WOLVERINE versus BLACK PANTHER
Chapter 4: Third Contest: Siege in the City of the Dead! (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #3 When: August 1982 Why: Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant & Bill Mantlo How: John Romita Jr
The Story So Far...
Across the universe there exists immortal entities whose existence determines cosmic reality. The Grandmaster is one such being: an Elder of the Universe whose taste for games inspires a Contest of Champions!
Snatching the world's heroes from a temporarily frozen Earth; The Grandmaster drafts a team of twelve to represent him in a contest of life and death! His team will race to find segments of a golden artifact scattered to the four corners of the Earth!
The Grandmaster's ultimate prize is the restoration of his immortal brother: The Collector! Killed by the man-god Korvac; The Collector's demise is beyond even the vast cosmic might of a fellow Elder. Thus, The Grandmaster's contest pits him against the ultimate opponent - Death herself!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Black Panther 5 (Professor)
Speed: Black Panther 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Black Panther 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Black Panther 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Draw 26 (Meta-Human)
At long last we arrive at one of the legendary texts in comic book combat lore!
Contest of Champions is an early Marvel Comics event that gathered the world's heroes to compete as representatives of The Grandmaster and Death herself! The Contest pre-dates the more famed Secret Wars by a few years, and is distinguished for making opponents out of would-be heroic allies!
There's little love lost when Canadian X-Man Wolverine stalks Wakandan royal Black Panther in today's Contest of Champions battle!
Technically the heroes are part of two three-man teams: Wolverine, Thing & Le Peregrine represent The Grandmaster. Black Panther, Angel & Vanguard represent an unrevealed Death. Like a cosmic edition of The Amazing Race: the teams are teleported to China for a race to discover a hidden artifact.
Still very much the surly loner of the X-Men in 1982; Wolverine goes his own way after a few terse introductions. Thus, we have an intriguing clash of hyper-keen senses, battle-tested combat technique, super-human physical prowess, and command of rare metals!
Wolverine's mutant claws and skeleton were famously coated with nigh unbreakable Adamantium, while Black Panther commands the world's largest deposit of rare Vibranium! There seemed to be a little less fuss made about The Panther weaving the flexible mineral into his costume, back in the early days, so avoidance is probably preferable to testing metal against metal. Sorry, fanboys!
Agility is clearly one of the Black Panther's key advantages over Wolverine. The X-Man is a skilled fighter, but the facility of his mutant healing factor means he can afford to fight sloppy -- and often does, especially in these early days. Untamed aggression frequently gets the better of Wolverine, while T'Challa is all about being in control. Combat technique steered by a brilliant mind!
We've seen Black Panther outwit Wolvie's Contest teammate Thing in Fantastic Four #52, outplay arch-villain Klaw in Fantastic Four #53, and fight Captain America to a complete standstill in Tales of Suspense #98! With upgraded armor, and Storm at his back, The Panther was even able to beat the metal of Doctor Doom and his Doombots many years later, in Black Panther #19!
Wolverine is no stranger to foes like these. We saw him terrorize the Fantastic Four in Wolverine #22, slice & dice nemesis Lady Deathstrike in Uncanny X-Men #205, and fight werewolf Cap to a near standstill in Captain America #405! Of course, we also Cap put an end to a rampage against the X-Men that briefly cost Northstar his life, in Wolverine (Volume 3) #25.
What's the net result? Clearly these are two bad ass fighting heroes!
It's difficult to ignore the superior skill, speed, and agility that have made Black Panther famous. Wolverine's healing factor means he'll always come back again, and his warrior spirit means he's a dangerous man, but his discipline is inconsistent. I'd say T'Challa probably wins 3 to 4 in every five matches.
The Tape: Draw Ranking: Wolverine (#4)
What Went Down...
For all the wonders of Wakanda, even Prince T'Challa is in awe of the terracotta army that greets him in China! Walking amongst the eerily still rows of warriors -- his keen senses detect movement: Wolverine strikes!
Black Panther ducks at the perfect moment, narrowly avoiding the clutches of the diving X-Man! Wolverine is impressed to see his speed matched, but he isn't playing around. He unsheathes his claws and makes his challenge known!
Once again The Panther proves fast and nimble enough to evade Wolverine. He flips forward, leaping over Wolverine and his lunging claw slash! He's shocked by the severity of the attack and the X-Man's intent to be deadly.
The Panther favours stealth, disappearing into the crowd of surrounding clay soldiers. He soon learns that Wolverine's mutant senses are as keen as his own! It's only a matter of time before the mutant finds him - so this time he attacks!
The Black Panther dives out of hiding to snatch Wolverine by the wrists, hoping to control his deadly weapons. The clawed X-Man is able to turn the momentum against his opponent, flipping Black Panther onto his back with brute strength!
Wolverine looms over his opponent, who does not break the wrist-lock that keeps the mutant's claws from finding their target!
As Wolverine presses down with his full body weight and talks trash -- his teammate in the game, The Thing, arrives to admonish his methods! Thing doesn't much like seeing his old friend Black Panther threatened -- not that the fight is over just yet! The slightest diversion in Wolverine's attention is all Black Panther needs to send him vaulting head over heels!
Thing joins the two heroes in the pit, and contemplates the personal pleasure of kicking his teammate's butt. The stand-off is ended when both Wolverine and Black Panther detect the foreign scent of the object they are meant to find.
Thing plunges his massive hand into the dirt below, scooping the strange golden object out of the earth. Victory in The Contest for The Grandmaster's team.
The Hammer...
Indeed, by the terms of The Contest of Champions it is Thing who claims victory on behalf of The Grandmaster's team. Our concerns, however, are purely of the combative! In this arena, the fight between Black Panther and Wolverine can only be considered an inconclusive draw!
Neither man established a definitive upper-hand during the battle, nor was there any finishing blow. A minor disappointment for fans looking to settle the age old debate of Adamtnium versus Vibranium, but a match-up we can no doubt revisit some time in the future!
We saw Thing defeated by Black Panther earlier this month, in his classic first appearance [Fantastic Four #52]. It's kinda fun to come back two decades later, to a time when Black Panther and the FF are longtime friends.
Thing doesn't much like his teammate Wolverine during the issue. Tensions between the two would infamously escalate to a brawl in the 90s that left Thing scarred, and wearing a helmet. Some form of cigar-chomping comradery was settled upon in the convening years. Even in gentler times, Wolverine still had to check off marquee fights with just about every hero in the Marvel Universe!
It's easy to forget just how much Wolverine has evolved over time. The cantankerous loner has softened considerably, especially in the new millennium. On the flipside, it could be argued Black Panther has hardened, expanding his technological arsenal, and responsibilities to the kingdom of Wakanda.
This month's theatrical release of Black Panther has introduced vast movie-going audiences to the world of Wakanda and its heroes. It's a kind of global acknowledgement American-centric media often overlooks.
The world beyond the United States in comics has been a subject of interest on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths over many years, which makes Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions a long overdue addition to our archive!
Unfortunately, many of the characters suffer from the familiar failings of heroes arbitrarily created to serve a singular focus. The likes of Le Peregrine (France), Shamrock (Ireland), and Talisman (Australia) debut with a relatively dull thud.
Established international heroes like Black Panther, Wolverine, Storm, and Captain Britain go a long way to giving the event a bit of credibility. Not that the international theme of The Contest is of any great focus, or consequence!
The Grandmaster and Death disqualify alien influence, even eliminating Atlanteans, but nothing in their rules seems to demand drafting from obscurity. I quite like the idea of a Marvel Universe "world warrior" tournament, but in the end, the global theme is a strange subtext that doesn't really serve the story.
There are plenty of fan-favourite American heroes keeping things interesting with unusual match-ups. No doubt they'll be the focus when we return to look deeper into The Contest of Champions -- forebear to the famed Secret Wars!
If you'd like to find more curious contests and major match-ups: dive into the Secret Archive Index to find a menu of featured fights catalogued by publisher, series, and issue number! For more direct selections, be sure to take advantage of links littered throughout this post, or follow on Twitter and Facebook to get daily fights inspired by the topics of the day!
Sharing links to your favourite fights is a great way to support the site! You can also donate via the PayPal button further up the page, or sponsor the site by making your next purchase via the Amazon link provided [right]! Buying a collected edition of Contest of Champions, or anything else, means Amazon will kick back something small to the site at no extra cost!
Stay tuned as we venture on! Who knows where the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths will take us next? Perhaps even to a fantasy match from Contest of Champions II?
Winner: Draw
#4 (--) Wolverine
#45 (+2) Black Panther
#10 (--) Thing [+1 assist]
Where: Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #3 When: August 1982 Why: Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant & Bill Mantlo How: John Romita Jr
The Story So Far...
Across the universe there exists immortal entities whose existence determines cosmic reality. The Grandmaster is one such being: an Elder of the Universe whose taste for games inspires a Contest of Champions!
Snatching the world's heroes from a temporarily frozen Earth; The Grandmaster drafts a team of twelve to represent him in a contest of life and death! His team will race to find segments of a golden artifact scattered to the four corners of the Earth!
The Grandmaster's ultimate prize is the restoration of his immortal brother: The Collector! Killed by the man-god Korvac; The Collector's demise is beyond even the vast cosmic might of a fellow Elder. Thus, The Grandmaster's contest pits him against the ultimate opponent - Death herself!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)Intelligence: Black Panther 5 (Professor)
Speed: Black Panther 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Wolverine 6 (Generator)
Agility: Black Panther 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Black Panther 2 (Projectiles)
Total: Draw 26 (Meta-Human)
At long last we arrive at one of the legendary texts in comic book combat lore!
Contest of Champions is an early Marvel Comics event that gathered the world's heroes to compete as representatives of The Grandmaster and Death herself! The Contest pre-dates the more famed Secret Wars by a few years, and is distinguished for making opponents out of would-be heroic allies!
There's little love lost when Canadian X-Man Wolverine stalks Wakandan royal Black Panther in today's Contest of Champions battle!
Technically the heroes are part of two three-man teams: Wolverine, Thing & Le Peregrine represent The Grandmaster. Black Panther, Angel & Vanguard represent an unrevealed Death. Like a cosmic edition of The Amazing Race: the teams are teleported to China for a race to discover a hidden artifact.
Still very much the surly loner of the X-Men in 1982; Wolverine goes his own way after a few terse introductions. Thus, we have an intriguing clash of hyper-keen senses, battle-tested combat technique, super-human physical prowess, and command of rare metals!
Wolverine's mutant claws and skeleton were famously coated with nigh unbreakable Adamantium, while Black Panther commands the world's largest deposit of rare Vibranium! There seemed to be a little less fuss made about The Panther weaving the flexible mineral into his costume, back in the early days, so avoidance is probably preferable to testing metal against metal. Sorry, fanboys!
Agility is clearly one of the Black Panther's key advantages over Wolverine. The X-Man is a skilled fighter, but the facility of his mutant healing factor means he can afford to fight sloppy -- and often does, especially in these early days. Untamed aggression frequently gets the better of Wolverine, while T'Challa is all about being in control. Combat technique steered by a brilliant mind!
We've seen Black Panther outwit Wolvie's Contest teammate Thing in Fantastic Four #52, outplay arch-villain Klaw in Fantastic Four #53, and fight Captain America to a complete standstill in Tales of Suspense #98! With upgraded armor, and Storm at his back, The Panther was even able to beat the metal of Doctor Doom and his Doombots many years later, in Black Panther #19!
Wolverine is no stranger to foes like these. We saw him terrorize the Fantastic Four in Wolverine #22, slice & dice nemesis Lady Deathstrike in Uncanny X-Men #205, and fight werewolf Cap to a near standstill in Captain America #405! Of course, we also Cap put an end to a rampage against the X-Men that briefly cost Northstar his life, in Wolverine (Volume 3) #25.
What's the net result? Clearly these are two bad ass fighting heroes!
It's difficult to ignore the superior skill, speed, and agility that have made Black Panther famous. Wolverine's healing factor means he'll always come back again, and his warrior spirit means he's a dangerous man, but his discipline is inconsistent. I'd say T'Challa probably wins 3 to 4 in every five matches.
The Tape: Draw Ranking: Wolverine (#4)
What Went Down...
For all the wonders of Wakanda, even Prince T'Challa is in awe of the terracotta army that greets him in China! Walking amongst the eerily still rows of warriors -- his keen senses detect movement: Wolverine strikes!
Black Panther ducks at the perfect moment, narrowly avoiding the clutches of the diving X-Man! Wolverine is impressed to see his speed matched, but he isn't playing around. He unsheathes his claws and makes his challenge known!
Once again The Panther proves fast and nimble enough to evade Wolverine. He flips forward, leaping over Wolverine and his lunging claw slash! He's shocked by the severity of the attack and the X-Man's intent to be deadly.
The Panther favours stealth, disappearing into the crowd of surrounding clay soldiers. He soon learns that Wolverine's mutant senses are as keen as his own! It's only a matter of time before the mutant finds him - so this time he attacks!
The Black Panther dives out of hiding to snatch Wolverine by the wrists, hoping to control his deadly weapons. The clawed X-Man is able to turn the momentum against his opponent, flipping Black Panther onto his back with brute strength!
Wolverine looms over his opponent, who does not break the wrist-lock that keeps the mutant's claws from finding their target!
As Wolverine presses down with his full body weight and talks trash -- his teammate in the game, The Thing, arrives to admonish his methods! Thing doesn't much like seeing his old friend Black Panther threatened -- not that the fight is over just yet! The slightest diversion in Wolverine's attention is all Black Panther needs to send him vaulting head over heels!
Thing joins the two heroes in the pit, and contemplates the personal pleasure of kicking his teammate's butt. The stand-off is ended when both Wolverine and Black Panther detect the foreign scent of the object they are meant to find.
Thing plunges his massive hand into the dirt below, scooping the strange golden object out of the earth. Victory in The Contest for The Grandmaster's team.
The Hammer...
Indeed, by the terms of The Contest of Champions it is Thing who claims victory on behalf of The Grandmaster's team. Our concerns, however, are purely of the combative! In this arena, the fight between Black Panther and Wolverine can only be considered an inconclusive draw!
Neither man established a definitive upper-hand during the battle, nor was there any finishing blow. A minor disappointment for fans looking to settle the age old debate of Adamtnium versus Vibranium, but a match-up we can no doubt revisit some time in the future!
We saw Thing defeated by Black Panther earlier this month, in his classic first appearance [Fantastic Four #52]. It's kinda fun to come back two decades later, to a time when Black Panther and the FF are longtime friends.
Thing doesn't much like his teammate Wolverine during the issue. Tensions between the two would infamously escalate to a brawl in the 90s that left Thing scarred, and wearing a helmet. Some form of cigar-chomping comradery was settled upon in the convening years. Even in gentler times, Wolverine still had to check off marquee fights with just about every hero in the Marvel Universe!
It's easy to forget just how much Wolverine has evolved over time. The cantankerous loner has softened considerably, especially in the new millennium. On the flipside, it could be argued Black Panther has hardened, expanding his technological arsenal, and responsibilities to the kingdom of Wakanda.
This month's theatrical release of Black Panther has introduced vast movie-going audiences to the world of Wakanda and its heroes. It's a kind of global acknowledgement American-centric media often overlooks.
The world beyond the United States in comics has been a subject of interest on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths over many years, which makes Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions a long overdue addition to our archive!
Unfortunately, many of the characters suffer from the familiar failings of heroes arbitrarily created to serve a singular focus. The likes of Le Peregrine (France), Shamrock (Ireland), and Talisman (Australia) debut with a relatively dull thud.
Established international heroes like Black Panther, Wolverine, Storm, and Captain Britain go a long way to giving the event a bit of credibility. Not that the international theme of The Contest is of any great focus, or consequence!
The Grandmaster and Death disqualify alien influence, even eliminating Atlanteans, but nothing in their rules seems to demand drafting from obscurity. I quite like the idea of a Marvel Universe "world warrior" tournament, but in the end, the global theme is a strange subtext that doesn't really serve the story.
There are plenty of fan-favourite American heroes keeping things interesting with unusual match-ups. No doubt they'll be the focus when we return to look deeper into The Contest of Champions -- forebear to the famed Secret Wars!
If you'd like to find more curious contests and major match-ups: dive into the Secret Archive Index to find a menu of featured fights catalogued by publisher, series, and issue number! For more direct selections, be sure to take advantage of links littered throughout this post, or follow on Twitter and Facebook to get daily fights inspired by the topics of the day!
Sharing links to your favourite fights is a great way to support the site! You can also donate via the PayPal button further up the page, or sponsor the site by making your next purchase via the Amazon link provided [right]! Buying a collected edition of Contest of Champions, or anything else, means Amazon will kick back something small to the site at no extra cost!
Stay tuned as we venture on! Who knows where the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths will take us next? Perhaps even to a fantasy match from Contest of Champions II?
Winner: Draw
#4 (--) Wolverine
#45 (+2) Black Panther
#10 (--) Thing [+1 assist]
No comments:
Post a Comment