Marvel Changed Black Panther’s Name For Being Too Controversial

Marvel’s once temporarily changed Black Panther’s name due to it being too controversial during the 1970s with the rise of the Black Panther Party in the United States of America. Marvel Comics made Black Panther the Black Leopard for a handful of months in 1972, in an effort to avoid confusion that he was associated with the Black Panther Party. However, the publisher eventually changed the name back realizing doing so to begin with was a mistake.

Black Panther was one of the first Black Superheroes to star in a mainstream book. Co-created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, T’Challa first appeared in Fantastic Four #52. Over time, Black Panther has become a key part of the Avengers and one of the most beloved Marvel heroes in existence. The hero was adapted to the big screen in Captain America: Civil War and starred in his own self-titled solo film. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the hero was played by the late Chadwick Boseman.

The Black Panther Party was formed in the mid-60s and was most active during the early 1970s. The organization fought against police brutality, for better and fairer rights for Black people, a better more representative education system, as well as housing, justice, and peace, among other rights. However, the party was criticized for taking action (which were sometimes violent) into their own hands, with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover calling out and targeting the organization for being a massive threat to security in the U.S. At the time, Marvel Comics didn’t take a stance for or against the party, instead taking a neutral stand by changing Black Panther’s name. In Fantastic Four #119, Black Panther announced he was now known as Black Leopard.

In the comic, The Thing asks T’Challa why he referred to himself as the Black Leopard. The former Black Panther responds by admitting the name has political connotations – but that he didn’t condemn nor condone the Black Panther Party’s actions. T’Challa tells Johnny Storm that since a panther is technically a leopard, it made sense to change his name. In Avengers #105, just a few months later, Black Panther revealed he was going back to the Black Panther moniker, deciding his original name change didn’t make sense, saying he wasn’t “a stereotype” and “I am myself.”

Marvel changing the name to begin with was clearly done to avoid being connected with the Black Panther Party, a controversial organization at the time – despite fighting for equality and basic rights for Black people. Thankfully, Marvel quickly understood Black Panther’s name shouldn’t have been changed, and months after turning him into the Black Leopard, T’Challa’s original superhero name returned and has been the same ever since.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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