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Still from Black Panther (2018)
Character · by Jordan Okafor

T'Challa: Black Panther in the MCU

T'Challa is the king of Wakanda and the hero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by Chadwick Boseman in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). His sister Shuri, his mother Ramonda and the Wakandan warrior Nakia are the people who shape his story across those films.

Image: TMDB

Who Plays T'Challa / Black Panther?

Who Is T'Challa in the MCU?

T'Challa is the king of Wakanda and its masked protector, Black Panther, and Chadwick Boseman played him in all four films where he appears on screen. The credits list him as "T'Challa / Black Panther".

Wakanda hides its vibranium wealth behind the image of a poor, rural country, and the king inherits that secret along with the crown. He first appears in Captain America: Civil War (2016), directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, where his father, the king of Wakanda, is killed by a bomb at a UN event in Vienna. His first solo film is Black Panther (2018), directed by Ryan Coogler, in which he is crowned and has to decide what kind of king Wakanda needs. Boseman is billed first in that film, and it grossed about $1.35 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

People often ask about his IQ. None of the films gives a number, so none can be sourced. What they do show is a king who runs a hidden, high tech nation, with his sister Shuri as its brilliant scientist.

If you are placing him in the saga, Civil War is 13th in release order and 15th chronologically, while Black Panther is 17th in both. The Marvel movies in order guide shows where each of his films sits. "Black Panther" names both the hero and the film, so the film is always written as "Black Panther (2018)" here.

T'Challa / Black Panther Films

T'Challa's Story Arc Across Four FilmsSpoilers

The Wakandan king's arc runs from a grieving prince hunting a suspect, to a ruler who opens his country to the world, to one of the people lost in Thanos's snap. It starts in Civil War, after a mission in Lagos goes wrong and world leaders demand oversight of the Avengers. A bomb kills his father at the UN event in Vienna, and Bucky Barnes is named as the culprit, so the prince hunts him. He ends up on Tony Stark's side of the split alongside Natasha Romanoff, Rhodes, Vision and a young Peter Parker, and the two camps fight at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The real bomber turns out to be Zemo, and the prince stops him from taking his own life, so Zemo is taken into custody. Barnes later goes to Wakanda and chooses cryogenic sleep until his brainwashing can be cured.

In Black Panther (2018), he is crowned and beats the rival leader M'Baku in a ritual challenge. He then travels to Busan with Okoye and Nakia to capture Ulysses Klaue, who has stolen a Wakandan artifact. A deal involving CIA agent Everett Ross goes wrong, and Erik Killmonger frees Klaue and kills him. Zuri reveals that Killmonger is really N'Jadaka, the son of N'Jobu, whom T'Chaka killed and left behind in America. Killmonger beats the king in ritual combat and throws him over a waterfall, and he is presumed dead. The Jabari tribe save him, and Nakia's heart shaped herb restores him. He returns to Wakanda and fights Killmonger in the vibranium mine, where he fatally wounds him. He then opens an outreach center in Oakland and, in the mid-credits scene, tells the United Nations what Wakanda really is.

In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the heroes retreat to Wakanda, where the Avengers, the Wakandan army and the Jabari tribe try to protect Vision while Shuri works to remove the Mind Stone. The king is among those who turn to dust when Thanos snaps his fingers. He is billed 11th in Avengers: Endgame (2019), where Bruce Banner uses the gathered Infinity Stones to bring everyone back.

T'Challa's Family and Allies: Shuri, Ramonda, Nakia and Killmonger

The king's closest relationships are with his sister Shuri, his mother Ramonda and Nakia, and his most important opponent is his own cousin, Erik Killmonger. Shuri is a brilliant scientist who works to remove the Mind Stone from Vision in Infinity War. Ramonda is queen of Wakanda and holds the country together after her son's death in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Nakia is the Wakandan he travels to Busan with, and her heart shaped herb is what brings him back after the waterfall. She and Shuri are also the pair who run the Oakland outreach center.

Okoye, the warrior who goes with him to Busan, shows where her loyalty lies when she convinces W'Kabi's forces to stand down. M'Baku challenges him for the throne at the coronation and loses, and in Wakanda Forever he challenges for the throne again in Shuri's absence. Killmonger is the son of N'Jobu, whose death T'Chaka caused, so the villain is also family. Their fight is about what Wakanda owes the world as much as it is about the crown, and that argument is why the king ends the film opening Wakanda up.

Outside Wakanda, his key ties are with Bucky Barnes and the Avengers. He hunts Barnes in Captain America: Civil War, Barnes later finds refuge in Wakanda, and in the Black Panther post-credits scene Shuri helps with his recovery. The king fights alongside Tony Stark against Steve Rogers at the airport, and Everett Ross, who first appears as a CIA agent, ends up fighting for Wakanda by shooting down the weapon carrying aircraft. After his death, Killmonger even appears to Shuri on the Ancestral Plane and asks whether she will choose revenge or follow her brother's example.

T'Challa's Death: What Happened and Does He Come Back?Spoilers

The Wakandan king dies of an illness before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), also directed by Ryan Coogler, and he does not come back to life in that film. The story opens with Shuri running out of time as she tries to recreate the heart shaped herb that might have saved him. A year later, nations are pressing Wakanda over vibranium, and Ramonda asks Shuri to keep working on the herb. Shuri refuses at first, so no new Black Panther exists until she later rebuilds the herb with material from Talokan and takes on the powers herself.

His earlier disappearance was a different matter. In Infinity War he turns to dust with half of all life, and the survivors in Endgame reverse that snap. His death in Wakanda Forever is not part of the snap, and it is not reversed. Chadwick Boseman's death also shaped the production: according to AP, the script was rewritten after his death, with tributes on set, and Variety reports that the Hollywood premiere honored him.

One thread continues. In the Wakanda Forever mid-credits scene, Shuri meets Nakia's young son Toussaint, whom Nakia raised in secret. He tells Shuri that his Wakandan name is T'Challa, so he is the late king's son. Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti and burns her funeral robe, which lets her grieve her brother at last.

Best T'Challa Moments

In my opinion, the best moments for the Wakandan king are the ones where he chooses restraint over revenge, and the strongest example is the end of Civil War. Tony Stark attacks in rage in Siberia after seeing the footage of his parents, and the fight ends with Barnes's metal arm destroyed and Stark's armor disabled. The prince, who started the film hunting Barnes for his father's death, is the one who stops Zemo from taking his own life. That choice is a quiet answer to Stark's anger, and it sets up the king he becomes.

The second moment, perhaps, is the return from the waterfall in Black Panther (2018). Killmonger beats him, the world believes he is dead, and the Jabari bring him back with Nakia's herb. What I like is that the film then makes him fight Killmonger in the vibranium mine as an equal, rather than as a hero who simply wins. The sunset scene after Killmonger refuses to be healed is, to me, the clearest sign that he has taken the argument seriously.

The third is his decision to open Wakanda, first with the Oakland outreach center and then the UN address in the mid-credits scene. It could be argued that this is the most consequential choice of his arc. The last is the smallest, and I find it the most moving: Toussaint telling Shuri that his name is T'Challa. After a film about loss, the name continues in the next generation.

Facts

FAQs

Does T Challa have a son in the MCU?

Yes. In the mid-credits scene of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Shuri meets Nakia's young son Toussaint, whom Nakia raised in secret. He tells Shuri that his Wakandan name is T'Challa, which means he is the late king's son.

What is T Challa's IQ?

The films never state an IQ for the Wakandan king, so no number can be sourced. They show a king who leads a hidden, high tech nation, while his sister Shuri is the one described as a brilliant scientist.

Does Black Panther come back to life in Wakanda Forever?

No. The king dies of an illness before the film begins, and the story follows Shuri as she tries to recreate the heart shaped herb. She later rebuilds it and becomes the Black Panther herself, so her brother is not revived.

What happened to the actor that played T. Challa in Black Panther?

Chadwick Boseman played the role in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and he died before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. According to AP, the film's script was rewritten after his death, and Variety reports that the premiere honored him.

What is T. Challa's full name?

The films give no longer name than T'Challa. He is credited as "T'Challa / Black Panther" and is the son of King T'Chaka of Wakanda.

What was T. Challa's cause of death?

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) states that he dies of an illness. Shuri runs out of time trying to recreate the heart shaped herb that might have saved him.