The New Black Panther(ess)?

As can be seen in the illustration, there are some changes coming to Marvel’s Black Panther in the coming year.

The news of a new, female Black Panther first appeared in The Washington Post where it is revealed that Black Panther will be relaunched in February, and will continue to be written by Reggie Hudlin.

Hudlin told the Post: “Over the course of 40 issues [over three years], we ... really defined the character in a way that hadn't been done before. ... Having done that, you go: "How do we up the stakes?" Marvel is great about doing really shocking changes to their character -- they don't believe in just keeping everything as status quo."

And, no stranger to controversy, Hudlin said that he’s ready for the reaction the change will surely bring, saying: "Honestly, my entire run on the series has been controversial. Which is great. All the writers I admire are hotly debated online, and I feel like I'm always in great company in that situation. But more importantly, it means that people care about the book."

And, as the paper reports, Joe Quesada is down with the idea. “It was a very cool idea. Especially thinking about the legacy of the character. The fact that this is sort of a part of the Wakandan religion, and their royal family. It was a neat approach to the Black Panther, and I think it will add a wonderful twist to everything."

Hudlin didn’t however, explain what happens to the current Black Panther, T’Challa, but, like Quesada, noted that the character is a “legacy” character, that is, the mantle has been, and apparently will be passed from the hero to his successor. Hudlin teased that T’Challa took up the mantle when his father was assassinated before his time...and the same thing could be what has happened to T’Challa.