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Monica Lynne is an American songstress and activist who was one of the Black Panther's early love interests.

History

Monica Lynne grew up in Georgia with her parents and her sister Angela. One of her ancestors was lynched by the Klan enforcer Soul-Strangler.[1] She moved to New York, where she first met the Black Panther. T'Challa saved Lynne from a violent racist plot by the Sons of the Serpent,[2] and the two subsequently began a long relationship. For a time, Monica Lynne lived in Wakanda with the prince at his royal palace. T'Challa visited and stayed with Monica at her parent's home in Georgia when they were investigating her sister's death. During the same visit, she met the journalist Kevin Trublood.[3]

Monica Lynne (Earth-616) and T'Challa (Earth-616) from Black Panther Vol 3 30 001

Monica and T'Challa were eventually engaged to be married, but he called off the engagement without explaining why[4] - the true reason being the mysterious appearance of a future T'Challa, who revealed to the present-day T'Challa that they were both slowly dying of a brain aneurysm, a burden he did not want to place on his future wife.[5]

Monica was drawn back into T'Challa's life when his enemy Achebe kidnapped her to interrupt a state dinner being held in T'Challa's honor.[6] Circumstances led to Monica accompanying T'Challa back to Wakanda, where she was unceremoniously ejected from a Talon fighter by the jealous Dora Milaje Nakia.[7] She was rescued from the jungle by Erik Killmonger, once again becoming a pawn in Killmonger's rivalry with T'Challa for several months.[8] Monica grew tired of the constant trouble Wakanda caused her, and when she walked in on T'Challa during the middle of a romantic reunion with Storm, she threatened to walk out on him forever. It was only then that T'Challa revealed the true reason he had called off their engagement, and a calmed Monica promised to see him again next week.[5] Whether the two have met again since then is unknown.

Eventually Monica returned to the music industry. After news of T'Challa and Storm's engagement got out, she was seen to grow emotional during a sold out Washington, D.C. concert as she sang a sad love song.[9]

Notes

Though Monica has not appeared since her reaction to the wedding of T'Challa and Storm in 2006, an "alternate past" written by former Black Panther writer Don McGregor appeared in the Black Panther 2018 Annual in which T'Challa honored her passing from terminal cancer by hunting for Heart-Shaped Herb and placing it in her casket. The story, entitled Panther's Heart, provides an alternate conclusion to her story as it appeared in McGregor's Panther's Rage, Panther's Quest and Panther's Prey series.[10]

See Also

Links and References

References

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