Black Panther: Secret Invasion – Why Wakanda Is Forever

Welcome to Folded The Corner the segment that finds the best in bad or meh events. Marvel’s reliance on crossover events has been something that has plagued Marvel for about a decade. One of the worst but not as critically bad as Civil War is Secret Invasion. Long story short, it’s about alien shapeshifters called Skrulls infiltrating every corner of Earth including the superhero community.

This premise alone would have been enough, unfortunately the event was handled poorly. Aside from padding and pacing problems, the characterizations were lackluster. The Skrulls took the place of nobodies who barely had any connections to the Avengers or readers. Most of the tie-ins and main story use the exact same formula: “Skrulls attack, heroes try to counter, the Skrulls pull reversals”. At least the showrunners of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes managed to do this right.

So what makes Black Panther stand out?

Black Panther Forever

Black Panther’s kingdom Wakanda already has a reputation for never being conquered. It is only natural to show why with the Skrulls making an attempt. Black Panther himself has had a shaky reputation after Reginald Hudlin’s run started to take a nosedive. But here, Jason Aaron presents T’Challa not only as a superhero but as leader of the world’s most advanced nation.

The Skrulls come to Wakanda hoping to get its prime resource Vibranium. The Skrulls are far from two-dimensional goons in the event. Among them, Commander K’vvvr is self-driven to survive the battle so that he can go into his real battle. It makes the reader sympathize with the shellshocked veteran trying to save his marriage. Unlike his blindly loyal soldiers who would throw their lives away for the Skrull Empire.

Retracted Claws, Bearing Fangs

Black Panther time and again presents himself as a warrior who can grapple with the best of what the Marvel Universe can throw at him. But to see his entire nation engage in battle with a Type I civilization army is a compelling grand spectacle. Wakanda does not even fight with the advanced technology it is known for, knives and spears are enough. T’Challa knows he can’t defeat the Skrulls with brute force or technology. So he has to sacrifice some crucial pieces to get the Skrulls where he wants them to be. You know the Black Panther means business when he presents the heads of your own sleeper agents.

It is also nice to see the series make reference to other major achievements from Hudlin’s Black Panther run. The only complaints I could find was T’Challa and Ororo being at the Skrulls mercy. But the final issue shows this is part of their plan. I guess this is one of those times you have to read the whole thing rather than wait it out.

This is What Happens When You Tie-In Right

As I said before, most of the Secret Invasion was full of uninspired shocks and twists. But this mini-series turns the whole thing on its head. It focuses on a compelling story with intelligent use of characters. Of course someone will need background information to make this a greater story experience. This gets an 8/10.

Thanks for coming to the end; remember to like, share, comment, and remember to look between the panels.