Trace the lineage of Marvel’s black super heroes

In 1966, in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR #52 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the FF travelled to the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda where they met, fought, and inevitably teamed up with that nation’s ruler, a great warrior named T’Challa, the Black Panther.

It proved a landmark moment.

"SEEING BLACK SUPER HEROES MADE ME SAY, 'I KNEW IT! THERE HAS TO BE BLACK, ASIAN, LATINO AND OTHER HEROES FROM ALL RACES," SAYS DARRYL MCDANIELS, BEST KNOWN AS D.M.C. OF LEGENDARY HIP HOP GROUP RUN-D.M.C.

Black Panther not only stands out as an amazing character in his own right; he also claims the title of the world’s first black super hero. For the previous 30 years almost all the major super heroes had been white, even when they were robots or aliens. The exceptions might have orange skin or green, but never black.