Black Panther (4th series) #16

Issue Date: 
July 2006
Story Title: 
Bride of the Panther - Part 3
Staff: 

Reginald Hudlin (writer), Scot Eaton (penciler), Klaus Janson (Inks), Dean White (Colors), VC’s Randy Gentile (Letters), Olivier Coipel (Cover), Cory Sedlmeier (Associate Editor), Axel Alonso (Editor), Joe Quesada (Chief), Dan Buckley (Publisher)

Brief Description: 

All the world is abuzz with the news of the Black Panther and Storm’s marriage, especially the people of Wakanda. Holographic wedding invitations are sent out to the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Isaiah Bradley and more. Though everyone’s reaction to the wedding is different. Whether it be Princess Zanda’s jealousy or SHIELD and Wakanda’s planning of security measures or Monica Lynne and Forge’s sadness at their former loves finding happiness.
Storm and the Black Panther travel to New Jersey just in time to stop a HYDRA attack on an elderly couple. As it turns out, this was exactly where they were headed and the couple are Ororo’s paternal grandparents. The family catches up with many tears and much joy, before they too are personally invited to the wedding.
In Africa it is revealed that the leader of Nairobi is working with Man-Ape. They were the ones who sent HYDRA after the Munroes and now plan to take full advantage of so many superheroes coming to the wedding.

Full Summary: 

All through Wakanda people discuss the upcoming nuptials of Black Panther and Storm. Reactions are mixed as residents voice their opinions and concerns of this outsider becoming queen. They even begin to worry if Storm’s mutant genes will be compatible with T’Challa’s. The gossip continues throughout the country from barber shops to salons to laboratories to children on the street.

At Avengers Tower, the New Avengers receive a hologram invitation from Wakanda. Captain America is happy to hear of their wedding, while Iron Man thinks of how another bachelor is heading down the aisle. Luke Cage, however, is all too happy to plan the bachelor party.

In Westchester, New York, New York at the X-Men’s mansion, the X-Men receive their own holographic invitation. Wolverine and Nightcrawler briefly discuss their past flirtations with Storm, while Cyclops is saddened that the X-Men are losing one of their best team leaders. Kitty Pryde gets angry that no one is simply happy for one of their best friends. While the others try to explain themselves, Emma states simply that they’re self-absorbed mutants.

Elsewhere in New York, at the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four are listening to their invitation. The group discusses how perfect they believe Ororo and T’Challa are for each other. While the Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, and the Thing wonder if they should wear costumes or formal attire, the Invisible Woman is lost in thought of the Black Panther. She walks off talking about how lucky Storm is, while the men watch on slightly confused.

In the south of France, Princess Zanda reads in the newspaper of the royal wedding. She becomes enraged at the fact that T’Challa is marrying a woman that isn’t her. She decides that she must leave France and unify Africa with Black Panther. When her servant warns her that she is wanted in fifteen countries, Zanda refuses to be bored with details.

Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, “Dum-Dum” Dugan discusses the upcoming royal wedding with other S.H.I.E.L.D. officers. They worry that with every X-Man and every Avenger along with heads of state that there is a large security risk. They discuss how if the superheroes don’t kill each other, then certainly there will be an enormous attraction for practically every supervillain ever. Everett Ross enters and offers his expert opinion on Wakandan affairs.

In the Bronx at the Bradley residence, Isaiah Bradley, the first black Captain America, receives his special invitation. His wife and granddaughter quickly debate if the American government will in fact allow them to leave for the wedding. Mrs. Bradley walks off to find Captain America’s phone number.

In Wakanda the official members of the Wakanda security discuss what they must do to keep the wedding disaster-free. They discuss the cameras that will allow them to stop the inevitable superhero rumble. They then turn to discuss the security of Storm herself. They decide that her past associations check out, but her romantic history with Forge is a potential problem for her commitment.

In Washington D. C., Monica Lynne, the former girlfriend of T’Challa, sings sadly about love at her concert. Backstage her associates talk about the song and how upset Monica is because the Black Panther is getting married. While they are impressed by Storm, they know that Monica feels thrown aside despite her having broken it off with T’Challa, but then what did she expect?

In his workshop in Dallas, Texas, Forge works on various projects to attempt to get his mind off the highly publicized wedding. Talking to his helper robot, Forge states that he doesn’t understand why his powers to work with machinery, to make connections, don’t work with humans. Though Forge admits he’s jealous of the Black Panther, he decides that Ororo deserves nothing but the best, and he resigns to hoping that Storm and the Black Panther’s marriage will work out better than his and Ororo’s trainwreck of a relationship did.

Inside the United Nations T’Challa’s cousin T’Shan talks with his assistant. His assistant is surprised at how well T’Shan is handling everything considering T’Shan had hopes for the throne.

(flashback)

He recalls a near-fatal plane crash. In it, a woman kisses him, then dies.

(present)

T’Shan tells his assistant that he’s had a change of mind and he knows that the future of Wakanda is secure in T’Challa and Ororo’s hands.

In the Black Panther’s jet, on their way to New York, Storm and T’Challa prepare for meeting with Ororo’s paternal grandparents. Though Storm claims that with her new family, the X-Men, her side of the aisle won’t be empty. T’Challa agrees that they’re her family, but he wants to have all aspects of their lives represented. She has recently been reunited with her maternal relatives but that also includes her father’s parents. Though Storm tried to look for them before, she had found only a crack house where her parents used to live. Storm is nervous with preparing for marriage and meet both T’Challa’s and her family all at once. Though their search is a happy one, T’Challa realizes that they will not be the only ones looking for them.
In New Jersey, a young boy and his uninterested grandfather sit down to watch 24 on TV. Before the show can start, the doorbell rings, and the boy goes to answer it only to find multiple HYDRA gents waiting outside.
The grandfather quickly runs to the closet after he makes sure that it was in fact the infamous terrorist organization. He beings opening a locked case saying that he knew someday someone would come looking for them. The little boy’s grandmother looks in from the kitchen in time to see the HYDRA agents crash through their front door.
Before HYDRA can make an organized attack, the grandfather pulls his gun and fires as his wife attacks an agent with a frying pan viciously. She tells the fallen agent that she’s no amateur as she was trained in self-defense by the Fruit of Islam as her husband reloads.
The elderly couple look at the two fallen HYDRA agents and decide that there must be more outside. After checking on their grandson, they tell him to stay safely in the closet. The two move to the window and see a horde of HYDRA agents fallen at the feet of the Black Panther. The Black Panther demands the agent’s information on his supervisor, but the agent doesn’t talk. The grandfather smiles and tells his wife to put out the good silverware.
The Black Panther address the couple as Mr. and Mrs. Munroe as they bow to the king of Wakanda. T’Challa says that it is he who should bow to them, and not the other way around. The Black Panther tells them that it’s because of them that he has Ororo. Mrs. Munroe stops and asks if Ororo is indeed there. Just then, Storm flies down on the air currents. As she informs T’Challa that there are no more agents, she sees her grandparents. Tears well up in the elderly couple’s eyes as Storm stares, shocked. Storm lands and the three embrace.

While T’Challa and Ororo’s grandfather fix the broken door, Harriet shows Storm numerous photographs and explains that they were told Ororo died with her parents, though they suspected she might be alive. Harriet said she always thought Storm of the X-Men looked like little Ororo all grown up, but they could never quite be certain. T’Challa then questions their readiness of the HYDRA attack. Ororo’s grandparents explain that in the 1960s they were both involved in many radical left-wing organizations and decided that it would be best to be armed and ready in case of an emergency. Though, Harriet admits she doesn’t know why HYDRA would be after them.

T’Challa is forced to explain that HYDRA probably used their resources to find the Munroes and wanted to replace them to manipulate the Black Panther. Because of the publicity of the wedding, Ororo’s relatives are potential targets. Storm takes this opportunity to ask if there would be any other family that they would need to protect. Harriet explains that Ororo’s aunt died of AIDS leaving little David with them. Ororo lovingly invites her small, newfound family to the wedding personally. T’Challa asks little David if he’s ever been to Africa, and David jokes he’s never been out of the tri-state area. He then longingly looks at Ororo, announcing that he will go anywhere she goes, causing his grandmother to yell at him.

Somewhere in Africa, in a small hut, two men speak. They discuss the failure of the HYDRA agents. The topic then moves on to how things have changed. HYDRA hasn’t been the same since Baron Strucker died. The power vacuum continues since the Red Skull is dead, Magneto is nowhere to be found and powerless, and the Green Goblin is in prison. Now it is revealed to be the leader of Nairobi speaking and asks with a sinister smile if there is no one who can take advantage of the upcoming wedding. In a dramatic growl, the second man says that the world will soon learn to fear the name Man-Ape.

Characters Involved: 

Black Panther

Storm (reserve X-Man)

Luke Cage, Captain America, Iron Man Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, (All New Avengers)

Mary Jane Watson-Parker

Cyclops, Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Wolverine (All X-Men)

Forge (X-Men associate)

Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, the Thing (All Fantastic Four)

Leader from Nairobi

Man-Ape

Princess Zanda

Isaiah Bradley

Faith Bradley

Unnamed granddaughter of the Bradleys
Colonel “Dum-Dum” Dugan
Monica Lynne
David Munroe II

Grandpa Munroe

Harriet Munroe
Everett Ross
Ambassador T’Shan

W’Kabi, head of Wakanda Security
HYDRA Agents

SHIELD Operatives

T’Shan’s assistant

Wakandan citizens
Zanda’s servants

In Hologram:

Black Panther, Ororo

In Description:

Norman Osborn

Red Skull

Magneto

Story Notes: 

In recent issues of Uncanny X-Men Storm flirted with both Nightcrawler and Wolverine, though nothing serious came out of either.

Everett Ross played an important roll in the previous Black Panther series.

Isaiah Bradley is a super soldier, actually the first, predating Captain America, though most of the world knows nothing about him (as can be seen in the TRUTH limited series), His grandson currently serves on the Young Avengers.

Forge and Ororo’s long term relationship ended in Uncanny X-Men #290-291. Forge asked Storm to marry him, but retracted his proposal before she could say yes, convinced that she would never leave the X-Men. Later attempts to restart the relationship failed

Ororo meets the maternal side of her family in Uncanny X-Men Annual #1.
24 is a popular American television show that has each season taking place in the span of 24 hours.

Though Harriet Munroe calls Storm Little David’s aunt, it seems that he would actually be her cousin, given that David’s (Ororo’s father) sister was Little David’s mother.

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