"Can't let them have the symbol because the world will need a symbol."
Prophetic last words of a dying Black Panther. The writers and editorial at Marvel can't let fans and enthusiasts of T'Challa the Black Panther have him as a symbol, despite the comic world needing him as such.
Blood Hunt's premiere issue would have been fine if T'Challa the Black Panther wasn't in it to be fodder and a sacrificial lamb. T'Challa is played almost as if he were a sidekick... to add insult to injury he is played off American Falcon, Sam Wilson (There is only one Captain America and his name is Steve Rogers).
T'Challa is written as if he hasn't got a strategic thought in his head nor a tactical bone in his body. The Black Panther doesn't heft spears and leap head first to get gutted by the new baddy. MacKay has T'Challa fighting like he used to in the eighties, against super powered foes like Korvac and Count Neferia. The Black Panther is well beyond such base pugilism.
Oh wait, one might argue T'Challa should get a point for screaming "City, emergency evac!" This demonstrates some fore thought and planning. Wrong. Something that pedestrian works best for Sam.
Let us peruse SUNDEATH: 00:58:39. Here we see one of the Black Panther's true peers, one Victor Von Doom, handling this attack with the preparedness and aplomb that T'Challa and Wakanda should be in possession of. But no, instead we get a depowered, disgraced, former king who longingly hurls himself into death's bloody embrace. To add further insult to horrific injury... based on the upcoming preview of Black Panther Blood Hunt #1 apparently unlike Doom's Latveria, T'Challa's Wakanda has no preemptive defense against vampires.
Marvel has convinced me that every iteration of T'Challa the Black Panther post Priest is a variant. This allows the ignoring of previous skills and power-sets displayed in preceding iterations. Obfuscating continuity facilitates this dismissive and disrespectful display of the Black Panther. I mean how else can one explain that during Hudlin's run T'Challa the Black Panther had a Thrice Blessed Armor... in his wardrobe... just for vampires. Did MacKay know this and choose to ignore it or did he not research the Black Panther's past dealings with undead or did MacKay simply not care one way or the other.