Black Panther has reached the next stage of his journey through Wakanda’s ancient history, and Bast has ultimately revealed herself to be his most important guide.
Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2 features the hero fighting for his life against a black panther in the Wakandan jungle. Not surprisingly, it’s no ordinary animal that T’Challa is fighting, but rather the goddess Bast in one of her most iconic forms – and she’s not impressed by what she sees from him during their latest encounter.
Black Panther: Blood Hunt #2
- Written by Cheryl Lynn Eaton
- Art by Farid Karami
- Color by Andrew Dalhouse
- Letters written by Clayton Cowles of the VC
- Design: J. Bowen
- Main cover art by ANDREA SORRENTINO
- Variant cover art by DAVI GO
Introduced in the pages of 1966’s Fantastic Four #52 (by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott and Stan Goldberg) alongside the Black Panther as a totem, Bast is the eldest of the Ennead , the Egyptian pantheon of deities. As the daughter of Ra, Bast possesses immense power, yet as a being who rose from mortality to divinity through the worship of others, she also knows what it’s like to be effectively powerless.
2017’s oversized Marvel Legacy #1 introduced Mosi, the first Wakandan to be chosen by Bast and given the role of Black Panther. In the ages that followed, Bast passed on her power to several other Black Panthers, eventually passing it on to T’Challa and Shuri in modern times. While Bast is still worshiped on Earth, particularly in Wakanda, her following has reached beyond the stars due to the emergence of the intergalactic empire of Wakanda .
In recent years, T’Challa’s career as the Black Panther has taken a number of bad turns. Shortly after losing his political power to his country’s newly formed parliament, Black Panther’s secret sleep agent program was exposed by Wakanda’s enemies. In turn, what little trust the people of Wakanda had left in T’Challa was eroded as well, and he was eventually exiled from his homeland. Despite this, T’Challa maintained his place in the Avengers’ line-up led by Carol Danvers, putting him in prime position to be transformed into a vampire by none other than Blade, who has of course been masterminding Marvel’s Blood Hunt after making a shocking heel turn.
