Wakanda Forever Reading Guide

September 25, 2022 Vin Avengers, Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Comics, Defenders, Doctor Doom, Fantastic Four, Illuminati, Marvel, MCU, Mutants, Namor, New Avengers, Reading Guides, Secret Wars, Shuri, The Multiverse Saga, X-Men 18 min read

Yibambe! Yibambe! Hello everyone and welcome to the Wakanda Forever Black Panther comics reading guide!

With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start catching up with T’Challa, Shuri, and Namor! Gathered below is everything you need to cover Shuri’s time as Black Panther in the comics, the complete Wakanda/Atlantis saga, the rise of the Midnight Angels, and the origin of Ironheart!

Wakanda Forever comics quick start:

Early reading (Optional but recommended):

Sub-Mariner Comics (1941) #23-42
Fantastic Four (1961) #4-6, 9, 14, 52-56
Avengers (1963) #26-27, 61-62, 78-79, 87
Sub-Mariner (1968) #4, 31, 36-37, 50-51
Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #13-37; Panther’s Prey #1-4
Namor the Sub-Mariner (1990) #1-25, Annual #1
Black Panther (1998) #1-12, 26-38, 48-49, 60-62
Black Panther (2005) #1-7, 16-21, 26-27, 35-41
Sub-Mariner: The Depths (2008) #1-5

Shuri as Black Panther:

Black Panther (2009) #1-12
Doomwar (2010) #1-6
Klaws of the Panther (2010) #1-4
Fantastic Four (1998) #607-608

Wakanda vs. Atlantis:

Defenders (1972) #84
Black Panther (1998) #26-29
New Avengers: Illuminati (2006) #1
Black Panther (2009) #1, 9-12
Avengers vs. X-Men (2012) #1-8
New Avengers (2013) #7-12, 16-18, 21-24
Avengers (2013) #39-41
Secret Wars (2015) #6-9

Modern reading:

Black Panther: World of Wakanda (2017) #1-5
Black Panther (2016) #1-18, 166-172, Annual #1
Black Panther (2018) #1-25
Shuri (2018) #1-10
King In Black: Namor #1-5 (2020)
Black Panther (2021) #1-12
Wakanda (2022) #1-5

Ironheart:

Invincible Iron Man (2015) #7-12
Invincible Iron Man (2017) #1-11, 593-600
Ironheart (2019) #1-12
Black Panther (2018) #20, 23-25

This covers everything you need to know, but there’s so many more great stories with T’Challa, Namor, Shuri, and the worlds of Atlantis and Wakanda. Plus, included below are extra recs for M’Baku, Killmonger, Namora, and Attuma!

Early Reading (1940s-1990s)

Created in 1939, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner was a big deal long before Marvel Comics even existed! Most of his early adventures feature the original Human Torch and Captain America taking down Nazis. Namor went on hiatus from 1955 to 1962, then returned in the new Marvel universe with Fantastic Four #4! (now with winged ankles)

T’Challa the Black Panther was also introduced in Fantastic Four a few years later. Both characters went on to solo their own series in the 70s, and had recurring roles in The Avengers.

For Wakanda Forever, the #1 most important comic here is Defenders #84, the first T’Challa/Namor standoff.

Early Namor Comics (1939-1955)
- Marvel Comics (1939) #1
- Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) #2-91
  - #11-13, 18, 24, 30, 37 feature Fen, Namor’s mother
  - #82, 84-88, 90-91 feature Namora, Namor’s cousin
- Human Torch (1940) #28-33, 36-38
  - #5 (Fall) features Fen, Namor’s mother
  - #28-32, 37 feature Namora
- Sub-Mariner Comics (1941) #1-42
  - #23-30, 34-42 feature Namora
  - #32-33 is Namor’s origin story! Featuring Princess Fen and Leonard McKenzie
  - #35-39, 41 also feature Fen
- Namora (1948) #1-3

Fantastic Four (1961) #4-6, 9, 14, 52-56, 60, Annual #1
- #4-6, 9, 14, Annual #1 are major Namor stories
- #52-56, 60 are the first appearance of T’Challa!
- #53 features King T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father

Avengers (1963) #26-27, 61-62, 69-71, 78-79, 87, 114-119, 154-156, 267-272, 305-310
- #26-27 feature Attuma
- #61-62, 78-79 feature T’Challa and M’Baku. M’Baku’s first appearance!
- #71 is the first “T’Challa vs. Namor” fight, but it’s an alternate Namor by time travel
- #87 is T’Challa’s origin story!
- #114-119 is parallel to Defenders #8-11 (Avengers/Defenders War)
  - Features T’Challa and Namor, but fight other characters
- #154-156 feature Namor and Attuma
- #267-272 are parallel to Alpha Flight #35-40. Feature Namor and Attuma
- #305-308 feature T’Challa and Namor again. They are teammates but hardly interact

Sub-Mariner (1968) #4, 31, 33, 36-38, 50-51
- Namor solo series!
- #1, 38, 43-46 feature Leonard McKenzie, Namor’s father
- #4, 31, 36-37 feature Attuma
- #33, 50-51 feature Namora

Jungle Action (1972) #6-24
- T’Challa solo series!
- #6-8, 12-17 feature Killmonger (“Panther’s Rage”)
- #8 is T’Challa’s origin story!
- #15 features King T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father
- Continued in Marvel Premiere #51-53

Defenders (1972) #84-86
- #84 is the first true meeting of T’Challa and Namor… and the first Wakanda vs. Atlantis story!
  - This is the most important comic in this section

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #13-37
- “Black Panther: Panther’s Quest”
- #13, 37 feature King T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father
- #36-37 is the first appearance of Queen Ramonda!
- Continued in Black Panther: Panthers Prey (1990) #1-4

Saga of the Sub-Mariner (1988) #1-12
- #1 features Namor’s father
- #2, 6, 11 feature Namora
- #9-12 feature Attuma

Extra reading:

Tales to Astonish (1958) #64, 70-101
- Stars Namor and Hulk!
- #88-91 also feature Attuma
- #96 features Fen, Namor’s mother
Iron Man and Sub-Mariner (1968) #1
Super-Villain Team-Up (1975) #1-13; Giant-Size #1-2
Black Panther (1977) #1-15
- #14 features King T’Chaka, T’Challa’s father
- Written and drawn by Jack Kirby!
Marvel Premiere (1972) #51-53
Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner (1984) #1-4
Alpha Flight (1983) #12-16, 33-40
Marvel Age Annual (1985) #1
Black Panther (1988) #1-4

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- Daredevil Annual (1967) #4
- Marvel Graphic Novel (1981) #1, 58
- Incredible Hulk (1962) #277-279
- Atlantis Attacks (1989)
  - Avengers Annual #18
  - Fantastic Four Annual #22

Extra Killmonger:
- Iron Man Annual (1970) #5
  - Features the Fantastic Four!
- Over the Edge (1995) #6

Extra M’Baku:
- West Coast Avengers (1985) #1-2; Vision and the Scarlet Witch (1985) #2
- Fantastic Four (1961) #336
- Captain America (1968) #411-413

Namor and Black Panther Comics (1990s)

The Black Panther solo of this era is one of the most definitive runs for the character. Writer Christopher Priest created the characters of Everett Ross, Okoye, and Nakia (who are all a bit different from their MCU counterparts). This run also featured the returns of M’Baku and Killmonger, and explored the Wakanda/Atlantis conflict in depth for the first time.

John Byrne’s Namor the Sub-Mariner series is equally iconic, even though it takes Namor in some unexpected directions and doesn’t tie into T’Challa’s story at all. But be warned – there is a significant drop in quality after issue #25.

And while still sore after the skirmish in Defenders #84, T’Challa and Namor continued to work together alongside the Avengers and Fantastic Four.

Namor the Sub-Mariner (1990) #1-25, 41, 45, 52-53, Annual #1
- #41, 52, Annual #1 feature Namor’s father and Namor’s origin story
- #45, 52 feature Attuma

Black Panther (1998) #1-62
- First appearance of Okoye and Nakia!
- #1-33 feature Nakia
- #1-62 feature Okoye
- #3, 5, 10, 27, and 30 feature King T’Chaka
- #13-25, 60-61 feature Killmonger (“Killmonger’s Rage”)
- #27-29 is a major Wakanda vs. Atlantis story! Follow-up to Defenders (1972) #84
- #32-35, 48-49 feature M’Baku

Extra reading:

Fantastic Four Unlimited (1993) #1 [B Story]
Captain America (1998) #3
New Warriors (1990) #44
Hulk/Sub-Mariner Annual ’98 (1998) #1
Daredevil (1998) #8
Marvel: The Lost Generation (2000) #3
Defenders (2001) #2, 5, 7, 11
Citizen V and the V-Battalion (2001) #2, The Everlasting #1
Avengers (1998) #43
JLA/Avengers (2003) #1-4

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- Avengers (1963) #329, 332-333, 400; (1998) #1-4, 58-61, 500-503
- Fantastic Four (1961) #385, 390-392, 400, 416; Atlantis Rising #1-2; (1998) #12, 27
- The Order (2002) #1-7
- Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Comics Magazine (2001) #7-8, 11
- Marvel Universe: The End (2003) #1, 5
- X-Statix (2002) #26
- Hercules (2005) #1

Extra Killmonger:
- Deadpool (1997) #44 (before Black Panther #23)

Extra M’Baku:
- Wonder Man (1991) #24-25
- Thunderbolts (1997) #24-25, 33

Black Panther (2005)

Evolving past T’Challa and Namor’s last encounter, Reginald Hudlin’s Black Panther sees the two men form a truce and even a potential friendship. Even though this run was burdened with too many tie-in events (House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion), Hudlin still managed to introduce Shuri and give us the wedding of T’Challa and Storm.

Meanwhile, T’Challa and Namor are invited to join the elusive Illuminati, setting the stage for the next major saga…

Black Panther (2005) #1-41
- Shuri’s first appearance! She’s a main character
- #3-4, 14, 23 feature King T’Chaka
- #7 features Namor. Ties into House of M (2005)
- #16-18 is the wedding of T’Challa and Storm. Tons of guest appearances!
- #17-18, 21 feature Namor
  - T’Challa and Namor form a temporary truce!
- #21-25 tie into Civil War (2006)
- #35-38 feature Killmonger
- #39-41 tie into Secret Invasion (2007)

New Avengers: Illuminati (2006) #1
- T’Challa and Namor disagree about the Illuminati! Begins the road to Secret Wars (2015)
- Continued in New Avengers: Illuminati (2007) #1-5 without T’Challa

Sub-Mariner: The Depths (2008) #1-5
- One of the best Namor solo stories

Extra watching:

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (2008)
- Features Azari! (T’Challa’s son from the multiverse)

Extra reading:

What If: Sub-Mariner (2005) #1 (“What If Prince Namor of Atlantis… Grew up on Land?”)
Agents of Atlas (2006) #1-6
- Features Namora! Guest appearances by Namor and T’Challa
World War Hulk (2007) #2
Incredible Hulk/Incredible Hercules (2000) #107, 109, 121-123

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- House of M (2005) #6
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #533
- Civil War (2006) #6-7
- Fantastic Four (1998) #543
- Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America (2007) #5
- Marvel Holiday Special 2007 (2007) #1 [D Story]
- Avengers/Invaders (2008) #1-12
  - Stars Namor!
  - #3 features Namor’s father
  - #12 feature T’Challa

Extra M’Baku:
- Heroes for Hire (2006) #6-8
- Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007) #1
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes II (2007) #2, 5-6

Black Panther (Shuri comics) (2009)

After T’Challa is taken out of action, Shuri becomes the new Black Panther and leader of Wakanda. One of her first decisions? Punching Namor. Without the patience and negotiation skills of T’Challa, Wakanda’s alliances become strained, leading to Doomwar and a full-scale Wakanda vs. Atlantis conflict!

Part 1 of the most essential Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comics.

Black Panther (2009) #1-12
- Shuri becomes the Black Panther!
- #1 features Namor. T’Challa’s friendship is strained as Namor allies with Doctor Doom
- #4 features M’Baku
- #9-12 feature Namor. Major Wakanda vs. Atlantis story!
  - Continued in Doomwar (2010)

Doomwar (2010) #1-6
- #1-6 features T’Challa and Shuri
- #3, 6 feature Namor
- #5 is the first appearance of the Midnight Angels!

Klaws of the Panther (2010) #1-4
- Shuri’s own Black Panther miniseries!
- #4 features Namor

Fantastic Four (1998) #607-608
- A major story featuring T’Challa, Shuri, and the legacy of the Black Panthers!

Extra reading:

Agents of Atlas (2009) #1-11
- Features Namora! #7 features Namor’s father
X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas (2010) #1-2
Astonishing Tales: Dominic Fortune (2009) #5-6
Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of Our Fathers (2010) #1-4
Hercules: Fall of an Avenger (2010) #1
Fear Itself: The Deep (2011) #1-4
- Major Namor vs. Attuma story
Avengers (2010) #1, 6; Avengers World (2014) #9-11, 14
- Features Azari! (T’Challa’s son from the multiverse)
Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #513-529
- T’Challa becomes the new hero of Hell’s Kitchen! Continues from Daredevil (1998) #512
- #523-529 retitled to “The Most Dangerous Man Alive”
Avengers 1959 (2011) #1-5
- Stars Namora! #5 also features King T’Chaka

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- Fantastic Four (1998) #588
- Defenders (2012) #1-12
- Wolverine (2010) #16
- FF (2011) #11

Extra Shuri:
- Chaos War (2010) #1
- Age of Heroes (2010) #4
- FF (2011) #19

Wakanda vs. Atlantis (2010s)

After brewing for decades, the Black Panther/Namor saga culminates in the trilogy of Avengers vs. X-Men, New Avengers, and Secret Wars. This era is finally the all-out war between nations, which quickly evolves into the inadvertent destruction of countless worlds as the multiverse begins collapsing before Secret Wars.

This is Part 2 of the most essential Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comics.

Avengers vs. X-Men (2012) #1-8
- Features T’Challa and Namor
- #8 is a major Wakanda vs. Atlantis story!

New Avengers (2013) #1-33
- Features T’Challa and Namor as part of the Illuminati
- #1-12, 16-24, 28 feature Namor
- #7-12 is a major Wakanda vs. Atlantis story! Ties into Infinity #1-6
- #13-15, Namor leaves for All-New Invaders (2014) #1-11
- #18 features King T’Chaka
- #24-33 is parallel to New Avengers #35-44

Infinity (2013) #1-6
- Features T’Challa and Namor as part of the Illuminati
- Parallel to New Avengers #9-12 and Avengers #18-23

Avengers (2013) #28, 35-44
- Features T’Challa (Illuminati) and Namor (Cabal)
- #35-44 is parallel to New Avengers #24-33
- #40 is a major T’Challa vs. Namor story! Also features King T’Chaka
- #44 leads directly into Secret Wars (2015)

Secret Wars (2015) #0-9
- #6-9 is a major story for T’Challa and Namor

Extra reading:

Fantastic Four (2014) #645
Deadpool (2013) #45
Civil War (2015) #2-4
- Features Azari! (T’Challa’s son from the multiverse)
- Secret Wars tie-in (alternate future)
Ultimates (2016) #1-2
Squadron Supreme (2016) #1, 12

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) #10-11
- Uncanny X-Men (2012) #1-17
- Avengers (2010) #29
- Thanos: A God Up There Listening (Infinite Comic) (2014) #1
- Inhumanity (2014) #1-2
- All-New Invaders (2014) #1-15
- Captain America and the Mighty Avengers (2015) #8

Extra Shuri:
- Infinity: The Hunt (2013) #1-4
- Daredevil (2014) #7

Extra M’Baku:
- Villains for Hire (2012) #3-4
- Superior Carnage (2013) #1

World of Wakanda (2017)

In the aftermath of Secret Wars, the Wakanda/Atlantis conflict finally quieted down. The World of Wakanda miniseries fleshed out the Midnight Angels (first formed during Doomwar) and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run has become one of the most celebrated Black Panther series ever written.

This era also introduced Ironheart, who quickly began teaming up with various heroes across the Marvel universe. Dive into Riri’s full story with the Ironheart Reading Guide!

Black Panther: World of Wakanda (2017) #1-5
- Highly recommended mini-series set in Wakanda!
- Features T’Challa, Shuri, Namor, and the Midnight Angels

Black Panther (2016) #1-18, 166-172, Annual #1
- Features T’Challa, Shuri, and the Midnight Angels
- #1, 7, 11, and 14 feature King T’Chaka
- Annual #1 features Nakia

Ironheart (2016)
- Invincible Iron Man (2015) #7-12
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) #12
- Invincible Iron Man (2017) #1-11
- Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2016) #15, 18
- Infamous Iron Man (2016) #6-9
- All-New Wolverine (2016) #19-21
- Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart (2017) #1
- Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) #1-2, 298-300, 306-307

Black Panther: Long Live the King (2017) #1-5
- Bonus mini-series set in Wakanda!
- Features T’Challa, Shuri, and M’Baku
- #5 features King T’Chaka

Ironheart (2017)
- Champions (2016) #1, 11, 16-21
- Infinity Countdown: Champions (2018) #1-2
- Champions (2016) #22-27, Annual #1
- Spider-Man (2016) #239-240
- Invincible Iron Man (2017) #593-600
- Continue with the Ironheart Reading Guide!

Extra reading:
- Civil War II (2016) #1-6, The Oath #1
  - #1-6 features T’Challa, #4-6 features Ironheart
  - The Oath #1 features T’Challa and Namor
- Monsters Unleashed (2017) #1-4
- Nick Fury (2017) #4
- Secret Empire (2017) #0-10, 13
- Free Comic Book Day 2017 (Secret Empire) #1
- Captain America: Steve Rogers (2016) #18
- Secret Empire: Brave New World (2017) #2-5 [C Stories]
- Avengers (2017) #688
- X-Men: Red (2018) #1-11

Extra M’Baku:
- All-New, All-Different Avengers (2016) #8
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) #18

Black Panther and Shuri (2018)

When T’Challa later becomes the leader of the Avengers, he recruits Okoye to form a Wakandan intelligence unit. In the meantime, Namor balances his schedule between antagonizing the Avengers and starring in Chip Zdarsky’s Invaders (one of the team’s most acclaimed runs yet!).

Ta-Nehisi Coates continued his Black Panther comics run by sending T’Challa… to space!? Plus, Riri comes to Wakanda and Shuri gets her own solo series!

Namor (2018)
- Namor: The Best Defense (2018) #1
- Defenders: The Best Defense (2018) #1
- Invaders (2019) #1-12

Rise of the Black Panther (2018) #1-6
- New origin story for T’Challa!
- Features T’Challa, Shuri, Namor, Killmonger, and King T’Chaka

Black Panther (2018) #1-25
- #1-25 feature M’Baku
- #12-25 feature Shuri
- #12, 19-20, 22, 25 feature King T’Chaka
- #19-25 feature Killmonger
- #20, 23-25 feature Ironheart!

Shuri (2018) #1-10

Black Panther vs. Deadpool (2018) #1-5
- Highly recommended mini-series set in Wakanda!

Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda (2019) #1-8

Ironheart (2019) #1-12
- In #9-12, Riri goes to Wakanda! Features Shuri and Okoye
- Continue with the Ironheart Reading Guide!

Extra reading:

Wakanda Forever (2018)
- Amazing Spider-Man: Wakanda Forever (2018) #1
- X-Men: Wakanda Forever (2018) #1
- Avengers: Wakanda Forever (2018) #1
- Nakia vs. the Dora Milaje. Featuring cameos from Spider-Man, Storm, and Captain America
Captain America (2018) #2-4, 22-23, 27
Thor (2018) #8
War of the Realms (2019) #3-6
- Features T’Challa, Shuri, the Midnight Angels, and Namor
Free Comic Book Day 2019 (Avengers) #1
Fearless (2019) #4 [B Story]
Atlantis Attacks (2020) #1-5
- Features Namor and Namora
- Leads into King in Black (2020)
Marvel’s Voices (2020) #1 [B Story]
Incoming (2019) #1
Empyre: Avengers (2020) #1-3
Empyre (2020) #1-6
Marauders (2019) #13

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- Invaders (2019) #1-12
  - #1-12 feature Namor
  - #5, 8-12 feature T’Challa
- Avengers (2018) #8-10, 12, 19, 22, 40-44, 48-50, 53-54
  - #1-54 feature T’Challa
  - #8-10, 40-44, 48-50, 53-54 feature Namor
  - #19 features Shuri
- Marvel Comics (2019) #1000 [BN Story]
- Conan: Battle For The Serpent Crown (2020) #3-4

Extra Shuri:
- Marvel Team-Up (2019) #5
- Captain America (2018) #22-23
- X of Swords: Destruction (2020) #1

Extra Killmonger:
- Killmonger (2018) #1-5

Extra Ironheart:
- Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #10
- Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #9-11
- Champions (2019) #1, 8-10
- Outlawed (2020) #1
  - Leads into 2020 Ironheart (2020) and Champions (2020)
- 2020 Ironheart (2020) #1-2
- Champions (2020) #1-10
  - #4 features Attuma!
- Devil’s Reign (2021) #4-5

Black Panther (2021)

The modern era is still unfolding, but so far Namor’s King In Black miniseries was well-received, as is John Ridley’s new Black Panther ongoing series. To capitalize on the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film, an all-new Wakanda anthology series will be starting in October, spotlighting Shuri, Killmonger, and others from T’Challa’s supporting cast. Check these out today and let me know what you think!

King In Black (2020)
- King In Black (2020) #1-5
- King In Black: Namor (2020) #1-5
- King In Black: Black Panther (2021) #1

The Last Annihilation: Wakanda (2021) #1
- Bonus M’Baku story!

Black Panther Legends (2021) #1-3
- New origin story for T’Challa!

Black Panther (2021) #1-12
- Current ongoing series!

Wakanda (2022) #1-5
- Anthology series starring Shuri, M’Baku, Killmonger, and more!
- Series starts October 12, 2022

Extra reading:
- Iron Fist: Heart Of The Dragon (2021) #2
- Avengers: Curse of The Man-Thing (2021) #1
- X-Force (2019) #20
- Death of Doctor Strange: Avengers (2021) #1
- Marvel’s Voices: Comunidades (2021) #1 [N Story]
- Marvel’s Voices: Legacy (2022) #1 [A and D Stories]
- Black Panther: Protectors of Wakanda (2022) (novel)

Extra T’Challa/Namor:
- X-Men (2019) #21
- Fantastic Four (2018) #33-34
- The Marvels (2021) #1, 4-5

Extra Shuri:
- Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha (2022) #1

And that’s the saga of Wakanda and Atlantis as it plays out in the Black Panther comics! Who are you rooting for in the new movie? Who are you excited to learn more about? Let me know on Twitter @vinwriteswords and remember to follow the site @MyCosmicCircus for more Wakanda Forever comics prep!

Of course, be sure to check out our other reading guides here and stay tuned to The Cosmic Circus for more coming soon!

All images courtesy of Marvel Comics.