When the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought in Black Panther, it helped bring a lesser-used, but great Marvel character to the mainstream world’s attention. What happened was impressive as Black Panther ended up as one of the most beloved heroes in MCU history, especially after his critically acclaimed solo movie.
However, unlike more mainstream heroes, Black Panther does not have a notable list of villains. The King of Wakanda often takes part in stories with political intrigue, espionage, and battles in major crossover events with his friends in the Avengers. However, looking at his past in Marvel Comics, T’Challa has some impressive villains who make his life tough.
King Cadaver
King Cadaver is an old-school Black Panther villain, appearing for the first time in Jungle Action #10 by Don McGregor and Billy Graham. Cadaver was far from a “cool” villain, a bug-eyed horrific monstrosity created through radiation exposure.
He has the power to cause severe pain in his enemies while also creating delusions in their minds as mind control. King Cadaver eventually joined forces with Erik Killmonger’s army, with the sole intent of taking down Black Panther.
Achebe
Achebe is one of Black Panther’s most iconic villains, although cool isn’t a word that anyone would use when dealing with him. Achebe was once a farmer, but when rebel fighters he nursed back to health betrayed him and took his wife, he set out for vengeance.
This led to his madness, where he made a deal with Mephisto. Achebe is Black Panther’s version of Joker, an evil genius who only seeks to destroy society and create turmoil. However, he won and took over Wakanda until he slipped further into insanity and began talking to a hand puppet.
Tetu & Zenzi
Tetu and Zenzi remain connected as two of Black Panther’s more recent villains. Tetu was a former student at Wakandan academy, but he wanted to learn more about the physical realm and developed the ability to control nature.
He lashed out at the wealthy, who previously walked over the poor. Zenzi can read and control the emotions of several people at the same time. Together, the two lashed out at Wakanda and made Panther’s life a living hell.
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is definitely someone to monitor. While his appearance in Captain America: Civil War was very low-key, he showed his true personality in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and became a quick fan favorite. Most of his career in the comics was as a second-rate Nazi with Hydra.
However, more recent appearances show Zemo loosening up, especially in his recent appearances in Spider-Man comics, where he shows a personality that was surely influenced by his MCU roles.
Klaw
Is Klaw cool or is he lame? It really depends on how the creative team portrays him. In the Black Panther movie, it was clear Klaw considered himself cool. He was into social media, walked into giant social gatherings like a king, and even recorded his own mix-tape. He was also very over-the-top and can’t be as cool as he thinks he is.
In Marvel Comics, Klaw is a ruthless mercenary who wants nothing more than to poach, smuggle, and cheat his way to whatever profits he can find. Wakanda was a target for Klaw, and that made him one of Black Panther’s most dangerous enemies.
M’Baku
The Black Panther movie introduced fans to M’Baku. In the comics, he had an unfortunate early nickname of Man-Ape, but Marvel smartly eliminated that name and he now remains known as M’Baku. As viewers of the movie saw, M’Baku is a powerful, proud warrior who did the right thing in defending Wakanda.
In the comics, M’Baku was always one of Wakanda’s fiercest warriors, second only to T’Challa. That made them quick rivals. When Panther tried to change Wakanda into less of a hunter-warrior society, M’Baku rejected this and the two became bitter enemies.
N’Jadaka
N’Jadaka is the newest Black Panther villain in Marvel Comics. This took place in the “Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda” storyline by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuna. Panther sent Alpha Flight members to the far reaches of the universe to find more Vibranium. However, they accidentally time-traveled and ended up creating a new Wakanda in space.
Over the years, the new Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda chose not to remain peaceful and conquered other planets, spreading their domination. The leader was a man named N’Jadaka, who had powers thanks to a symbiote costume, and Bast granted him more powers. He eventually invaded Earth by taking over Killmonger’s body and almost brought Wakanda to its knees.
White Wolf
White Wolf is a very dangerous Black Panther villain. His name is Hunter, and he was Black Panther’s adopted brother, raised by T’Chaka and given a leadership role in the Hatut Zeraze, the Wakandan secret police.
However, when Black Panther took control after his father passed, he ended the Hatut Zeraze because of their brutality and banished Hunter. His brother went to America and became a wealthy and successful mercenary with fellow Hatut Zeraze members.
Namor
There are strong rumors Namor could make his debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The fact Namor and T’Challa would not face off would make that disappointing. Black Panther is the beloved King of Wakanda and is an honorable leader.
Meanwhile, Namor is the beloved King of Atlantis, hated by the rest of the world because of his arrogance. The two men became terrible enemies when Namor destroyed Wakanda with the Phoenix Force.
Killmonger
Erik Killmonger was never as cool in the comics as he was in the Black Panther movie, but he remains the coolest of all Black Panther villains. Much like the movie, he was a Wakandan child raised in the United States, but the way he got there was different.
Despite that, he grew to hate Wakanda and eventually became a mercenary and Black Panther’s greatest villain. He even beat T’Challa for leadership of the country in the same manner he did in the movie.