King In Black: Black Panther # 1 reveals that King T’Challa has already developed a weapon to kill the Phoenix, but can she defeat Knull too?
This article contains spoilers for King in Black: Black Panther # 1 by Geoffrey Thorne and German Peralta.
Black Panther officially created a weapon that can destroy the Phoenix Force. King T’Challa always took pride in being prepared for anything. Over the years he has shown himself ready to take on threats as diverse as Galactus, the Skrulls, and even the Avengers – who have not always got on particularly well with the secluded nation of Wakanda.
But now maybe even Black Panther is overwhelmed. The King in Black came to earth and has successfully conquered the entire planet. The earth is covered with a symbiotic dome that cuts off the precious light and warmth of the sun. Knull’s goal is to destroy all life, and it looks like even the Avengers can’t stop him. Fortunately, while Black Panther is nowhere near prepared for the King in Black – he had no idea Knull even existed until recently – some of his other weapons might still be useful.
Keep scrolling to read on
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
King in Black: Black Panther # 1 by Geoffrey Thorne and German Peralta sees Black Panther use some of Wakanda’s most formidable weapons against the invading Symbiots. The most fascinating of all is something called a “hand of bast”. The comic doesn’t show exactly how this works, but it does seem to manifest itself as a gigantic, spectral panther. According to T’Challa, the hand of the bast was built to kill the Phoenix Force itself. It appears to be controlled by a single Wakandan, General Okoye, who is buying T’Challa time to further develop his strategies.
This is the first time that even the Black Panther has shown itself ready to face the Phoenix Force. In fact, he didn’t have any such tech during the 2012 Avengers vs X-Men event. That would have been very useful at the time, as Tony Stark’s failed attempt to destroy the Phoenix Force automatically resulted in it being split between five hosts – the so-called Phoenix Five. This would also be very useful in Jason Aaaron’s current Avengers run, in which the phoenix has returned to earth in search of a new host, forcing various heroes and villains to fight for power in a brutal tournament.
Unfortunately, the fact that T’Challa did not use the Hand of Bast in Aaron’s Avengers barrel suggests that this weapon can only be used once. It turns out to be sufficient to push back and surrender the King in Black and his forces Black Panther the chance to do what previously seemed impossible – use sound transmissions to open a barrier in the symbiotic dome that covers the planet. Much of Africa is exposed to sunlight again, and Wakanda’s success brings hope to the whole world. It remains to be seen whether this win can be extended, and the King in black can finally be pulled back.
About the author
Thomas Bacon
(3488 articles published)
Tom Bacon is one of the writers on Screen Rant and he’s honestly amused that his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. Tom’s focus is usually on the various superhero franchises as well as Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. He’s also an avid comic book reader. Over the years, Tom has built a strong relationship with aspects of the various fan communities and is a moderator on some of Facebook’s largest MCU and X-Men groups. Previously, he wrote entertainment news and articles for Movie Pilot. As a graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Tom is still closely associated with his alma mater. In his spare time he is a volunteer chaplain there. He is heavily involved in his local church and anyone who checks him on Twitter will quickly find that he is interested in British politics too.
More from Thomas Bacon
Comments are closed.