T'Chaka is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. He is the father of

T'Challa Black Panther is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist-coplotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #52, published in July 1966. On ...

and

Shuri Shuri may refer to: People *, ring name of Syuri Kondo, a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer and kickboxer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese professional wrestler Characters * Shuri (character), a Marvel Comics superhero ** Shuri (Marv ...

. He was the king of

Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...

and Black Panther before T'Challa; he inherited both titles following the death of his father, T'Chanda aka Azzuri the Wise.

John Kani Bonisile John Kani (born 30 August 1942) is a South African actor. He is known for portraying T'Chaka in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) and ''Black Panther'' (2018), Rafiki in ''The Lion King'' (201 ...

portrayed the character in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

films '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) and ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

'' (2018) while Kani's son Atandwa portrayed a younger version of the character. Kani returned to voice alternate versions of the character in the animated

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

series '' What If...?'' (2021).

Publication history

T'Chaka first appeared in ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

'' #53 (1966) and was created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

Fictional character biography

T'Chaka is the Chieftain of

who ascended to the throne after the death of his father King T'Chanda, also known as Azzuri. During 1941 at the time of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

traveled to Wakanda where he met T'Chaka. Together, they assisted Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos against

Red Skull The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 (March 1941), in ...

and

Baron Strucker Baron Wolfgang von Strucker () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization, and the archenemy of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. H ...

. T'Chaka and Captain America also faced threats from Master Man, Warrior Woman, and

Armless Tiger Man A-Bomb Abomination Absorbing Man Abraxas Abyss Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Nils Styger Abyss is a mutant and the half-brother of Nightcrawler. He was cr ...

when they partook in an all-out attack on Wakanda. Armless Tiger Man even threatened to kill T'Chaka if he did not surrender. Outmanned and outgunned, T'Chaka and Captain America held their own against Master Man, Warrior Woman, Armless Tiger Man, White Gorilla, and Red Skull. Sometime later, Captain America visited Wakanda and gave T'Chaka his triangle shield in exchange for some Vibranium. When he got engaged to his first wife N'Yami, T'Chaka adopted

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

who T'Chaka groomed as the heir to the throne until the day N'Yami gave birth to

and then died from childbirth. Shortly after T'Challa's birth, his brother Jakarra was born. T'Chaka later married Ramonda who gave birth to

. In the fall of 1959, T'Chaka was kidnapped by Geoffrey Sydenham of the organization ICON and brought to Latveria as part of their plan to weaken Wakanda and steal its technology. However,

Dum Dum Dugan Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is an officer of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is one of the most experienced members of Nick Fury's team, known for his marksmanship w ...

and

Eric Koenig Eric Koenig is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' #27 (February 1966) and he was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Dick Ayers. He is ...

rescue him and safely return him to Wakanda. Many years later, Wakanda had their technology coveted as they had no ties to any other countries.''Black Panther'' vol. 3 #10. Marvel Comics. Ulysses Klaw and his mercenaries invaded Wakanda and demanded that T'Chaka give them their vibranium. When T'Chaka refused to give them vibranium, Klaw had his mercenaries kill T'Chaka. This angered T'Challa who used one of the mercenaries' weapons to destroy their camp and rendered Ulysses Klaw's right hand useless. Afterwards, T'Challa's uncle S'Yan ruled Wakanda until he came of age to become Chieftain Wakanda.

Powers and abilities

Upon eating a special heart-shaped herb, his natural powers are enhanced. T'Chaka possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability, reflexes, and senses. He is also an expert martial artist, a known weapons expert, a skilled marksman, an expert tracker and hunter, and a master tactician outside of his mutant powers.

Weaknesses

T'Chaka's heightened senses cause bright lights, loud noises, and strong smells to potentially overwhelm him.

Other versions

Ultimate Marvel

In the ''

Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...

'' universe, T'Chaka's full name was T'Chaka Udaku. In addition to T'Challa, he was also the father of M'Baku.

Ultimate Universe

An alternate universe variant of T'Chaka from Earth-6160 appears in "

Ultimate Invasion ''Ultimate Invasion'' is a four-issue American comic book limited series written by Jonathan Hickman, drawn by Bryan Hitch and colored by Alex Sinclair. The first issue was published by Marvel Comics on June 21, 2023. The storyline shows Maker ( ...

". This version was killed by a suicide bomber working for Ra and Khonshu.

In other media

Film

T'Chaka, based on the

incarnation, appears in '' Ultimate Avengers II'', voiced by

Dave Fennoy Dave Fennoy is an American voice actor. His video game roles have included Lee Everett in '' The Walking Dead'', Bluebeard in ''The Wolf Among Us'', Finch in ''Tales from the Borderlands'', Gabriel the Warrior in '' Minecraft: Story Mode'', ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version possessed the ability to transform into a humanoid black panther and was killed by a

Chitauri The Chitauri () are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, specifically in the Ultimate Marvel universe (Earth-1610). They were created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch in p ...

disguised as Nazi general Herr Kleiser.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

T'Chaka appears in media set in the

(MCU), portrayed by

as an adult and

Atandwa Kani Atandwa Kani (born 6 June 1984) is a South African actor. He is the son of actor John Kani. Early life Kani was born on June 6, 1984, in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. His introduction to the entertainment industry began early in his life, as he ...

as a young adult. * T'Chaka first appears in the live-action film '' Captain America: Civil War'', in which he and his son

attend a United Nations conference to ratify the

Sokovia Accords The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many fictional elements, including locations, weapons, and artifacts. Many are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books published by Marvel Comics, w ...

before

Helmut Zemo Helmut Zemo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #16 ...

detonates a bomb near the building, which kills T'Chaka. * T'Chaka appears in the live-action film ''

'' (2018). In flashbacks, he confronted his

War Dog Dogs have a very long history in warfare, beginning in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied, and some continue to exist in modern milit ...

brother N'Jobu for helping

Ulysses Klaue Klaw (Ulysses Klaue) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a human physicist who has been transformed into solid sound, and who wears a sonic emitter on his right wrist as a pr ...

steal Vibranium from them and attempting to force Wakanda to take on a more aggressive foreign policy to fight social injustice, which led to T'Chaka killing N'Jobu in self-defense. Concerned with maintaining Wakanda's security, he subsequently abandoned his nephew Erik Stevens. Upon learning of what happened and amidst Erik's effort to take over Wakanda in the present, T'Challa confronts T'Chaka and their ancestors in the ancestral plane before vowing to correct their mistakes. * Alternate timeline variants of T'Chaka appear in the

animated series '' What If...?.'' ** In " What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?", T'Chaka was first seen in a flashback advising his son T'Challa against exploring the outskirts of Wakanda which led to him getting abducted by the Ravagers by mistake and becoming Star Lord. He would later be reunited with his son when he and the Ravagers come to Wakanda and hears about his exploits throughout the galaxy. ** In " What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?", T'Chaka meets his estranged nephew Killmonger after he brings Ulysses Klaue's dead body to him sometime after T'Challa's death. ** In " What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?", a younger T'Chaka is among the heroes recruited by

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

Stark and

Peggy Carter Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character in books featuring Captain America. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist ...

to fight a young

Peter Quill Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, the character first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 1976). The son of human Meredit ...

and Ego.

Television

* T'Chaka as the Black Panther makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' episode "Sanctuary". * T'Chaka appears in the ''

'' episode "Panther's Prey", voiced by

Beau Weaver Beau Weaver (born January 19, 1952) is an American voice actor in television and film, heard widely in trailers for feature films, network television promos, documentaries, national radio and television commercials and cartoons. Career Weaver ...

. * T'Chaka appears in a flashback in the ''

'' (2011) episode "Revenge of the Evil", voiced by Jonathan Adams. * T'Chaka appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' episode "The Man in the Ant Hill", voiced by

Hakeem Kae-Kazim Hakeem Kae-Kazim (born 1 October 1962) is a British actor and producer. He portrayed Georges Rutaganda in the film ''Hotel Rwanda'' (2004) and won a SAFTA for his performance in the film '' Riding with Sugar'' (2020). He produced and starred ...

. This version was killed by Man-Ape and Klaw. * T'Chaka appears in '' Avengers Assemble'', voiced by

Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his deep voice and screen presence in over 300 roles in film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' The Thing'' (1982), ''Pla ...

as an adult and James C. Mathis III as a child. This version provided Howard Stark with the Vibranium used in the creation of Captain America's shield after he helped him fend off a HYDRA invasion during

, before later dying under unspecified circumstances. * T'Chaka as the Black Panther appears in the ''

X-Men '97 ''X-Men '97'' is an American animated television series created by Beau DeMayo for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. It is a revival of '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' (1992–1997) produced b ...

'' episode "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3", voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith.

References

External links

T'Chaka
at Marvel Wiki
T'Chaka
at Comic Vine {{Jack Kirby Black characters in films African superheroes Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1966 Fictional World War II veterans Male characters in film Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman senses Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male superheroes Jungle superheroes Wakandans