When is a superhero more than a superhero?

When he’s also a king.

Marvel Comics’ Black Panther isn’t only a crimefighter and an Avenger, he’s also the King of Wakanda, the (fictional) East African nation and an indelible part of the country’s religion. While the modern Black Panther is T’Challa, son of T’Chaka, the mantle of the Black Panther as the protector of Wakanda has been handed down through generations of chieftains who prove their worthiness through the sacred Challenge Ritual and Rite of Ascension.

Black Panther first appeared in 1966, in the pages of Fantastic Four #52. After the Fantastic Four receive a technologically-advanced ship from the Black Panther as a gift, it whisks them to Wakanda—where an emissary invites them on “the greatest hunt of all time.”

I had a blast writing this mini history of the character.