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The History of Wakanda, Home of Black Panther and Vibranium
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Overview

Flag of Wakanda from Black Panther Vol 6 4 0001

Flag of Wakanda

Wakanda, officially known as the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a small nation in North East Africa. For centuries they have remained in isolation and are now considered the most technologically advanced nation of the planet. Birnin Zana is the capital and largest city.

History

Go here for the history of Wakanda.

Geography

Localization

  • Wakanda's precise location seems to have shifted over the years:

Languages

The major languages in Wakanda are Wakandan, Yoruba and Hausa,[4] but due to their advanced education system, the people are fluent in a variety of African and European languages.[5]

Economy

The monetary unit used in Wakanda is the Wakandan Dollar.[1]

The major resource of the country is Vibranium, they have used this mineral to turn them into one of the economically stable nations on the planet. They were isolationists only trade when needed.[1] Vibranium is sold at $10,000 per gram, and Wakanda's sacred mound is estimated to have about have 10,000 tons of the material.[6]

Other major resources includes uranium, coal, diamonds, but also aeronautics and aircraft manufacture.[1]

Defenses

Wakanda is an advanced military power; the Wakandan Army is the country's main ground forces[2], while the Wakandan Navy oversees naval operations.[6] The Wakandan Air Guard is the Nations air force, which includes pilots wearing powerful suits of combat armor.[7]

The Hatut Zeraze ("Dogs of War") was formerly the nation's secret police; although it was officially disbanded, they continue to operate in what they believe is their homeland's best interest.[8]

The king is protected by his own personal bodyguards, the Dora Milaje, skilled female warriors who have dedicated their lives to the Black Panther.[9]

They have their own intelligence agency known as the N'Charu Silema a spy network that worked across the globe to maintain the nation's secrecy.[10][11] It was considered as good as the Mossad and certainly better than the CIA and MI6.[12]

They later developed P.R.I.D.E. (Princess Regent Intelligence Division Executives) as it's protection agency.[13]

The Wakandans have a contingency plan for dealing with the "Devourer of Worlds" Galactus.[14]

Politics and International Relations

T'Challa (Earth-616) from Black Panther Vol 4 2

Combat Ceremony

The Wakandan government is based on a pseudo-tribal society. The head of state is the Black Panther. In this role, the Black Panther is the King/Chieftain, religious leader, and commander-in-chief. The title, although it appears to be hereditary, can be challenged by any citizen of Wakanda for the right to rule in a combat ceremony.[2]

T'Challa (Earth-616) from Black Panther Vol 4 3

Taifa Ngao

Wakanda also has a council of tribal of elders; known as the Taifa Ngao to help with the decisions of day to day operations in the nation. They gather to advise the Black Panther on the future of their nation.[15] Following a governmental reformation, the Wakandan Constitutional Council transitioned the country from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.[16]

There are eighteen united tribes in Wakanda.[6][4]

The seat of government rules from the Royal Palace located in Birnin Zana, the capital city.[1]

Wakanda flag

Old Flag of Wakanda

Since it's early tribal beginnings, Wakanda has been extremely isolationist. They did not invade or provoke any other nations, but if another entered their territory they would retaliate with deadly force.[2] They remained this way for thousands of years, until the modern era when they decided to join the global community. This is still a matter of contention for the Wakandan people.[12] This lead to the creation of the Desturi, an ultra-conservative, xenophobic group who wished to return to their old isolationist ways.[17]

Wakanda is now a member of the United Nations.[18] This allows them to have political envoys across the globe such as the Wakandan Embassy in New York City.[19]

Education

Education is highly valued in the Wakandan culture and was viewed as a fundamental building block to ancient Wakandans. The nation has one of the highest literacy rates on the planet. They have an eleven year free, compulsory cycle of primary and secondary education. At the end of this, the citizens of Wakanda have the choice in the future of their career path. Many go on to attend one of their free Universities. The citizens also have other options such as farming and mining and other such laboring professions.[citation needed]

Due to their isolationist nature, education outside the country was forbidden, meaning the crown prince T'Challa was the first ever to do so.[20]

The Dora Milaje are trained and educated at their facility known as Upanga. [21]

They also created the Wakandan School for Alternative Studies a special school for the meta-humans of Wakanda.[22]

Health

Wakanda has a universal public health system paid largely from taxation. Wakanda's entire population has equal access to health care services.[6] The nation has one of the highest life expectancy rates on the planet.

From birth a citizen is provided with Kimoyo Beads, this device regularly monitors the individual and provides a lifetime worth of medical knowledge.[23]

Wakanda has a cure for cancer but being isolationist they are reluctant to share it with the outside world. One of the members of the Wakandan counsel stated "If they care about their people's health they wouldn't sell cigarettes".[12]

Technology

Wakanda's technology developed entirely independently of that of the rest of the world due to them remaining in isolation. The creation of methodologies of design are so different it's very difficult to use with outside technology.[2] Their computer technology is so advanced that it's almost impossible to hack. However, they have taken time to learn the technology of the rest of the world, allowing them to hack any external computer system.[24] Most of their technology has vibranium as it's basis.[25] The Wakandans use advanced communication technology such as the Kimoyo Card and Kimoyo Beads.[23]

The Wakandans do not use fossil fuels, even though their land is rich in resources. Instead they utilize a variety of eco-friendly alternative sources such as solar, hydrogen and geo-thermal.[2]

Wakandan scientists split the atom almost a century before the rest of the world.[26]

Since the mid-20th century Wakanda employed sophisticated surveillance satellites, launched at a time when the Americans and Soviets were in the early stages of the space program.[27]

Religion

The Wakandans have ties to the African gods known as the Ennead or Orishas, ancient beings who visited Earth centuries ago. They were widely worshiped in Egypt but also had ties to other regions of Africa.[28]

Panther Cult

T'Challa (Earth-616) from Fantastic Four Vol 1 608 0001

After the vibranium meteor fell, a number of Wakandans were painfully mutated into "demon spirits" and began attacking their fellow Wakandans. T'Challa's ancestor, Bashenga, became the first Black Panther and closed the vibranium mound to outsiders, forming a religious cult that guarded the mound and fought to keep the "demon spirits" from spreading across the kingdom.[29]

The Black Panther is a ceremonial and religious title given to the chief of the Panther Cult. In addition to ruling the country, he is also chief of its various tribes. The Panther uniform is a symbol of office as well as a religious vestment.[5]

As part of the cult's ceremonies, a chosen Black Panther is entitled to the use of a Heart-Shaped Herb that grants the person who consumes it enhanced strength, agility, and perception.[30]

White Gorilla Cult

The Wakandans outlawed the dangerous White Gorilla Cult due to their destructive actions.[31] They consumed the flesh of the White Apes that gave them enhanced strength. They worshiped Ghekre, the Ape God.[29]

Man-Ape (M'Baku) of the Jabari Village was one of the greatest warriors of Wakanda, second only to T'Challa, the current Black Panther. While T'Challa was away, M'Baku tried to usurp the throne. M'Baku revived the White Gorilla cult, killing and consuming one of the White Apes. He then defeated the Black Panther and took the throne.[31]

Lion Cult

Sekhmet the "Lion God" lost many worshipers over the years to the Cult of the Panther God, despite the fact that Sekmeht physically manifested before its followers, and the Panther God only appears to its priests.[32]

Crocodile Cult

Sobek the "Crocodile God" was an ancient and forgotten god of Wakanda. But is still had some worshipers.[33]

Hyena Clan

The Hyena Clan a group of nomadic scavengers and thieves that prowled Africa.[34]

Points of Interest

Wakanda from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 1 12

Alternate Realities

Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999)

Wakanda from Black Panther (film) 001

Wakanda is a country located in Africa. It is the source of most of the Vibranium used around the world. Wakanda was marked on a S.H.I.E.L.D. map of the world.[35] Ultron purchased Vibranium which had been stolen by Ulysses Klaue from Wakanda.[36]

A group of Wakandan delegates were accidentally killed in Lagos, Nigeria during one of the Avengers missions. Because of this they signed the Sokovia Accords. At a U.N. meeting Black Widow met T'Challa and the current King T'Chaka. The king was killed in an explosion. T'Challa originally believed that the Winter Solider had planned the attack and sought to avenge his father, but relented when he met the true perpetrator Helmut Zemo and refused to let vengeance consume him. He allowed Captain America and the Winter Soldier to find a refuge in Wakanda after his Civil War with Iron Man. He helped Bucky by putting him back in Cryostasis Chamber. Bucky wished to remain under cryostatis until his brainwashing could be undone.[37]

Marvel vs. Capcom series (Earth-30847)

The Earth-30847 version of Wakanda was caught up in the Convergence caused by Ultron Sigma, leaving the kingdom fused with the desert port town of Val Habar(Along with a good portion of its desert and the monsters therein, including the sand-swimming elder dragon Dah'ren Mohran). Black Panther still serves as the newly-formed kingdom's leader, with the land now being dubbed "Valkanda", and T'Challa taking on one of the town's top Monster Hunters as an adjutant. The kingdom was sealed beyond the flow of time through use of the Time Stone.

The Resistance sent a team to Valkanda in order to study the anomalies caused by the Convergence, but their craft was caught in a vortex and crashed, leaving Ryu and the Hulk as the only two survivors. Another team was sent to Valkanda to obtain the Time Stone in order to fight Ultron Sigma, but they were followed by a legion of Ultron Drones, who infected Dah'ren Mohran with the Sigma Virus. The dragon began an attack on the capital city or Valkanda, but was defeated by Ryu and the Hulk, leading Black Panther to hand over the Time Stone as thanks, removing the time barrier from around the kingdom.

After the defeat of Ultron Sigma, Wakanda and Val Habar remained permanently fused due to a crack made in the Reality Stone by Thanos in a battle with Ultron Sigma.

Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (Earth-60808)

On Earth-60808, Wakanda is a country located in Africa,it is home to large amounts of Vibranium. Dr. Bruce Banner discovered that during a previous Chitauri attack, the Hulk had been able to smash through the Vibranium plated Chitauri ships without any effort. Because of this, he discovered that Vibranium turns brittle when exposed to gamma radiation.[38]

Residents

Notes

  • A map of Wakanda was published in Jungle Action Vol 2 #6 that placed the nation on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, presumably on the west side of Africa. When that map was republished in Jungle Action Vol 2 #8 months later, that watery corner of the map was filled in by land, with merely an arrow pointing left towards the Indian Ocean. This retconning made Wakanda into an inland country closer to the east coast of Africa (presumably flipping the north / south axis of the map in order to accomplish this), a location that has been consistent in the years since, albeit with slight variations; while the Marvel Atlas points it as corresponding to Southwestern Ethiopia in the real world (see map above), the location of Wakanda in the Black Panther film corresponds, in real life, to Southwestern Uganda.

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Marvel Atlas #2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Black Panther Vol 4 #1
  3. ↑ Black Panther Vol 6 #4
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Marvel Atlas #2; Wakanda's entry
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Black Panther Vol 3 #30
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Doomwar #1
  7. ↑ Black Panther Vol 4 #4
  8. ↑ Black Panther Vol 3 #4
  9. ↑ Black Panther Vol 3 #1
  10. ↑ Rise of the Black Panther #5
  11. ↑ Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of Our Fathers #2
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Black Panther Vol 4 #3
  13. ↑ Black Panther Vol 5 #9
  14. ↑ Black Panther Vol 3 #14
  15. ↑ Black Panther Vol 4 #2
  16. ↑ Black Panther Vol 6 #16
  17. ↑ Black Panther Vol 5 #7
  18. ↑ Avengers #52
  19. ↑ Black Panther #14
  20. ↑ Avengers #87
  21. ↑ Black Panther: World of Wakanda #1
  22. ↑ Infinity: The Hunt #1
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Black Panther Vol 6 #1
  24. ↑ Black Panther Vol 3 #8
  25. ↑ Fantastic Four #53
  26. ↑ Fantastic Four #607
  27. ↑ Avengers 1959 #3
  28. ↑ Black Panther Vol 3 #21-22
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Black Panther #7
  30. ↑ Black Panther Vol 3 #24
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Avengers #62
  32. ↑ Avengers #112
  33. ↑ Black Panther Vol 5 #3
  34. ↑ FF #19
  35. ↑ Iron Man 2 (film)
  36. ↑ Avengers: Age of Ultron
  37. ↑ Captain America: Civil War
  38. ↑ Ultimate Avengers 2 (film)
  39. ↑ Francisco, Eric (1 March 2018). Why Wakandans Speak Xhosa, an Actual African Language. Inverse. Retrieved on 2 March 2018.
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