-Size Super-Stars #1. As an aside, it’s obvious the Magnetic Wave Rider influenced the Black Panther movie’s Maglev Trains concept.

 

In the MC2, the next generation of Avengers are introduced to the son of The Black Panther, Prince T’Chaka aka The Coal Tiger in A-Next #4. As confirmed by Ron Frenz on Adam Chapman’s podcast Comic Shenanigans Episode 744, a version of the Magnetic Wave Rider returns for this Wakandan related story:

 

‘It’s one of the Wakandan Ships. It was originally Kirby’s design for a Wakandan Airship that the Fantastic Four then had a model that they hung on to. Since we were dealing with Wakanda I thought it would be kind of cool to throw it in there.’

 

Now, I think it’s worth mentioning that the text and dialogue in the comic does explicitly refer to this aircraft as a ‘Quinjet’. However, given Ron’s statement and the obvious visual similarity to the Magnetic Wave Rider and the discontinuity with the design of the Quinjet’s seen in other issues of A-Next, we need to develop a No-Prize explanation.

 

I submit the following: Given the vehicle is adorned with the Avengers livery, and the Black Panther is credited with earlier Quinjet designs, and considering the outward resemblance to the Wakandan Magnetic Wave Rider gifted to the Fantastic Four, the aircraft seen in A-Next #4 is a new version of the  Magnetic Wave Rider equipped with quinjets (meaning five jets) developed by T’Challa, perhaps as a gift to his former team. The Avengers colloquially refer to their various air vessels as Quinjets, and technically this would also count, which explains their referring to it as such.

 

Either way, it’s a great little reference to the past from Mr Ron Frenz and helps further the connection between Wakanda’s Royal Family and the Avengers. Let’s hope J2 has learnt how to fly by now!

 

Until I learn how to Flintstone a vehicle like J2, I remain

 

frogoat

 

How Vibranium Gave Us The Coal Tiger

 

 

Here’s a question you may not have asked: How does T’Chaka II aka the Coal Tiger transform into a big cat man or ‘were-panther’? That is what we will be exploring today. How Vibranium gave us the Coal Tiger.

 

First, some history for context. Let’s start with the fantastic fictional metallic substance Vibranium. First appearing in Daredevil #13, this form of Vibranium (popularly known as ‘Anti-Metal’ or ‘Antarctic Vibranium’ as codified by the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #15) is found only in the region of Antarctica known as the Savage Land. Antarctic Vibranium emanates vibrations which cause the atomic and molecular bonds of other nearby metals to weaken and liquify.

 

The most well-known form of Vibranium is named Wakandan Vibranium due to it being found almost exclusively in the African nation of Wakanda. First appearing in the pages of Fantastic Four #53, Wakandan Vibranium absorbs and stores vibratory energy such as soundwaves and mechanical energy in its vicinity, growing increasingly more durable as it does so. Should a piece of Vibranium reach its capacity, the Vibranium would explosively release its absorbed energy (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #15).

 

By now, most people are aware of Marvel’s the small African isolationist nation called Wakanda. The Kingdom of Wakanda first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 when Marvel’s First Family the Fantastic Four first meet King T’Challa aka the Black Panther. The nation’s history with Vibranium is further explored in Black Panther #7 where we learn that Vibranium is extraterrestrial in origin, having crashed as a meteor in the region that later became the nation of Wakanda. During early attempts at mining, stories spread of men turning into ‘evil spirits’ and attacking their friends and neighbours, with the radiation from the unprocessed raw Vibranium ore causing mutations among the people. These mutagenic properties were also seen in other species such as the White Gorillas (Avengers #62, Jungle Action (vol. 2) #13, Wakanda #1) and even the plant life within Wakanda, most notably the Heart-Shaped Herb which grants the powers of the Black Panther (Fantastic Four #53, Avengers #87, Jungle Action #8, Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #2, Fantastic Four Unlimited #1, Marvel Atlas #2).

 

Through the decades of published Black Panther stories, the nature, importance and depths of the Right of Ascension and the rituals associated with ruling Wakanda has grown and changed, though the Heart-Shaped Herb and Vibranium remain constant elements. Which brings us to the MC2’s Prince T’Chaka II and the nature of his ability to transform in to a ‘were-panther’. While we don’t get an origin story for the Coal Tiger in published works, fortunately co-creator Ron Frenz appeared on Adam Chapman’s Comic Shenanigans Podcast Episode 744, where he had this to say:

 

 ‘We also were going with the idea that the panther root has started to have more and more of an impact over the generations. The fact that T’Chaka is named after T’Challa’s father but that T’Challa spent most of his life using the panther root and having the powers…that it’s starting to cause a mutation or an evolution of the panther power in the offspring. That’s what we were trying to suggest.’

 

From this we can infer that the intention was that T’Challa’s (and presumably his ancestors) continual exposure to the Heart-Shaped Herb which was itself mutated by the raw Wakandan Vibranium in the region resulted in his son T’Chaka II’s ability to transform into a ‘were-panther’ form. This is a pretty neat and novel expansion on the existing Black Panther mythos which I would love to see explored further.

 

 

Special thanks to Jesús Arias for his indefatigable dedication to assisting me with various posts on this blog through the years. A big shout out to the fantastic Black Panther Blog for being the only accurate, well-researched and referenced source I could find online regarding the Heart-Shaped Herb and its history. Please check them out here: Black Panther Discussion and Appreciation

 

Until I can figure out if this science paper is right about the Heart-Shaped Herb, I remain

 

frogoat

Coal Tiger: Son of the Black Panther

 

Having recently watched Black Panther: Wakanda Forever I felt inspired to keep writing posts in that vein. So, today let us take a look at Prince T’Chaka aka Coal Tiger, the son of the Black Panther.

 

The moniker of Coal Tiger was originally one considered during the creation of the Black Panther, and it seems Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz elected to pay tribute to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby when they introduced T’Chaka’s alias in A-Next #4. While visiting America for a trade agreement, T'Chaka was attacked by the hate group Soldiers of the Serpent. It is at this point we learn that T'Chaka has the ability to transform into a humanoid cat-like being resembling a Black Panther.

 

Alongside the Avengers original line-up, Coal Tiger rescues N’Kano (aka the Wakandan ambassador and super hero Vibraxas) and notes the new team of heroes seem more like a family. N’Kano tells T’Chaka his father would be proud. T’Chaka tells the Avengers he will tell his father about all of them and that he considers them friends.

 

T’Chaka next appears when, upon returning from an alternate reality ruled by Doctor Doom, the entire Avengers team are captured by the Red Queen aka Hope Pym and her Revengers. With Mainframe’s consciousness transmitted to another body, he recruits Earth Senty, Argo, Blacklight and Coal Tiger to rescue the Avengers (A-Next #12).

 

At some point, Coal Tiger is pulled into the massive Destiny War alongside the Avengers’ American Dream and Freebooter and the Fantastic Five’sd Kristoff Vernard (Avengers Forever #12).

 

Coal Tiger is not seen again until a large assembly of the MC2’s super heroes gather at Avengers Headquarters in preparation for battle with Seth the Serpent God of Death. Despite this, the assembled heroes end up trapped within an impenetrable barrier until Spider-Girl weakens Seth enough to free them (Spider-Girl #58).

 

Alongside fellow reserve Avengers members Spider-Girl, Blacklight and Earth Sentry, Coal Tiger was called upon to join the Avengers team due to a large number of team members being sidelined for various reasons following the events of Last Hero Standing. This line-up of Avengers is briefed about someone posing as the mutant master of magnetism; Magneto. Spider-Girl and trainee member of the X-People known as Push would ultimately apprehend the poser (Spider-Girl #92).

 

In his last appearance to date, Coal Tiger again joins a large assembly of super heroes who show up to help Spider-Girl when she is captured by the Hobgoblin aka Roderick Kingsley (Amazing Spider-Girl #15).

 

It’s a great missed opportunity that T’Chaka as the Coal Tiger never got more than a few brief appearances after his debut, as there is a huge amount of potential left unexplored and stories left untold.

 

Until I develop the ability to transform into a Wakandan werecat, I remain

 

frogoat