Everything you should know about Black Panther, the breakout of 'Captain America: Civil War'

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Marvel

One of the many bright spots in the original "Avengers" movie was Tony Stark's famously narcissistic line: "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

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T'Challa can still one up him: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and warrior-king.

Debuting in "Captain America: Civil War" a full two years before his solo movie, T'Challa is already a breakout character for his incredible fighting skills, alluring East African purr, and utter refusal to get caught up in the politics between Iron Man or Captain America. He has his own agenda and pursues it ruthlessly. 

So who exactly is T'Challa and where does he come from? Keep reading on to learn more about the Black Panther:

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Black Panther is the first mainstream Black superhero, debuting in 1966 ahead of other classic black heroes like Luke Cage, Storm, or John Stewart.

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His first appearance was Fantastic Four #52 and he got his own comic,  Jungle Action #5, in 1973. Throughout his long comic history, he frequently fought alongside the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and  X-Men and even had a short stint as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Recently, the character was rebooted into "Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet" by The Atlantic writer and MacArthur Fellow, Ta-Nehisi Coates. The rebooting was a major success and, along with the "Civil War" debut, reignited interest in T'Challa and his story.

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T'Challa's homeland is Wakanda, a hugely prosperous but very reclusive African nation.

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Marvel

T'Challa and his father, King T'Chaka, are from Wakanda, a fictional African nation near Kenya. Wakanda is extremely isolationist, trading with other nations only as necessary and staying out of global politics. Instead, Wakanda focuses on building its technology. 

They are the most technologically advanced nation on Earth and Black Panther's suit is one of their many scientific breakthroughs. Still, the Wakandan people are very spiritual and are usually depicted wearing tribal garb. Their high-tech superiorty co-exists with their ancient traditions and deference for their ancestors. 

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T'Challa's powers are a gift from the Wakandan Panther deity.

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Marvel

The people of Wakanda worship Bast, a panther goddess and the spiritual protector of Wakanda. If a warrior of noble birth is found worthy by defeating the current Black Panther, Bast will gift them with the heart-shaped herb, enhancing their abilities and making them the new Black Panther. 

As we saw in the film, T'Challa's powers are similar to that of a panther: superhuman speed, stealth, and agility, the ability to recognize and track scents, nightvision, and (similar to Daredevil) an enhanced hearing ability that allows him to predict movement and track enemies. In "Civil War," T'Challa briefly references Bast, saying that, in Wakandan culture, the honored dead are welcomed into an afterlife of green fields where they can hunt and run free forever. 

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Wakanda is the world's sole provider of vibranium - the powerful metal that created both Panther's suit and Captain America's shield.

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We've seen Cap's shield easily shrug off large scale explosions from point-blank range. But when he tries to block Black Panther's claw, he's able to actually damage the shield, leaving behind huge gashes. That's because both are made from vibranium, the precious metal found only in Wakanda.

The vibranium mesh that makes up Black Panther's suit is made with similar properties to Steve's shield: it shrugs off bullets, flames, and explosions and is incredibly lightweight. There is one advantage he has over Steve. While Captain America can be disarmed by knocking his shield from his hands, Black Panther will always have incredibly sharp claws at his disposal. 

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T'Challa has a sister named Shuri - a powerful and intelligent warrior princess in her own right.

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Marvel

Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched in 2008, it'll be 2019 before we see a film led by a superheroine. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said he hopes Marvel produces movie franchises led by women "sooner rather than later" and the Black Panther series has an ideal candidate just ready for casting: Shuri, princess of Wakanda and T'Challa's sister.

Shuri has the same abilties as T'Challa, but is balancing her duties as princess with a hidden mean streak and resentment for her older brother's easy claim to the title of Black Panther. Hopefully, we'll see Shuri and her formidable combat prowess in Black Panther's 2018 film. 

You can see more of Black Panther when he appears in his own solo film set for a July 6 2018 release.

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