T'Challa (Earth-616)/Quotes

They saved the world and were lifted up as saviors. Their home was a temple--a monument erected for The Science Games. A tower pointing towards the stars, and possibly something beyond even that. They were the greatest heroes their world had ever seen. They should have been enough.

'

Today we are all the Black Panther! And today we will fight as one! For Wakanda!

It is not for nothing that I am called the Black Panther!

I must admit, my glowing friend, that I do prefer the company of lions and leopards! They're much more trustworthy than the predators one finds in so-called civilization!

To kill a beast of prey, they must first hit him!

-- but perhaps I do need to talk a bit about home -- about days long forgotten -- about nights lost in time's shadow -- and about the origin of one whom the outside world has called -- The Panther!

Do not seek to do all my fighting for me. Some things after all are best left to... The Black Leopard!

Go, tell your leader that his chieftan has returned!

We did hear sounds of battle, Avengers... And the victor is our "dead" friend Ant-Man!

Killmonger! Killmonger! Every time I turn around, I hear his name!

Speak not to me of respect.. you've made a mockery of that word...

A man goes to brood where it is most isolated,...

... Oft-times when you slay the dragon --- its blood stains more than your hands.

Blood and death? Is this all I am to hear for the rest of my days?

This is where it ends Killmonger -- one way -- or another!

You should not hit a man in the side of the head with your fist. The man's head is harder.

Your hand is strength... It seems your hand is always giving me strength.

Then our search has ended.

Better to die as men --- Than to live as slaves!

Cold blooded female!! It's your weird band of Collectors who should be kept as curiosities in these tanks! You're no longer human!

That is not the voice of a man insane!

Brazen power oft succumbs to silence and stealth!

Spirits of the Ancestors...

My country is not in the market for advisors--either Cuban or American! We merely wish to know -- about the world outside!

I escaped -- But more than that I do not remember.

... May the spirits of our ancestors grant that we reach our destination in time!

Now, you and your future husband can stop fearing and face the future! Congratulations.

That madman has imprisoned me as a lesser creature. That was his first mistake.

I will not allow you to take Wakanda away from me, Killmonger!

Slaughter is not freedom, death is not freedom, and defeat is not freedom!

The fight for freedom needs no more martyrs -- it needs victory -- it needs no more atrocities to stir our blood -- it is stirred!

The world always conscripts young males to do their killing. And dying.

I intend to mount an expedition into the Savage Land.

I could not ask for better allies.

If anyone deserves to exploit the vibranium resources here, it is this land's natives.

It is my wish that you remain a part of... ...Fantastic Force!

Insane though he may have become, Stark is still a consummate genius.

Allow me to officially welcome you, "Cable"... to the African nation-state of Wakanda.

Take your best shot. I will offer no resistance. Then it will be my turn.

I want the DNA from his ashes to prove it!

Your assistance was not requested and the threat has been neutralized.

You know, this feels right. You and me, fighting side by side -- But I suppose that's a goddess's prerogative.

There is a reason the Skrulls had such an easy time trying to turn the world against its heroes. Because deep down everyone knows that this could happen, and now it has. You just decided all by yourselves that you are the Earth's protectors. And that you, and only you, not your teammates or family, are trustworthy enough to include in the process... What happens when you disagree? When one of these Earth-changing moments finds you all at odds with each other, here in a secret meeting? What happens then? Walk away now.

"Maybe Teacher was right, Ororo. Always kill your enemy"

Do you think you're the first person that ever felt like utterly destroying his enemy? It's an impulse as old as time itself...

I hate a bureaucrat with delusions of adequacy.

'

Don't bother. She's very sensitive about her hair. Word of advice: as you value your life, never ask her if she's wearing colored contact lenses.

Since you've squandered the right to surrender, I will keep pounding you until you can't move anymore. How about that?

Today we are all the Black Panther! And today we will fight as one! For Wakanda!

I love it when a plan comes together.

I'm going to take a wild guess: You're not here to recruit me.

Give up...?' You' are not my father.

Damn it, Reed, this isn't some logic puzzle for you to solve. This is a war, and we're losing. My people are dying out there! We've lost contact with your wife, your friends. We can't win if we keep playing by the rules. ... No more theorizing. I've already made the calls. Shuri was right all along. The only way to win this was to go straight for the throat.

Quiet. I'm concentrating.

This is not our destination... This is where our journey begins.

But one last thing... You have the blood of my people on your hands. So when this is done-- When my wants have replaced my needs... I'm going to kill you.

I take no pride in this... In any of it. What we have done here today... The actions we have taken... I believe they will haunt us until the end of our days.

I am who you are looking for. I am the Black Panther. King of the dead... And soon to be your new lord.

We have seen so much evil in the collapsing of worlds... But now we will see something truly wicked. What's worse than facing villains with the fate of your world hanging in the balance? Facing heroes.

I know that look. You're wondering... What am I waiting for? Namor's biology and genetics make him incredibly resistant to damage, but even he doesn't have the ability to simply shrug off what we--and the resulting fall from this platform--did to him. It will take a second for him to fully regain his wits... And I want him completely aware of what is about to happen to him. So we will spare him a few minutes. Because I want him to know--really know--it's over. To fully realize there's no forgiveness for what he's done. That there is a price and he's finally going to pay it--that there's no mercy for men like him, and even if there was, he doesn't get any. I want him to know this is how it ends. And more than that... I want him to know... It was me.

Victor! Your reign is over... and it ends with us.

My uncle S'Yan is dead now. Murdered by another king. I loved him. But I wish he'd told me not just of the power of kings, but of the might of the people. I wish he'd warned me that they, too, have secrets. They, too, hold mysteries. They, too, possess a power all their own.

No more discourse. No more deliberation. No more excuses. No more mercy. We know what this is. It is war, and war is our nation's trade. It has been so for generations. We are Wakanda. We will not be terrorized. We are terror itself.

I am your king, boy. I am the aegis between you and all the great troubles that would break you on sight. That is my sacred duty. And whenever I fail, whenever Wakandans die, some part of me is lost.

I have reservations. For now though, I am content to observe... to better formulate a response at the proper time. And you?

I have seen too much, Captain Marvel. I can no longer defend any of this. At the beginning I could. I could. But I have grown more and more uncomfortable with my part in this. And long, long ago I learned that if you are on Captain America's side... you can rest easy knowing you are on the right side. And if he, even after what we have all experienced, would choose to protect that child Avenger's right to be... then that is what I should have been doing this entire time. If you attack me... you attack the Kingdom of Wakanda.

This anxiety you feel. The fear for us that led you to come to me in the first place. That formed the Ultimates. Where did it come from? What do you dream?

I will admit this to you: Wakanda must change. I will not say what, or how -- not now in the midst of war -- but I know that there must be change. But I cannot do it alone, baba.

I am a king, Mother. Nothing can change this. But I will not be a tyrant.

No more games, Zawavari. My soul-stalker power is expansive, but it has limits. A warlock like you could have evaded me. You did not even try. I am here because you wished it. And you are well aware of why I have come.

Mr. Keith reached out to me weeks ago, claiming some affiliation to Wakanda. I had never heard of him, and I would have dismissed his claim... except he used an antiquated channel on the Kimoyo-net. One that only my inner circle knows exists.

The Gods have forsaken the people. Some of them think their King has too. And so some of them now look to you. You should not take the faith of people lightly. Believe me. I know.

Aneka, respond. Ayo, respond. If you can hear me, abort the mission. Abort if you can hear me. You are in grave danger.

You were once human, Sam Saxxon, but you forsook humanity as you rejected your soul. You might seek to scare scientists and students -- but you do not frighten the Black Panther!

How can we get the power back on, Bola?

Wakandans are free people. There are different kinds of freedom.

As a man of science and nature, when driving this vehicle, I am amazed at the fusion of the two. A machine that aspires to manifest a soul will be used to stop a machine that rejects its soul. Appropriate.

Nevertheless -- I bow to the will of my people.

Since the time of Bashenga, we've controlled our destiny as few other nations have. Yet my own father's death and more recent events have shown that our isolation makes us a target. Today I am taking the first steps toward ending that isolation. The world will see Wakanda and know our strength.

I am the King of Wakanda. I am the nation incarnate. And on behalf of that nation, I say: Let the faith of all of Wakanda power you. That faith is more than any mutation. It is a gift of godhead, passed down from your ancestors. Claim the gift. Let this be the hour when Gods again stalk the land. The hour of the Storm.

I do not even know my own name.

I... thought I knew everything about this family, this realm.

I am not the one who needs backup.

I'm fine. But something's wrong. Why would the Imperials send so large a force against us?

We've cut our way out of worse. It should be easy to cut our way in.

Do you know what it is to be haunted? The Empire doesn't just steal our past, they steal our futures. How can we move forward when we do not know our names? Who we are? Who we love? Even as I have escaped, I am captured, held fast by these questions. Who am I? What promises have I made? And to whom? How can I move forward, knowing not what I am leaving behind?

No one said this job would be easy, Avengers. Or even possible. That's why you're all here. Because none of you should be possible either. And nothing less of the utterly impossible is what I'll ask of you every time you answer our call. These are dark times, Avengers. And they are only trending further into darkness. If we're going to keep this planet intact long enough for its people to pull themselves back into the light, we'll have to do it one impossible day at a time. Today was a day unlike any other. Tomorrow will be more of the same. But that's our job description. That's why we stand together. If the world needs something to believe in, then let it believe in the power and promise of our most sacred words... Avengers assemble!

Our world today is rife with powder kegs. You can see them in every corner of the globe. Waiting to explode. Powder kegs, I can deal with. That is the job. But what worries me most... is the explosion I cannot see coming.

I would advise waiting. Just a little longer.

There was never a "mutual threat." You are the threat!

What would the man I was before think of me now?

I am a fighter, baba, not a savior.

That spear you hold... it was made to be wielded by a king. Are you a king?

Prepare for hand-to-hand, soldiers. Today, we fight -- for Agwé!!!

I never asked for this. I never asked to be king.

You are asking me to destroy this place. You are asking me to destroy you.

What happened? N'Jadaka's death was supposed to restore your godhood.

The last thing Broo said before communication abruptly shut off was, "The Moon is hungry."

And what would you have me do then, Shuri? Allow N'Jadaka to roam free across the cosmos?

Last time Deadpool engaged us, he invaded the Wakandan throne room, stole an experimental Panther suit and teleported the Great Vibranium Mound to New Jersey. He's dangerously insane. Whatever "Project Livewire" is, we cannot let him get to it.

Let us not grieve today, Father. For we are here in this river of the Djalia, and time is as plentiful as the water. So tell me, Father -- what is it you would have taught?

No matter my past, no matter my faults, I am your king. And I demand your allegiance.

And I would ask what those plans are -- but we have already picked up multiple distress signals. The Cotati have arrived on Earth.

You see... I knew Jacques Duquesne. He was human. So human it killed him. But when he died -- he died an Avenger! And everything you will never be! You were no Jacques Duquesne, cotati. May that knowledge comfort you -- at the hour of your death!

You failed, Khonshu, because we're the people who hold gods accountable. You are hereby under arrest. In the name of the Earth and its Avengers.

You've travelled half the universe, stolen the power of a God, Journeyed through the realm of the dead and come back. And still you have learned nothing.

Conversations with T'Challa (Earth-616)

Zodiac soldier

Get him! He's only one man!

For that matter, fella... so was Alexander the Great!

— Avengers #82

Storm

Yes

Yes

— Black Panther Vol 4 #18

Not everything can be resolved with a kiss, Ororo.

Storm

How do you know? Did you ever try and kiss Doom?

— Black Panther Vol 4 #19

Sue

You're kind.

T'Challa

Don't tell my enemies.

Ororo

Farewell, my friends. If you need us, just call.

— Fantastic Four #550

How do you do it, Namor? How do you bury the part of you that was good and noble so deep that all that remains is this? Some shell of the man you used to be.

Look at them, T'Challa-- flying off to save the unsaveable. The good and noble, warring against the inevitable. Is that us? Is that what you think we are? You might have been right at one time. Maybe I was that man once. Maybe you were as well. But then we both lost our people, and our kingdoms crumbled. Even now, while we do what we must to keep the things we love alive, we become everything they hate. Do you know what you bury deep, my friend? Things that have died. Who is this Namor, the good and noble? No man I know.

— New Avengers Vol 3 #17

"It matters." The way you people talk about your lives-- Like they mean something... "It matters."

I am the greatest man I know... But compared to this, I'm nothing. Just as you... are nothing. Am I the only man here with the courage of his convictions... Or am I the only one with conviction at all?

Mister Fantastic

Namor... Don't... It's not worth it.

These lines you won't cross... These things you won't do... They shame you. How dare any of you put yourself--your damned morals--above the lives of every living thing? The truth is, you people aren't worth that... And neither am I. Our lives are a pittance. A petty, small nothing...

Namor! NOOOO!

Of course this is worth it. Now watch... As I do what you could not.

— New Avengers Vol 3 #21

Zeke Stane

Seriously? With both hands literally tied behind your back?