Captain America | Well, pardon me, "your highness". Maybe you just lop off the head of every newcomer around here... |
Azzuri | If we did that, this conversation would be over. |
History
Early Life[]
King T'Chanda, known as Azzuri, the Black Panther, was the chieftain of Wakanda during World War II.
World War II[]
Colonel Fritz Klaue led a mission to Wakanda in Africa to regain Adolf Hitler's favor. His plane however crashed leaving him as the only survivor. Klaue was nursed back to health by Azzuri. He befriended the king and was amazed by the hidden Wakandans, and the Great Mound of Vibranium. Klaue had the Wakandans build the Panther Idol icon, demanding that they worship it as a god instead of a brother spirit. When the panther refused, he tried to kill him, murdering the queen Nanali instead. Panther escaped into the jungles, but when he returned, he defeated Klaue and ripped his steel hand off, causing him to flee back to Germany.[1]
In 1941, Captain America traveled to Wakanda and encountered the Black Panther, the then-king Azzuri, who was defending his country by seemingly hunting and killing almost every newcomer for sport, having already decapitated several Nazi troopers and pinned their heads on spears. Seeing both Americans and Germans as potential threats to his country, Azzuri refused to work with Rogers at first and ordered him to leave, but eventually trusted him after the two had a fight. They worked together with Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos in protecting Wakanda against Baron Strucker and the Red Skull who had been dispatched to Africa to acquire a steady source of the rare metal Vibranium for the Nazi war effort.[6]
The Panther, alongside his American allies, repelled a Nazi super-powered invasion force which included Master Man, Warrior Woman, the Armless Tiger Man, and the White Gorilla. Azzuri was so indebted to Gabriel Jones who saved the lives of his children T'Chaka and S'Yan during the attack that he offered him citizenship in Wakanda, but Jones politely declined.[7]Personality
Azzuri was very protective of Wakanda, but far more hostile than his grandson T'Challa would be, hunting and decapitating almost every soldier entering his kingdom, the Nazis believing that he was hunting soldiers for sport. When he, Rogers and the Howling Commandos were attacked by the Nazis, Azzuri coldly threw spears at his enemies to impale them, even directly impaling a soldier in combat while commenting this to be a welcome.[8] However, while Captain America falsely assumed that he simply cut off the heads of anyone who entered Wakanda, he still showed mercy to some outsiders, like sending a Nazi soldier to return to his camp to warn them or asking Captain America to leave instead of directly attacking him.
At first, Azzuri was suspicious of both Germans and Americans, as both were after the Vibranium for military purposes. When Captain America told him that the Wakandans would have to choose a side, Azzuri replied that they already had: their own. After fighting Rogers, the two became friends, and Azzuri even later referred to him as his "American friend", something Nanali never believed of hearing him saying. [7]
He showed great respect towards Captain America, believing that he could become a symbol to America just as he was to Wakanda.[6]Attributes
Powers
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Notes
- T'Challa's grandfather and T'Chaka's father was first mentioned in Black Panther #1, where his name was spelled as "Azzari", but in Fantastic Four Unlimited #1 he was referred as Chanda. T'Challa's grandfather/T'Chaka's father was later identified as Azzuri in Black Panther (Vol. 4) #1 and Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of Our Fathers. As such Chanda seems to be another name for Azzuri. Chanda is completely excluded in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #1 and Black Panther: Protectors of Wakanda #1 (despite being referred to as a Black Panther in Wakanda's profile in Marvel Atlas). Wakanda #5 clarified that T'Chanda was his birth name, while Azzuri is his regnal name.
- Black Panther (Vol. 3) #30 shows T'Chaka being the Black Panther during World War II. Due to the Sliding Timescale, Black Panther (Vol. 4) #1 retconned it to be Azzuri.
See Also
- 16 appearance(s) of T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 3 minor appearance(s) of T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 7 mention(s) of T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 17 image(s) of T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 3 quotation(s) by or about T'Chanda (Earth-616)
- 1 item(s) used/owned by T'Chanda (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fantastic Four Unlimited #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wakanda #5
- ↑ Black Panther #1
- ↑ Black Panther (Vol. 6) #6
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Black Panther (Vol. 9) #6
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of Our Fathers #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of Our Fathers #4
- ↑ Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of Our Fathers #2