Throughout the multiverse, there are many variants of Black Panther in comics. What are the most powerful versions?

The second episode of What If..? introduced an intriguing new version of T'Challa as Star-Lord. There are many variants of Black Panther in Marvel Comics who could appear in the MCU in some form and probably will at some point. Some are more powerful than others, with a few having truly extraordinary abilities.

Some of the most powerful versions of the character hail from different realities in the Marvel multiverse or they are characters who have inherited the mantle of Black Panther in the main continuity of Earth-616. Some of them embody the nobility of T'Challa, while others are less heroic in their demeanor.

10 Black Panther 2099

K'Shamba debuted in 2004 as part of the Marvel Knights imprint. While a previous Black Panther, Thandraza, appeared in the earlier Doom 2099 comics, this variant is recognized as the ruler of Wakanda and a major figure in the Marvel multiverse.

K'Shamba, who is from one of Marvel's dark future timelines, didn't partake of the heart-shaped herb like T'Challa. As a result, he does not have the superhuman strength, speed, and agility that a Black Panther usually possesses. He remains a great martial artist, however, and is trained in the use of a variety of advanced weapons. He proved his acrobatic ability and peak human strength against numerous enemies in the 2099 timeline, including a version of Doctor Doom.

9 Azzuri

Azzuri made his first appearance in Marvel Comics in Black Panther #1 in 2005. He is shown to have fought alongside Captain America and Nick Fury to protect his nation from Baron Strucker and the Red Skull, who both want to raid Wakanda for its Vibranium to fund the Nazi war effort.

Azzuri, the grandfather of T'Challa and king of Wakanda during World War II, shares his superhuman powers. Like T'Challa and nearly all Black Panthers, he derives superhuman strength, stamina, and other abilities from the heart-shaped herb native to Wakanda. Among these is a divine knowledge that gives him access to the knowledge and memories of all Black Panthers in the lineage going back centuries. He also has the power of necromancy, which gives him control over the dead.

8 Kasper Cole

Kasper Cole is a New York City police officer who took on the role of Black Panther in the early 2000s in Black Panther #50. He finds the Black Panther costume in police custody and then wears it as he conducts his own private investigations into the crime affecting his city.

At first, he has no special abilities, relying mainly on a pair of handguns, but he later gains powers in line with T'Challa after ingesting a synthetic version of the heart-shaped root given to him by Erik Killmonger. A power unique to Cole is night vision, which he used to track down a kidnapped child. He would later become the White Tiger and frequently teams up with the Crew, an all-Black team of superheroes devoted to defending Brooklyn.

7 Coal Tiger

When artist Jack Kirby first conceived of the Black Panther character before his debut in Fantastic Four #52, he named him Coal Tiger. He also has extremely sharp retractable claws that can cut through virtually any substance.

Coal Tiger is one of the most uniquely powerful variants of Black Panther. T'Chaka II, the son of Black Panther in the MC2 alternate universe featuring May Day Parker, a version of Spider-Woman, can physically transform from a human into a super-strong human-panther hybrid. He used this enhanced strength to help free his reality's version of the Avengers, A-Next, from the evil Revengers.

6 Mangaverse Black Panther

The Black Panther of the Marvel Magnaverse owes his powers to the Egyptian god Horus, making him extremely powerful. In addition to the basic abilities to be very fast and strong, he can also transform himself into a humanoid panther. The Earth-2301 version of the character can also summon spirits to inhabit his body, gaining all of their power and knowledge. He could also become Falcon, with wings that allowed him to fly. His sister in this universe wasn't Shuri but T'Channa, who was actually a version of Doctor Doom.

5 Chieftain Justice

Chieftain Justice is a variant of Black Panther from the interdimensional force of the Captain Britain Corps. While he only makes a brief cameo in Excalibur #44, like all members of the Corps, he shares the powers of the Earth-616 Captain Britain, Brian Braddock.

Beyond superhuman strength, agility, and endurance, he can store interdimensional energy, which allows him to fly and generate powerful energy blasts. With the introduction of Captain Carter in the MCU, Chieftain Justice and the rest of the Corps may not be far behind.

4 Ngozi

Ngozi is the Black Panther of Earth-TRN650, and she is also one of the most powerful symbiotes in Marvel Comics. She combines the powers of Black Panther and the Venom symbiote, making her extremely strong and impervious to most forms of attack.

Ngozi is telepathic, adding to her considerable array of talents. She is immune as Venom is to some superpowers, like Spider-Man's Spider-Sense. The symbiote also has a unique dimensional pocket that allows her to carry objects outside of practical reality.

3 Ghost Panther

Ghost Panther emerged from the Infinity Warps comic books from 2018 that combined many characters into one. As with Ngozi, Ghost Panther combines the powers of two incredible superheroes. This version of the character fuses the powers of Black Panther and Ghost Rider, giving the already superhuman T'Challa supernatural abilities like Hellfire manipulation and supernatural awareness. Instead of a motorcycle, Ghost Panther rides a flaming black panther, and he can travel between dimensions on it.

2 Shuri

Shuri became Black Panther after T'Challa fell into a coma during "Doomwar," a major comic book story arc from 2010. Not only did she gain the traditional powers of the Black Panther, but she also gained supernatural powers as well. While in the spiritual plane of the Djalia, Shuri gained the ability to turn her body into impervious stone.

She also has the power to turn herself or others into either a flock of birds or a single bird, making her one of the most powerful variants of Black Panther in the comics. Shuri displayed the full range of her powers in the War with Atlantis storyline, which depicted her successful attack on Namor and his underwater armies of Atlantis.

1 Black Panther 10,000 B.C.

The chief of the Panther Tribe from the prehistoric era of Earth-616 is one of the most powerful versions of the character. First appearing in Marvel Legacy 31 in 2017, this Black Panther belongs to the Stone Age Avengers, which consists of other variants of Doctor Strange, Thor, Hulk, and Phoenix.

Though his powers are largely those of his descendants, Black Panther 10,000 B.C. is notable in that he was worthy of wielding Mjolnir. He's actually the first person in history besides Odin to ever do so, granting him all the powers of Thor. For the time he held the hammer, he was akin to an Asgardian god, making him perhaps the most powerful version of Black Panther from the comics.

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