Shuri (comics)

Black Panther
Shuri as the Black Panther with some black panthers. Black Panther vol. 5, #1 (Apr. 2009)
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Black Panther vol. 4, #2 (May 2005)
Created by	Reginald Hudlin John Romita, Jr.
In-story information
Alter ego	Shuri
Team affiliations	Wakanda
Abilities	Extensively trained martial artist (as Black Panther) Enhanced speed, strength, agility, endurance, and senses Vibranium uniform and equipment

Shuri, also known as the Black Panther, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Originally appearing in a supporting capacity as the younger sister of T'Challa, the character went on to adopt the Black Panther identity and star in the series of the same name.

Publication history

Created by writer Reginald Hudlin and John Romita, Jr., Shuri first appeared in Black Panther vol. 4, #2 (May 2005). The character, originally written as a princess of Wakanda and supporting character, trains to and eventually successfully succeeds her older brother T'Challa, becoming the Black Panther and ruler of Wakanda in her own right.^[1][2]

Fictional character biography

The princess of Wakanda, Shuri is T'Chaka's youngest child and only daughter. From a very young age Shuri coveted the Black Panther mantle. She attempts to challenge the then-Black Panther, her uncle S'yan, for the mantle, only to discover that he had already been defeated by her older brother T'Challa.^[3] During an attack on Wakanda by Klaw and a group of his mercenaries, she uses the Ebony Blade to defeat the Radioactive Man, killing him in the process. Shell-shocked by her first kill, T'Challa promises to train her in hand to hand combat, enabling her to fight on her own terms should she ever need to take his place as leader of Wakanda.^[4]

While T'Challa and his wife Queen Ororo are away as members of the Fantastic Four, American battleships aligned with Erik Killmonger moved in on Wakanda. With their King away, Shuri and her advisers decide to sneak onto the ships in the night and incapacitate them. During the raid Shuri is captured by Killmonger's men and thrown in a cell. She challenges Killmonger himself to a fight but, seeing her as beneath him, he sends a group of his men to battle her. She defeats them easily and is broken out of her cell by Zuri, one of T'Challa's advisers.^[5] After T'Challa and Ororo leave the Fantastic Four and return to Wakanda, the Skrulls invade Wakanda as a part of Secret Invasion. Shuri and her uncle S'yan lead most of the Wakandan army on an assault again the invading Skrulls, while T'Challa and Ororo battle their leaders.^[6]

Prince Namor of Atlantis attempts to recruit T'Challa for the Cabal, a secret council of supervillains run by Doctor Doom. He rejects the offer but is attacked by the various members, and is left in a comatose state. Queen Ororo nominates Shuri as his successor, and she successfully completes the various trials, granting herself access to the heart-shaped herb. However, when she consumes the herb, the Wakandan Panther God does not imbue her with the powers of the Black Panther, instead rejecting her due to her lifelong jealousy of her brother's mantle and her arrogance in its presence.^[1] When the powerful villain Morlun threatens to annihilate Wakanda entirely, Shuri takes on the Black Panther identity and outfit anyway, and manages to both save Wakanda and resurrect her comatose brother. Through her humble act of self-sacrifice she earns the mantle of the Black Panther, and the Panther God grants her its accompanying powers.^[2]

When a now powerless T'Challa discovers that Doctor Doom infected many Wakandan officials and advisers with nanites, he goes off in search of a way to stop him, leaving Shuri as acting ruler of Wakanda.^[7] Shuri tracks down and fights Namor, trying to suss out for herself what part he played in her brother's injuries. Together, T'Challa and Shuri discover that the infected Wakandans, calling themselves the Desturi, intend to stage a revolution, seizing power in Wakanda for themselves.^[8]

With Doctor Doom's Desturi successfully overthrowing the incumbent Wakandan government as seen in the Doomwar storyline, he finds himself with access to the world's largest supply of vibranium. Shuri and a re-powered T'Challa, who were able to avoid infection from Doom's nanites due to their heightened senses, remain the only Wakandans not under Doom's control. They team up with Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine of the X-Men to regain control in Wakanda. They succeed, but Doom steals a large portion of the vibranium. Shuri travels the globe, attempting to destroy Doom's criminal network and recover the stolen vibranium. Doom uses vibranium's inherent mystical qualities to take control of all processed vibranium on the planet, and Shuri and the other heroes attempt to fight and stop him. They succeed when T'Challa uses Doom's own mystical ploys against him, rendering all processed vibranium on the planet inert.^[9]

With Wakanda struggling economically as seen in the Klaws of the Panther storyline, Shuri travels to the Savage Land to meet with Ka-Zar and obtain a stock of natural vibranium present there. They are attacked by Klaw, who wants the vibranium for his own use. They defeat him, but a volcanic eruption caused by his sound waves covers the vibranium and renders it unobtainable. She tracks down other stockpiles in Madripoor and New York, but Klaw already has AIM troops excavating both sites and fights ensue. Klaw had created a monster called M.U.S.I.C. using the vibranium, and intended to place it on an AIM space station to enslave the world. With help from various other heroes, including Wolverine, Spider-Man and Black Widow, Shuri is able to thwart his scheme.^[10]

Following Namor's attack on Wakanda during Avengers vs. X-Men, Shuri declares war on Atlantis, despite her brother's protests.^[11]

During the Infinity storyline, it is shown that Shuri is the head of the Wakandan School for Alternative Studies.^[12]

Powers and abilities

Before undergoing the trials to become the Black Panther, Shuri was an extensively trained martial artist.^[6] After the trials, like the Black Panthers before her, Shuri consumed the heart-shaped herb; this granted her enhanced speed, agility, strength, endurance and senses. Her uniform is composed of vibranium.^[2]

Other versions

Marvel Mangaverse

A character similar to Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister T'Channa, appeared in the Marvel Mangaverse. She turned her back on the Wakandan people, instead becoming an apprentice and later the successor of Doctor Doom.^[13]

In other media

Television

• Shuri appeared in the Black Panther animated series, voiced by Kerry Washington.

References

External links

• World of Black Heroes: Black Panther-Shuri Biography