Black Panther & Namor: Doomed #1 is a five issue series written by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan, with art from Stefano Nesi. It’s part of Marvel’s series Avengers: Armageddon and Captain America. A quick summary: Doctor Doom died in an earlier event called One World Under Doom. His soul has been stuck wandering around in Hell.
T’Challa’s Back. Nobody’s Happy About It
T’Challa was king of Wakanda, but he got exiled after Wakanda’s government made a deal with Namor, the Submariner, king of Atlantis. Namor stepped down from his own throne too. T’Challa recently fought his way back into power, not just over Wakanda on Earth, but over an entire intergalactic empire Wakanda built in space.
T’Challa records a message to his sister Shuri, who’s running things among the stars. He admits people see him as the guy who forced his way back onto the throne. He knows Wakanda’s citizens don’t trust him. His plan to earn their trust back? Prove it via action. He wants Wakandans to feel safe again, to believe their home is secure, no matter how messy the last few years have been.
Some people feel T’Challa’s run out of chances. The Liberator decided T’Challa has become the tyrant he used to fight against. His argument: if Wakanda’s turning into another power hungry empire, why should anyone play by its rules? He starts pulling resources out of Wakanda’s forests for himself, vibranium included, since apparently it’s just sitting there for the taking since nobody’s protecting it.
T’Challa tracks the Liberator down, they fight, and Black Panther wins. After the fight he talks about a new cape his sister designed that’s built to absorb light, which makes him a lot harder to spot on covert missions. It’s a cool upgrade, but the Dora Milaje point out they’ve already got other tricks for staying invisible.
Meanwhile, Okoye gives T’Challa a needed dose of reality. He tries to bring up how strange it feels to be back, and she bluntly tells him: people are angry. Some Wakandans genuinely think life was better while he was gone.
Then the sky turns red.
Meanwhile, Underwater in Atlantis
At the same time, Namor’s dealing with his own drama. He steps in to break up a family conflict, a man arguing with his daughter and grandson. Namor rescues the woman. He said, “There was a time when I would have had that man’s head removed and I miss that time with all of my heart.”
He ensured the woman and her child were okay and said he would make sure the damage to the residence was repaired.
Then, same as in Wakanda, the sky turns red over Atlantis. The ground cracks open and demons start pouring out. A demonic leader demands Atlantis fall and orders his forces to bring him Namor’s head. They fight, and Namor gets thrown clear into space.
Namor Confronts T’Challa
Back in Wakanda, T’Challa is minutes away from giving a live address to his people when he pauses to talk to his mother. He asks her, point blank, whether Wakanda really was better off without him. She tells him to survive whatever crisis is currently threatening the world first and worry about the rest later. Good advice because that’s the moment Namor barges in.
Namor’s shocked T’Challa is back in power, and is angry the Wakandans let it happen. As Namor rants, T’Challa calmly asks him why he’s in Wakanda. Namor was truly angry and had to be tased.
Namor came because he needed help. Atlantis has been torn apart, countless people are dead, and it all started the moment the sky turned red, exactly like what just happened in Wakanda. Once they compare notes, both kings realize this isn’t a coincidence. They know who did it: Doctor Doom.
