Black Panther (vol. 3) #9
Enemy of the State
Now
Everett Ross was assigned to be the liaison to T’Challa, king of Wakanda and the current Black Panther, during his visit to the United States. However, he screwed up the job and the President of the United States has had him reassigned to a US monitoring station in Iceland. The conditions are harsh thanks to the winter weather and the miserable conditions. How did he get here? Well…
Then
The Black Panther had been in exile in America since his kingdom was taken over by a mad man named Achebe. After Achebe attempted to use T’Challa’s former lover Monica Lynn as a pawn to damage his reputation, the Black Panther had finally had enough and decided to take the fight back to his foe.[1] However, before doing so, T’Challa wanted to track down Achebe’s accomplices in the United States who helped organize the attack there.
With the aid of the Dora Milaje — Nakia and Okyoe — the Black Panther tracks the men down for questioning. Using his Kimoyo Card to track Achebe’s broadcast signal, it leads him to Segev Andropov, who has been operating out of an ice cream truck. While questioning the Russian, Achebe interrupts the interrogation via one of the video screens in the secret surveillance van. Achebe openly mocks the Black Panther along with his newly made finger puppet, Daki. His prattling is interrupted by Ramonda, T’Challa’s step-mother who has been forced to rule alongside Achebe. Things are peaceful in Wakanda for the time being, although T’Challa’s people are uneasy about being ruled by two outsides, even if Ramonda was T’Chaka’s second wife.[2] Despite these warnings, T’Challa got what he came for and is moving on to his next target, Dzhokhar Gapon.
After ending the call, Ramonda takes out her hidden anger on Achebe. She reminds him that they are working together to rule Wakanda. She has put up with his mad antics until now because he was a good front man, but now his stupidity has led T’Challa to Gapon and is putting their plans at risk.[3] After Ramonda leaves the room, Achebe consults with Daki and they both agree that only he should be king and that it is time for everyone to die.
Back in America, Monica Lynn has been taken in by the NYPD for questioning over her part in the near riot during the White House gala being thrown for the Black Panther. Mostly, the authorities are interested in known what he connections might be to Achebe. Monica can tell that one of the men in the room is from federal law enforcement agency. That man isn’t afraid to single himself out, introducing himself as Danny Vincent a writer for the NSA. Monica insists that she was a helpless victim being forced to do Achebe’s bidding as she is frequently the target of the Black Panther’s enemies due to their past relationship.[4]
Meanwhile, the Black Panther had tracked down Dzhokhar Gapon. Gapon was a former Russian official who now runs the Russian mobs in New York, using his deli as a front for his criminal operations. Arriving outside the deli in one of his talon jets, the Black Panther fires bullets into the building, wrecking the place. T’Challa reveals to Gapon that he knows that he funded Achebe’s coup of Wakanda but wants to know who was giving him the orders to do so. If Dzhokhar doesn’t speak up, the Panther will riddle his body full of bullets.
By this time, Monica had been released from police custody and is walking home in the rain because no taxi was willing to stop for her. As she walks she pauses to look at her engagement ring and thinks of happier times when she and T’Challa were supposed to be married. That’s when Hunter, the White Wolf of the Hatut Zeraze, pulls up in a limo. Without mentioning that the Hatut Zeraze were exiled from Wakanda, Hunter explains that he and his men have been sent to protect her from here on out.[5] When five of them decloak to reveal that they’ve been following her this whole time she is convinced. However, she only agrees to get into Hunter’s limo if he agrees to take her to T’Challa and explain to her everything there is to know about Danny Vincent.
At that same moment, the Black Panther is continuing his investigation into who helped Achebe seize power. His next target is Jack Taylor the CEO of Spectrum Dynamics. Taylor was a man with a high security clearance who believed that he was untouchable. That all changes when T’Challa set his sights on him. Tossing Segev Andropov’s ice cream truck through the large panoramic window in Taylor’s penthouse apartment, the Black Panther and the Dora Milaje make short work of Jack’s guards. T’Challa then nabs the business man and frightens him by running up an elevator shaft to the roof, then leaps across various buildings and then scrambles up the Queensboro Bridge. The whole time, T’Challa unwinds the conspiracy that he has uncovered. He knows that Spectrum Dynamics has been using its money and resources to not only finance the civil war in Ghudaza, but also was providing equipment to the Russian mobsters to act as operatives for Achebe in America. He also knows that money was exchanged via a man named Danny Vincent who is a member of the El Ministerio de Asuntos Internacionales Armó Servicio de Vulcan Domuyo. This was all done so that the United States could maintain plausible deniability in the entire matter. Since knowing all of this makes both Jack and T’Challa dead men, the Black Panther says that there is only one way out of this.
Meanwhile, Steve Rogers — aka Captain America — is blowing off steam by boxing after he and the other Avengers just learned that the only reason why T’Challa joined the Avengers was to spy on them.[6] He is interrupted by the Black Panther who comes to him with his findings in the hopes that Captain America will reveal any secrets that he knows. He is horrified by the accusations that the US government would have sanctioned the destabilization of Wakanda, saying that if T’Challa can find proof, he’ll help bring it to light. While T’Challa appreciates the help, but cannot ask his friends in the Avengers to turn against his own government.
The pair head to Avengers Mansion to pick up T’Challa’s allies, Zuri and Everett Ross. There, Iron Man demands answers about the activities that the Black Panther has been up to all night. T’Challa tells Iron Man that this is a matter of Wakandan security and tells them that the Avengers own government has appeared to have helped back a coup in Wakanda. He doesn’t have proof yet, but he warns the Avengers that there will be grave repercussions when he does. As a result, he insists that where the Panther walks next, he walks alone.
Recurring Characters
Black Panther, Achebe, Monica Lynn, Nakia, Okoye, Ramonda, Everett Ross, Zuri, Dzhokhar Gapon, White Wolf, Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Scarlet Witch)
Continuity Notes
Achebe, empowered by Mephisto, staged a coup of Wakanda and successfully took the country over the course of Black Panther (vol. 3) #1-5. Issues #6-8 saw Achebe try to ruin a state welcome for T’Challa put on by the White House by using Monica Lynn as a sniper to cause a riot.
Per Black Panther (vol. 3) #1, Ramonda is South African born. When T’Chaka’s first wife N’Yami died. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 2004: Avengers 2004 #1 states that N’Yami died giving child birth. However, Rise of the Black Panther #1, states that N’Yami died a few days after T’Challa was born. T’Chaka met Ramonda when T’Challa was five years old and they were married shortly thereafter.
Here it appears as though Ramonda is secretly working with Achebe behind T’Challa’s back. However, she is only pretending to betray her step-son as we’ll learn in Black Panther (vol. 3) #12. This was all part of T’Challa’s plans to know what was going on while Achebe was in charge.
Monica Lynn has been a long time ally of T’Challa dating back to when he saved her from the Sons of the Serpents in Avengers #73. T’Challa proposed to her in Black Panther: Panther’s Prey #3. However, by the time we see her again in Black Panther (vol. 3) #8, T’Challa had called off their engagement. It’s revealed in Black Panther (vol. 3) #48-49 that this was due to the fact that T’Challa met a future version of himself that was dying of a brain aneurysm that he himself was just in the early stages of. Seeing that he had no future to offer Monica was the reason why he broke off their engagement, although he kept the reason why a secret. While narrating this scene, Everett recounts the time that Monica saved T’Challa’s life after he was nearly drowned by Killmonger, that happened in Jungle Action (vol. 2) #6-7.
As a baby, Hunter was the only survivor of a plane that crashed in Wakanda and was adopted by T’Chaka and treated him like a son. Hunter later became the leader of the Hatut Zeraze and served T’Chaka loyally until his death. When T’Challa took the throne, he ordered the Hatut Zeraze into exile and he did not agree with their methods. See Black Panther (vol. 3) #10, 12 and 27 as well as Rise of the Black Panther #4-6, and Black Panther: Legends #1-4. T’Challa previously encountered the Hatut Zeraze in Black Panther (vol. 3) #3-4.
T’Challa originally joined the team in Avengers #53, at the recommendation of Captain America himself. They were unaware that T’Challa’s original intention was to spy on the group. This was revealed last issue.
Topical References
When describing Achebe’s insanity, Everett refers to him as the “King of Fruit Loops”. Froot Loops is a brand of breakfast cereal created by Kellogs. The term “Fruit Loops” has become a common phrase to describe someone as crazy. The etymology of the term likely evolved from “fruitcake” which was another slang term for a crazy person. The terms Fruity and Loopy were British slang meaning sexually promiscuous and crazy respectively. That was probably the evolution. It’s interesting to note that when the Kellogg brothers first started making cereal, one of the intended purposes was for dietary treatment for the mentally ill and was used in at least one sanitarium. Read up about John Kellogg when you got the spare time, it’s pretty wild, like he thought bran flakes would make people stop masturbating. Anyway, this isn’t topical because it’s not referencing the cereal. Sorry for making you read this paragraph and educating you on the weirdness of Kellogs.
The interrogation of Monica Lynn is depicted as being recorded on a camcorder that uses video tape. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
When describing Dzhokhar Gapon, Everett identifies himself as a former member of the Soviet Politburo. This was one of the highest level of policy making in the Soviet government. This should be considered a topical reference due to the fact that the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Modern readers should instead interpret Gapon as a former high ranking Russian government official.
Everett’s narrative during the scene where Monica is walking home in the rain, he quips that a black woman trying to hail a cab in New York City is about as likely as Dan Quayle being elected President. Quayle had been in US politics dating back his time in the House of Representatives between 1977 and 1981. He was a State Senator until 1989 when he was the running mate for George H.W. Bush. He served as Bush’s Vice President until their term ended in 1993. He has been mostly out of politics after losing a bid for nomination for the Republican candidate for president in the year 2000. Hence where this comment is coming from. This should be considered a topical reference as Quayle is no longer in politics or has any presidential aspirations. At 75 years old as of this writing, I’d be very surprised if he decided to go back into politics.
The surveillance truck that was provided by Spectrum Dynamics is priced at 30 million dollars here. Adjusting for inflation, that would be worth 53 million in 2022 money.
The value of Wakandan Vibranium in this story is estimated to be worth 158 billion dollars. Adjusting for inflation that would be worth closer to 282 billion in 2022 money.
