Before gaining his own series, Black Panther initially appeared in Marvel comics in 1966, with the Fantastic Four in their 52nd issue. ¹⁾

This was made quite evident throughout the film, but it bears reiterating. The identity of 'Black Panther' is a distinguished title passed down through generations, rather than the typical superhero alter-ego or hidden identity featured in other Marvel characters. ²⁾

Black Panther was a watershed moment for Marvel since he was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics. The fact that his origin tale takes place in Africa rather than the United States is also a significant departure from the typical Western heroes that the Marvel fans is accustomed to. ³⁾

Although some believe the 'Black Panther' moniker was inspired by the eponymous civil rights movement that emerged in the United States in the late 1960s, the comics actually predate the group by a few months. Scared of being connected with them — remember, this was the late 1960s — Marvel considered changing his name (he was briefly known as 'Black Leopard,' but ultimately opted to keep it. ⁴⁾

T'Challa was temporarily married to Storm from the X-Men in the comics. T'Challa and Nakia married in Wakanda, however their marriage was later dissolved as T'Challa recognized he needed to preserve his homeland before establishing a family. ⁵⁾