Quick point of order – and please pardon me because i sense I’m going to be repeating myself.
T’Challa’s revelation that he joined the Avengers to spy on them was first mentioned in issue vol 2, #6 – in late 1998 or early 1999. Much later in the series – around the time of the Iron Man/Black Panther “Enemy Of The State 2” storyline – this is elaborated upon with Black Panther’s bugging Avengers Mansion and the like, but the immediate fallout – angry, shocked, resentful Avengers, was done very early in (I think) issue #7. Also, Ross accidentally discovers Black Panther’s infamous Galactus Contingency Plans in T’Challa’s desk – a throwaway reference, but one that established T’Challa as a formidable, fearless planner.
Mark Waid’s “Babel” storyline with the Batman-designed JLA protocols didn’t come around until summer of 2001. So, retconning his Avengers joining aside, Black Panther out-planned Batman’s protocols by almost two years IRL. Batman aped Black Panther, NOT the other way around. (Although Priest laid the groundwork for “Enemy of the State 2” years earlier in the series.)
Re: the UseNet discussion between Christopher Priest and Kurt Busiek. Busiek has a point, up to a point, but I fully side with Priest on this. Black Panther is NOT a jungle lord Ka-Zar. He is NOT the Phantom. He is NOT a Wakandan Captain America sans shield.
He is a king, on par with Dr. Doom, Namor of Atlantis and the regal Magneto of Genosha. One who comes from a technologically advanced warrior culture. If the weaponry develops out of his culture, he should use it. If the weaponry didn’t exist before Priest, it’s because other series writers didn’t take the next logical leap in developing the culture or the character by making his arsenal the vanguard of Wakandan tech and unique materials. It makes sense for the Black Panther to use vibranium weaponry along with the physical gifts bestowed by the heart-shaped herb. Whether he “needs” it is the writer’s call-- depends on who and what he’s fighting. Which is why you’re dead wrong about the knife and claws.
Black Panther’s greatest enemy is the man who killed his father. The energy dagger, the vibranium tipped claws, are all designed to deal with Ulysses Klaw’s immense sonic powers. That ALONE should be reason enough for Black Panther to wield them but Priest never straight-come out and said that. (That’s because Priest is a plot-driven writer who doesn’t do nearly enough world-building, characterization and exposition-free dialogue, but that’s another thread.)
Batman doesn’t need bat-motif Japanese throwing shriuken, a bat-glider and varied defensive and offensive ultrasonic weaponry, but when Miller put them in his arsenal in Dark Knight Returns and retconned them in Batman: Year One, the fans didn’t complain. He doesn’t need a gas-propelled batarang or body armor, but when it was introduced in the movie it was abosorbed into the overall mythos.
Worf is a Starfleet officer. But when he wears Klingon chainmail as part of his modifed uniform, and goes around lopping off Borg body parts with a bat’leth, I see it as honoring his heritage, not using superfluous weaponry
Again: the problem, in part, goes back to Priest for making these innovations without some context, like establishing early on that vibranium weapons as something historically used by elite Wakandan warriors for generations, or that they were needed for T’Challa to fight Klaw. Had he done that, T’Challa’s innovations to his ceremonial garb would be accepted much easier. But couple those weapons changes with T’Challa’s even bigger personality changes (Priest’s T’Challa was an arrogant, moody S.O.B.) and it’s easy to see why some longtime fans tended to reject him.