The Black Panther/T’Challa, a Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation, was the first mainstream Black superhero in comics. He was introduced 60 years ago in Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966) and followed that up with guest appearances in other Marvel comics before joining the Avengers in 1968. His first starring story wouldn’t be until Jungle Action #5 (July 1973), which began a critically acclaimed run through 1976. Not long after that, he finally got his first Black Panther series, which started in January 1977.

The Black Panther hails from Wakanda, an African nation that values centuries of tradition and creating their own highly advanced technology. T’Challa inherited the title from his father, King T’Chaka, and took on the task of leading the Panther Tribe and the country at large. One of his biggest responsibilities was to protect the mineral of Vibranium from reaching the outside world so that it wouldn’t be exploited by outsiders.

T’Challa’s powers come from the special heart-shaped herb, which is used only by the Black Panther. The herb gives him acute senses, enhanced strength, speed, and agility, while the Black Panther suit contains Vibranium enhancements to protect him from harm. He also has access to a variety of mythical artifacts and technology, and has the strength of the Wakandan military behind him. Outside of his abilities as the Black Panther, he has a Ph.D. in physics and is considered one of the smartest people on the planet.

When T’Chaka was the Black Panther, he tangled with Ulysses Klaue, a scientist/villain who was obsessed with Vibranium. Also known by his villain moniker, Klaw won the final battle with T’Chaka, killing the Black Panther. After his father’s death, T’Challa studied and traveled around the world before returning to Wakanda. He entered an open challenge for the mantle of Black Panther, which was currently occupied by his uncle S’Yan. When T’Challa one and revealed his identity, the people of Wakanda were shocked and elated that he was taking his rightful place as their king and protector.

In his first appearance, T’Challa invited the Fantastic Four to visit Wakanda where he tested their abilities and then asked for their help defeating monsters that Klaw had sent to attack his people. Soon after that, Black Panther met Captain America and the two joined forces to defeat Baron Zemo. Once that mission was complete, Cap suggested that Black Panther join the Avengers. He traveled to the US and saved his future teammates from the Grim Reaper, so they unanimously invited him to join the team. Since he was going to stick around the US for a while, T’Challa set up a civilian identity as Harlem teacher Luke Charles, and he became a mentor to kids in the area.

Following the Kree-Skrull War, Black Panther joined Professor X, Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Namor, and Black Bolt to form the Illuminati. He came to disapprove of their secretiveness, and he left the group.

T’Challa continued to be the leader of Wakanda, but also helped people around the world. He stopped his half-brother General Jakkara, who had been poisoned by Vibranium, from destroying the Great Mound of the precious metal. When a woman who worked with a Wakandan charity was killed, he and the Dora Milaje traveled to the US to discover what happened. This put T’Challa – who was both superhero and leader of a country – at odds with government liaison Everett K. Ross.

Black Panther tales became a love story when he became romantically involved with childhood friend Ororo, aka the X-Men hero Storm. They got married with blessings from the Panther God and the Watcher witnessing the event. The ultimate power couple were together through major world conflicts, including the superhero Civil War when they joined Captain America’s side in the conflict. When Reed and Sue Richards decided to take a break from the superhero gig to work on their marriage, Black Panther and Storm joined the Fantastic Four.

Once Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman came back to their team, T’Challa and Ororo went back to Wakanda. The happy return was cut short by Eric Killmonger, aka N’Jadaka, whose father had been involved with Ulysses Klaue. He always hated T’Challa and blamed the people of Wakanda for the death of his parents, so he returned to the country with the plan to defeat Black Panther and become the ruler. After Black Panther defeated Killmonger, he defended Wakanda during the Skrull Secret Invasion.

He was seriously injured in an attack from Doctor Doom, and Shuri stepped in to be the new Black Panther and leader of Wakanda. T’Challa, Shuri, Storm, and the Dora Milaje were joined by the Fantastic Four, War Machine, and Deadpool to destroy the Vibranium that Doom was trying to get, thereby ending his assault. Once those battles were done, T’Challa agreed to protect Hell’s Kitchen for Daredevil while Shuri continued to operate as the Black Panther.

Daredevil got back to Hell’s Kitchen, so T’Challa headed to his own home nation and continued to support Shuri as the Black Panther. A vision warned T’Challa that danger was coming, so he went into Wakanda’s Necropolis to commune with the goddess Bast. She brought him back to his Black Panther status, charging him with being the king of Wakanda’s ancestors while Shuri led the living.

Bast also warned T’Challa about the coming conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men when they disputed what to do about Hope Summers after she absorbed the Phoenix Force. Black Panther sided with the Avengers while Storm chose the X-Men, putting the couple at odds with each other. Then Namor was powered by the Phoenix and flooded Wakanda. In response to the devastation, T’Challa told Ororo that their marriage was annulled and that the X-Men were no longer allowed in Wakanda.

After a trip to Battleworld where he worked with Namor to get the Infinity Gauntlet and the Siege Courageous, T’Challa came home to internal conflicts. Members of the Dora Milaje were revolting, wanting to spend more energy protecting oppressed people and seeking to turn Wakanda into a democracy. Citizens were also displeased by how often their king was gone or invested in worldwide problems instead of their own.

Once those situations were on better footing, Black Panther co-created the Ultimates to tackle cosmic issues like sating Galactus’ hunger. He was also part of the group who wanted to find out what happened to Harlem based civil rights activist Ezra Miller. Whatever the situation may be, T’Challa protects his people, and the world at large, with dignity and honor.