Among Black Panther writers, Christopher Priest is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, by the Marvel Comics fans. Under his guidance, Black Panther was reinvented and the character was given a new life, far from just another face in the Avengers crowd. But his most controversial run on the character was influenced by a decision to write Black Panther as a dark satire of a completely different superhero: Spider-Man.
Black Panther first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four #52. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Panther was an effort to create a black character in a comic book who was also a superhero (a rarity in the 60s). T'Challa was introduced as the King of Wakanda, a highly-advanced nation that hides their technology from European and Western influence. Over time, the character would accrue more popularity until acquiring his first solo series in 1973...unfortunately called Jungle Action. Christopher Priest wouldn't take over until the 90s, when he put his definitive stamp on the character.
After 9/11, the Black Panther book was to be retooled. T'Challa would no longer be the Black Panther; instead, another person would 'steal' the Black Panther's identity. Kevin "Kaspar" Cole was a NYPD officer who would coincidentally find one of the Black Panther's uniforms and eventually become the Black Panther himself. Just like Peter Parker, Kaspar has an aunt, an uncle, a Gwen Stacy-type girlfriend (actually named Gwen), and constant financial and personal problems. Known as the White Tiger, this character was not as well-received by fans...mostly because he wasn't T'Challa.
According to Priest, "My essential premise for the new direction in Panther became, in essence, a dark satire of Spider-Man, structured around the nuclear family concept of The Hero Who Could Be You." Cole was not a king or native of Wakanda, but an average, ordinary man (in a sense) with troubles that T'Challa could never possibly have growing up. Unfortunately, what worked for Peter Parker doesn't work for Black Panther; audiences presumably enjoyed T'Challa as a king rather than as an everyman with real-world problems.
While the White Tiger is still in Marvel comics continuity, he's not as loved or as well-known as T'Challa. Perhaps the character could make a surprise appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - perhaps even as the new Black Panther. Unfortunately for Kaspar, audiences prefer Black Panther and Spider-Man to be two distinct superheroes with their own strengths, weaknesses, and stories to tell.
Source: digitalpriest.com