Black Panther is one of the most prominent Marvel heroes, but one moment from the comics saw him literally become Batman. Referencing a famous Batman pin-up by Carmine Infantino, the king of Wakanda briefly became a Caped Crusader in the pages of Christopher Priest’s legendary run on Black Panther.
Launching in 1998 as a part of the Marvel Knights imprint, Christopher Priest’s Black Panther run would go on to help reshape the character into what he is today. Popular characters and concepts such as the Dora Milaje first appeared in this run, as did Everett K. Ross, the State Department attorney assigned to watch over T’Challa by the U.S. President. Priest’s geopolitical thriller approach turned Black Panther from a superhero with an Avengers membership into a proper world leader, reminding the world that he’s a king first, and a costumed adventurer second. Running for 64 issues, Priest’s Black Panther run was a heavy influence on the 2018 feature film, and remains a touchstone for the character to this day.
Written by Christopher Priest and with art by Sal Velluto, Black Panther #22 continues the story of the previous issues, which saw T’Challa defeated in combat by Killmonger in a power-play for Wakanda. On death’s door, T’Challa finds himself trapped in the dream-realm of Nightmare, the villainous Sandman of the Marvel Universe. As he attempts to figure out what is going on, T’Challa is subjected to different dream scenarios as Nightmare toys with his prey. One such scenario sees T’Challa running across the rooftops of a dark and gothic city, with Everett K. Ross at his side wearing some awfully familiar-looking red-and-green tights. Artist Sal Velluto pays homage to a famous cover by Carmine Infantino in a lovely splash page.
Black Panther Becomes Batman in Reference to Famous Artwork
The Black Panther/Batman combo isn’t as out there as one might think. Despite their differences, the two characters have some striking similarities. During Priest’s run on the title, artist Sal Velluto gave T'Challa a longer, more flowing cape, making Batman and Black Panther even more similar thanks to the distinctive ears on their cowls. Priest’s run also added new gadgets to T’Challa’a arsenal such as energy daggers, energy-dampening boots and a cloaking device to use against his enemies much like Batman’s tricked-out approach to crime-fighting. Perhaps most interestingly, both Batman and the Black Panther’s whole modus operandi essentially paints them as expert hunters, tracking down the most dangerous game of all in their respective environments.
Ultimately, T’Challa is able to break free from Nightmare’s dream realm and rejoin the waking world, putting an end to the Black Panther/Batman hybrid almost as soon as it begins. Given current circumstances, it seems highly unlikely that Marvel and DC will join forces for any cross-company crossovers any time soon, but fans will always have this one comic depicting Black Panther as Batman to look back on.