T'Challa (Earth-616)/Quotes

This page contains a listing of all notable quotes by or about T'Challa (Earth-616).

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Quotes by T'Challa (Earth-616)

We must build the ground crew for the Avengers. We need agents. Intelligence gatherers. Stealth operatives. People with a wide variety of unique skills who can work alone in the most inhospitable regions imaginable.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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...

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

Brazen power oft succumbs to silence and stealth!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

That is not the voice of a man insane!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

-- 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!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

How can we get the power back on, Bola?

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

Spirits of the Ancestors...

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

Let's see who is truly divine, "Thor"

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I hate a bureaucrat with delusions of adequacy.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I love it when a plan comes together.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I do not even know my own name.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I am not the one who needs backup.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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?

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I would advise waiting. Just a little longer.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I am a fighter, baba, not a savior.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

I could not ask for better allies.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

'

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

Then our search has ended.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

Go, tell your leader that his chieftan has returned!

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

God works through me, the same as you. There is non feat I achieve that you are not capable of.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

'

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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.

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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?

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

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

--T'Challa (Earth-616)

Conversations with T'Challa (Earth-616)

Zodiac soldier

Get him! He's only one man!

Black Panther

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

— Avengers #82

Storm

Yes

Black Panther

Yes

— Black Panther Vol 4 #18

Zeke Stane

Seriously? With both hands literally tied behind your back?

Black Panther

Yes.

— Black Panther Vol 6 #7

Sue

You're kind.

T'Challa

Don't tell my enemies.

Ororo

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

— Fantastic Four #550

Black Panther

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.

Namor

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

Namor

"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.

Namor

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...

Black Panther

Namor! NOOOO!

Namor

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

— New Avengers Vol 3 #21