5 big 'Black Panther' secrets revealed by Marvel's new 'Family Tree' video

Nick Schager
·Writer

Excitement continues to grow for this Friday’s release of Black Panther, the latest entry in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. While fans first got a glimpse of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa (a.k.a. Black Panther) in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, that introduction didn’t delve much into the character’s rich backstory. Ryan Coogler’s forthcoming stand-alone story, on the other hand, will definitely provide many more details on Boseman’s hero and his vibranium-rich home of Wakanda. However, to make sure moviegoers are fully prepared for that blockbuster, Marvel has also released a new animated video (below) that breaks down the character’s enormous family tree — and it’s full of interesting tidbits about the comic-book icon. Here are the five biggest secrets social media users have found buried in the Black Panther’s history.

1. Black Panther had an adopted white brother

Black Panther’s father T’Chaka actually adopted a white son named Hunter, who wound up in Wakanda courtesy of a plane crash (which killed his parents). You won’t see Hunter in Black Panther — although a post-credits sequence (not to be spoiled here) does suggest that someone else will be taking up Hunter’s mantle as the MCU’s “White Wolf.”

2. Black Panther’s mother died in childbirth

In Black Panther, T’Challa’s mother is Ramonda, played by Angela Bassett. But as we learn from this video, his mother in the comics was N’Yami, who died in childbirth; Ramonda was his stepmother, who gave birth to his half-sister Shuri (played in the film by Letitia Wright). In the comics, Shuri filled in for T’Challa from time to time as the Black Panther.

3. After the death of Black Panther’s father, King T’Chaka, his uncle S’Yan briefly held the throne

Though the above video doesn’t mention it, T’Challa’s uncle S’Yan directly succeeded T’Chaka as the Black Panther; only after T’Challa was finished completing a walkabout (during which time he fell in love with young future-X-Men member Storm) did he eventually become Wakanda’s King.

4. T’Challa’s ancestor knew Thor’s mythical dad

As the family tree makes clear, the royal Black Panther lineage began with Bashenga, Wakanda’s first superheroic protector. And as the above Twitter post reveals, in the comics, Bashenga once crossed paths with Odin, the ruler of Asgard — and, of course, the father of everyone’s favorite hammer-wielding Avengers member, Thor.

5. Black Panther’s royal guard boast real African names

T’Challa’s hand-picked royal guard is known as the Dora Milaje — and as one astute Twitter user noted, the names of its ferocious female members are all Nigerian in origin

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