BLACK PANTHER: Page 13 of 26

Publication Date: 29th Aug 2020
Written By: Monolith.
Image Work: Douglas Mangum.
Biography

BIOGRAPHY - page 13

The Black Panther approached "Ross" to sue for peace, but Chiangtang refused to vacate Ross' body. In response, T'Challa destroyed the nest of eggs and kidnapped Nightshade from the Black Dragon's custody. With Ross/Mephisto/Chiangtang also in T'Challa's care, the Black Dragon was unable to regain his original body to produce more eggs necessary for his survival. He chose to strike at T'Challa indirectly, using a hypnotically programmed Iron Fist as his agent. Black Panther and Iron Fist fought, and T'Challa was severely beaten by the power of the iron fist, even through his Vibranium microweave costume. The distraction worked, and Black Dragon was able to reach Ross and exchange bodies with him.

Prepared for death as he had no time to lay more eggs to counter the genetic bomb, Chiangtang flew to Wakanda to expend his fury on T'Challa's people. As regent, W'Kabi was having trouble maintaining order in Wakanda in T'Challa's absence. The crown's attack on Q'Noma Valley had stirred up old tribal rivalries, and the peoples of Wakanda were nearing civil war with one another. The arrival of Chiangtang seemed like only one more bad omen. Black Panther and Iron Fist fought the dragon, using genetically-engineered bio-implants to reduce him to human form again and contain him. In the commotion, however, Nightshade had escaped custody aboard the N'Yami-class cruiser and discovered the body of T'Challa's doppelganger from the Jabari lands. She used her knowledge of genetics to revive this Black Panther, reintroducing him to Wakanda and its people. [Black Panther (3rd series) #38-40]

The association of black ops organizations from Spectrum Dynamics, the CIA, the Russian mob and the LCL (now collectively known as XCon) had remained active after the Wakandan coup. Seeking their own brand of world domination, XCon acquired King Solomon's Frogs and intended to use the time machine to their own ends. They employed technology to "target" the Frogs' effect and summon specific individuals from mere seconds in the future. Then, taking advantage of the summoned person's confusion, they subjected them to potent post-hypnotic behavioral programming, ensuring that these doppelgangers were loyal to XCon. In this manner, they managed to kidnap and replace the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada with their own agents.

Meanwhile, Hunter the White Wolf had targeted XCon for their role in the Wakanda coup and murdered their entire leadership, taking control of XCon and their plans for himself. The only one to escape was Danny Vincent (Junta), who fled with the captive POTUS as a bargaining chip. T'Challa blamed himself for much of this. He knew of Hunter's initial actions against XCon, but didn't realize the White Wolf would take up their banners and plans for himself. T'Challa had finally done as his father before him, and turned a blind eye to Hunter's bloody zealotry so that Wakanda could have vengeance even if the king did not officially sanction the massacre. Now it fell to T'Challa to prevent Hunter from conquering other nations.

A quiet feud had been simmering for some months between Black Panther and Iron Man. Stark was one of the Avengers most upset about the Black Panther's deceptive infiltration of the team and his accusations against the American government during the coup. T'Challa was personally insulted by Iron Man's arrogance and underestimating of him, and saw Stark's acquisition of the Wakanda Design Group during the Killmonger affair as a personal insult. Furthermore, T'Challa knew that, if he was annoyed at Stark for these actions, then Hunter must be murderous with rage. Tony Stark was an inevitable candidate for replacement in XCon's frog protocols, meaning Black Panther needed to protect Iron Man yet also be wary of him, in case the exchange had already taken place.

In order to get the ball rolling, T'Challa had his man produce a land deed from 1892 where a Frenchman, lost in Africa and facing death, signed over the rights to an island near Sault Saint Marie to Asiri the Wise. Claiming he was executing this deed in the interests of Canada's First Nation, T'Challa annexed the island on behalf of Wakanda and brought trade and traffic to a standstill on Lake Superior by bottlenecking at his new claim. This manufactured crisis existed only to get the POTUS and Prime Minister to meet and discuss the issue, bringing together XCon's doppelgangers. The Black Panther also moved to indirectly get Iron Man involved. Myron "MGM" Mason of the 66 Bridges gang was a highly connected associate of XCon who was killed during the change of leadership. Senator Kamal Rakim learned of this and tried to get Iron Man and the Avengers to investigate. Gyrich also received documentation showing T'Challa secretly owned ABC Wire & Cable, the company that provided the fiber-optic cable used in Stark Enterprises and Avengers Mansion, and had been using doctored wire to spy on both parties. Tony Stark recognized the ruse for what it was (as HE was the owner of ABC Wire) and followed Gyrich in following T'Challa in investigating XCon.

T'Challa, Okoye and Wolverine of the X-Men attacked XCon's mobile headquarters, a gambling ship on Lake Superior, in order to recover King Solomon's Frog. Wolverine was there to help as liaison to Alpha Flight and smooth over T'Challa's actions on the Canadian side of things. Meanwhile, T'Challa's effervescent doppelganger (the "Fruity Pebbles" Panther, as Ross called him) had assembled Ross, Nightshade, Monica Lynne, Abner Little and Princess Zanda to return to the remains of Kiber Island and retrieve the second of Solomon's Frogs. Queen Divine Justice had also allied herself with Junta, who was now working against XCon to restore the real POTUS to office. T'Challa and Tony Stark exchanged words on the gambling ship as Stark tried to return his shares of WDG to T'Challa, but the king refused the charity. A fight followed during the theft of the frog, and Black Panther disabled Iron Man's armor while also leading him to uncover Hunter operating from the office of the Canadian Prime Minister.

Next T'Challa took over Stark Enterprises. With a phone call. By donating 300 dump trucks to Paolo Santera, a Latin American principality, he ensured their gravelberries crop made it to market, an incredible surplus that made the people of Paolo Santera very rich, allowing them to buy out Meridian Ventures bank. Stark Enterprises had sunk a lot of money temporarily into Meridian and, when the new owners of Meridian called in their markers, they seized the assets of Stark Enterprises as collateral and passed it on to their friend and benefactor, His Royal Majesty T'Challa. Tony Stark returned from Canada to find T'Challa in his chair. The two of them finally had a reasoned talk about what was happening, but then "Crazy Pants" Panther and his entourage arrived and gassed Stark unconscious.

A frog duplicate of Tony Stark HAD been summoned by XCon, and the reason T'Challa took over Stark Enterprises was to get a hold of the negator packs Iron Man used to disable his stolen technology during the Armor Wars. This was necessary because the Stark doppelganger accessed the Armory to come after T'Challa with the new "Pantherbuster" Stealth Armor. While Junta and Queen got the real POTUS back to the White House, the Black Panther grappled with doppelganger Iron Man. The double was defeated despite his specialized armor and, thanks to Abner Little's knowledge of the frogs, the duplicates of Iron Man, POTUS and Canada's Prime Minister were dispatched back to whence they came. XCon and Hunter were foiled, but Iron Man and Black Panther's relationship remained chilly after all the lies and manipulations. [Black Panther (3rd series) #41-45] And then the frogs sent Black Panther and his supporting cast to the Old West, but we're moving on here. [Black Panther (3rd series) #46-47]