Summary

• T'Challa must power up to defeat Moon Knight in Marvel's Ultimate Black Panther series.
• Mysterious powers, including the Vodu-Khan, are at play in T'Challa's upgraded Black Panther storyline.
• The evil Lords Ra and Khonshu, collectively known as Moon Knight, threaten Wakanda and T'Challa must tap into dangerous power to protect it.

Warning: Contains potential spoilers for Ultimate Black Panther #6!

Marvel has confirmed that the new Ultimate Universe's Black Panther will be receiving a major power upgrade to take down this universe’s evil Moon Knight. The sinister Ra and Khonshu are collectively known as Moon Knight in the Ultimate Universe and are part of a supervillain group known as the Maker's Council. The two are tasked with overseeingthe Upper and Lower Kingdoms of Africa. As the lords terrorize West Africa and move in on Wakanda, T’Challa is forced to power-up to take them on.

Marvel has released new details on the four Ultimate issues coming this July. Ultimate Black Panther #6 by Bryan Hill and Carlos Nieto reveals that Moon Knight’s power has grown from a yet-to-be-revealed source. T’Challa will be tested in order to gain the strength necessary to defeat the villainous kings.

When the rulers of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms use their combined power as Moon Knight to conquer, Wakanda must go to war against them. To resist their control and give the land back to its people, Black Panther is also forced to access mysterious powers that could have repercussions across the universe.

Ultimate Black Panther’s Wakanda Has A Mysterious Alternate Mythology

While the nature of Black Panther’s new power is still unknown, multiple forces at work have been hinted at in this series thus far. The elusive Vodu-Khan are a strong addition to Wakandan lore first introduced in Ultimate Black Panther #1 by Bryan Hill, Stefani Caselli, and David Curiel, and could be involved in T’Challa’s powerful upgrade. Reminiscent of Dune’s Bene Gesserit, the Vodu-Khan are a religious sub-sect of the Dora Milaje with Sacred Mothers speaking of destiny and superstition. Their secrets remain unrevealed, but Caselli’s Ultimate Black Panther #5 cover suggests that T’Challa, Storm, and Killmonger are pawns in their game.

The Vodu-Khan have powers that allow them to see visions and tell prophecies of the future. In Ultimate Black Panther #2 by Hill, Caselli, and Curiel, T’Challa confers with their Matron Imala, and she details his fate, seemingly confirming that this universe will introduce Black Panther’s child with Storm. T'Challa later meets and teams up with Storm and Killmonger as freedom fighters. In the same creative team’s Ultimate Black Panther #3, they introduce him to a place older than Wakanda. There they find a large green orb surrounded by skeletons. This mysterious power could empower Black Panther or the evil Moon Knight.

The Ultimate Universe’s Moon Knight Is A Major Threat To Wakanda

Introduced in Ultimate Invasion #3 by Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Alex Sinclair, Lords of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms Ra and Khonshu act as a villainous Moon Knight. Agents of the Sun and Moon respectively, Moon Knight is part of the Maker’s plan to snuff out superheroism in this universe ruled by him and his council of villains. The duo ruthlessly attack innocent people in their quest to conquer, and have set their sights on Wakanda next. As Ra and Khonshu gain power as the series develops, T’Challa must do anything he can to stop them from destroying Wakanda.

Whether it be from the Vodu-Khan, the mystifying pre-Wakandan power, or something still unseen, Ultimate Black Panther’s upgrade teased by Marvel Comics could be a game-changer for the series going forward. With this evil variation of Moon Knight seeking to take full control over the continent of Africa and usher in the fall of Wakanda, T’Challa will need to tap into potentially dangerous power to protect his kingdom. Black Panther’s big power-up in Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe will definitely do some damage to its nefarious Moon Knight, and could have broader consequences for the universe going forward.

Ultimate Black Panther #6 will be available July 24 from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel