Black Panther Appreciation 2020

[MindofShadow]

T'Challa is not his gear; that's Iron Man. T'Challais his mind and his body. The gear he uses is the same as you or me using a knife and fork to eat. He is not Batman. He gears up as necessary but baseline T'Challa is him in his habit (which is also not where his coolness comes from). He is cool, in himself, or there's no point.

[Marvell2100]

I wouldn't be mad at that. I also like the idea that maybe his mother was a War Dog sent overseas to investigate the Russian mob and in the process of trying to get closer to her target faked a romance with a Russian criminal. She ends up giving birth to Gentle during a critical moment in her mission, resulting in failure. She comes back having shamed her father, a high-ranking chieftain, and with a new half-Wakandan baby she never intended to keep.

So she projects her anger on Nezhno because she thinks he's the reason her career and social life went so badly lol. Idk, having her willingly sleep with a foreigner then getting mad when her xenophobic culture rejects her is kinda stupid. As long as Gentle chooses to be loyal to Wakanda I'd accept him though, stupid backstory and all.

I have a better idea: retcon the whole thing. Gentle's mother was never a Wakandan at all but a Nigandan spy working in tandem with her Russian husband to learn about Wakandan defenses. She had a work visa to enter Wakanda as a low level technician. She ends up getting pregnant from her Russian husband. Through a deep background check her cover gets blown, and her Russian husband abandons her, neither of them knowing she is pregnant at the time.

She gets arrested for being a foreign spy and serves time in prison, where she gives birth to a boy, Gentle. She resents her son because it's a reminder that her "loving" husband abandoned her to the Wakandans. The Wakandans don't like him because he's the son of spy(still irrational in a way but it doesn't portray all of Wakanda as mutant-hating racist. Sorry X-verse). After serving her time she asks to stay in Wakandan to make amends for her crimes and raise her son(only place he knows). The benevolent King T'Challa agrees but places severe restrictions on her movements until she has proven herself.

So now why know why some Wakandans dislike them and we never have to see them again. The end.

[Marvell2100]

I don't think the issue is Gentle being rejected. That makes perfect sense, he's not royalty so there's a lot less social pressure to respect him and his family for things they've done that are culturally undesirable. Shuri is half-South African but the status of the throne insulates her from the backlash she otherwise would've gotten if she were the daughter of a random vibranium miner. This double standard applies in the real world too. Rich and powerful people can do things that'll only get slight pushback whereas if a regular person did it they'd be socially ostracized.

The issue is the illogical way he was conceived lol. Gentle's mother likely grew up a xenophobe or at the very least knew that Wakandan culture wasn't all that nice to foreigners. And yet she decided to get knocked up by a foreigner and now she's projecting her anger and frustrations onto a child she willingly had. It doesn't make sense.

That's what I said. I won't get into the father's...background because that's a whole 'nother problem for me.

[Anthony Shaw]

I would rather it be similar to JAs original sin, I wouldn't want T'Challa actively pursuing Emma, but her interested in him, something like she is coming onto him (and after T'Challa gives a ice cold speech to T'Challa telling her he is done with her) later ob Storm walks in on Emma twerking on T'Challa and he's just chillin, and he doesn't say much, and continues on business as usual

I could roll with that.

[XPac]

I don't think the issue is Gentle being rejected. That makes perfect sense, he's not royalty so there's a lot less social pressure to respect him and his family for things they've done that are culturally undesirable. Shuri is half-South African but the status of the throne insulates her from the backlash she otherwise would've gotten if she were the daughter of a random vibranium miner. This double standard applies in the real world too. Rich and powerful people can do things that'll only get slight pushback whereas if a regular person did it they'd be socially ostracized.

The issue is the illogical way he was conceived lol. Gentle's mother likely grew up a xenophobe or at the very least knew that Wakandan culture wasn't all that nice to foreigners. And yet she decided to get knocked up by a foreigner and now she's projecting her anger and frustrations onto a child she willingly had. It doesn't make sense.

I agree it doesn't make sense for a mother to take their frustrtion onto their child over getting knocked up with an undesirable pregnancy ... but unfortunately that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Not every person who does the deed necessarily takes into consideration the consequences of their actions... even though they should. Like a lot of things in the X-Men lore, it's taking real life issues as an underlying basis for telling a comic book story.

[Paul Muad'Dib]

WWO was always meant to be in color. they cant stop us. please write the BP you want to see. don't wait for approval from those who lack literary integrity.



Wouldn't THE REAL BP be two steps ahead of everyone else?


non- better. non more innovative. undisputed for a reason

[Anthony Shaw]

Hell, I would appoint you the official point man/editor for all things BP just on the modest listing of concepts you put on here. They include a little bit of many of all of our ideas for what should be in the BPverse.

Thank you for the kind words.

I do think a strong editor is needed to safeguard the integrity of Black Panther, while pushing new ground in a character-driven fashion.

This is what made Marvel so great back in the day.

[chief12d]

I have a better idea: retcon the whole thing. Gentle's mother was never a Wakandan at all but a Nigandan spy working in tandem with her Russian husband to learn about Wakandan defenses. She had a work visa to enter Wakanda as a low level technician. She ends up getting pregnant from her Russian husband. Through a deep background check her cover gets blown, and her Russian husband abandons her, neither of them knowing she is pregnant at the time.

She gets arrested for being a foreign spy and serves time in prison, where she gives birth to a boy, Gentle. She resents her son because it's a reminder that her "loving" husband abandoned her to the Wakandans. The Wakandans don't like him because he's the son of spy(still irrational in a way but it doesn't portray all of Wakanda as mutant-hating racist. Sorry X-verse). After serving her time she asks to stay in Wakandan to make amends for her crimes and raise her son(only place he knows). The benevolent King T'Challa agrees but places severe restrictions on her movements until she has proven herself.

So now why know why some Wakandans dislike them and we never have to see them again. The end.

Making him non-Wakandan altogether is a solid idea, especially if the goal was a complete separation from the franchise. And the great thing is it wouldn't be a retcon so much as a reinterpretation of prior events never seen on panel lol.

[chief12d]

I agree it doesn't make sense for a mother to take their frustrtion onto their child over getting knocked up with an undesirable pregnancy ... but unfortunately that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Not every person who does the deed necessarily takes into consideration the consequences of their actions... even though they should. Like a lot of things in the X-Men lore, it's taking real life issues as an underlying basis for telling a comic book story.

Is this a thing in real life? Someone willingly having a child out of wedlock then growing up resentful of the child? Genuinely asking because that seems like contrived comic book nonsense rather than a realistic approach to the relationship between a mother and her child.

But that's the issue, they gave him this origin but little has been done with it, and changes are being made on the fly. Gentle as a character exists to depict Wakanda in a negative light whether it be anti-mutant bigotry or domestic abuse (well at least the latter was established in the BP books lol).

[XPac]

Is this a thing in real life? Someone willingly having a child out of wedlock then growing up resentful of the child? Genuinely asking because that seems like contrived comic book nonsense rather than a realistic approach to the relationship between a mother and her child.

But that's the issue, they gave him this origin but little has been done with it, and changes are being made on the fly. Gentle as a character exists to depict Wakanda in a negative light whether it be anti-mutant bigotry or domestic abuse (well at least the latter was established in the BP books lol).

I'll simply say YES to the first and leave it at that. Real life can be just as bad as comics. Sometimes worse.

But as far as Wakanda being potrayed as anti-mutant ... I don't believe that Gentle was ostricized because he was a mutant. He was ostricized because his father was an outsider. Granted it's still bigotry... but it was a form of bigotry which was established in Wakanda well before Gentle was created.

But in the general sense YES the public in comics often is potrayed in a negative light to show how good the heroes are. Wakanda is potrayed xenophobic and isolationist so that T'Challa can show how progressive he is in NOT thinking that way and opening up Wakanda to the world. The public in the US are often show as anti-muntant in X-Men to show how tolerent the X-men are in defending people who hate and fear them. Potraying the background world in a negative light is an easy prop to make the main characters look good by comparrison.

[skyvolt2000]

Is this a thing in real life? Someone willingly having a child out of wedlock then growing up resentful of the child? Genuinely asking because that seems like contrived comic book nonsense rather than a realistic approach to the relationship between a mother and her child.

But that's the issue, they gave him this origin but little has been done with it, and changes are being made on the fly. Gentle as a character exists to depict Wakanda in a negative light whether it be anti-mutant bigotry or domestic abuse (well at least the latter was established in the BP books lol).

YES.

Have the kid to get inheritance money and resent having them around.
Have kid and that kid is the only way you get access to said money.
We have seen mothers KILL the kid just to get back at the dad. There have been a few cases of that.

This stuff happens-it's just that the origin of it varies.

[Marvell2100]

Making him non-Wakandan altogether is a solid idea, especially if the goal was a complete separation from the franchise. And the great thing is it wouldn't be a retcon so much as a reinterpretation of prior events never seen on panel lol.

[Besouro]

I have a better idea: retcon the whole thing. Gentle's mother was never a Wakandan at all but a Nigandan spy working in tandem with her Russian husband to learn about Wakandan defenses. She had a work visa to enter Wakanda as a low level technician. She ends up getting pregnant from her Russian husband. Through a deep background check her cover gets blown, and her Russian husband abandons her, neither of them knowing she is pregnant at the time.

She gets arrested for being a foreign spy and serves time in prison, where she gives birth to a boy, Gentle. She resents her son because it's a reminder that her "loving" husband abandoned her to the Wakandans. The Wakandans don't like him because he's the son of spy(still irrational in a way but it doesn't portray all of Wakanda as mutant-hating racist. Sorry X-verse). After serving her time she asks to stay in Wakandan to make amends for her crimes and raise her son(only place he knows). The benevolent King T'Challa agrees but places severe restrictions on her movements until she has proven herself.

So now why know why some Wakandans dislike them and we never have to see them again. The end.

I really like this version best..... except I would change the part of entering Wakanda as a low level technician.

Wakanda is the most technologically advanced place on Earth....why would they need outside technicians?

I say she enters Wakanda through an international student science program into a Wakandan school/institution.

[Marvell2100]

I really like this version best..... except I would change the part of entering Wakanda as a low level technician.

Wakanda is the most technologically advanced place on Earth....why would they need outside technicians?

I say she enters Wakanda through an international student science program into a Wakandan school/institution.

That's cool. As long as she's not Wakandan.

[Besouro]

I agree it doesn't make sense for a mother to take their frustrtion onto their child over getting knocked up with an undesirable pregnancy ... but unfortunately that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Not every person who does the deed necessarily takes into consideration the consequences of their actions... even though they should. Like a lot of things in the X-Men lore, it's taking real life issues as an underlying basis for telling a comic book story.

Actually it does happen.

Parents impounding their frustrations on their kids in real life from parents who actually wanted to have children.

So it's even far worse if the child was unwanted