The MCU adapted one ofBlack Panther’s toughest lines from Marvel Comics, but it fell short of its comic book counterpart. The late Chadwick Boseman turned T’Challa into one of the most beloved MCU characters in the span of four appearances, which covered the basics of Black Panther’s lore, abilities, and personality.
In Ryan Coogler’sBlack Panther, T’Challa apprehends Ulysses Klaue in front of a crowd, prompting Klaue to plead for mercy in an attempt to portray T’Challa as a ruthless aggressor. Unmoved,T’Challa tells Klaue,“every breath you take is mercy from me.“This is one of T’Challa’s coolest lines in the MCU, but the original version of the quote is much deeper and more dramatic in the source material, where it summarizes the raging conflict between Black Panther and Namor.
In 2013’sNew Avengers #22; written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Kev Walker and Frank Martin, the tensions between T’Challa and Namor reaches its climax. After Namor destroys the universe T’Challa refused to attack in order to protect Earth-616 from an incursion, the Wakandan and Atlantean kings exchange blows and admit that their choice not to kill the other is the only form of mercy they’re willing to extend.
Black Panther’s Most Badass MCU Line Has A Much Deeper Meaning In The Comics
T’Challa’s Mercy Is A Humiliating Blow To Namor After Several Major Tragedies
T’Challa’s threat to Ulysses Klaue in Ryan Coogler’sBlack Pantherdisplays T’Challa’s willingness to execute his enemies if they refuse to fall in line. In Marvel Comics’New Avengers #22, duringMarvel’sTime Runs Outevent, T’Challa’s words are aimed toward a fellow king, particularly one who believes himself to be beneath no one.Black Panther dismisses Namor’s power and Atlantis' might with mere words, which deeply offends a Namor who believes he has outsmarted Wakanda, the Avengers, the Illuminati, and the Cabal by this point.
Namor has proven time and again that he would rather die than accept mercy or show genuine remorse.Namor’s attack on Wakanda duringAvengers vs. X-Men, where he flooded the capital and caused the deaths of thousands, remains an unforgivable act in T’Challa’s eyes. Though Namor later expressed regret and T’Challa offered superficial forgiveness for strategic reasons, their mutual distrust remained. Namor sees T’Challa’s refusal to destroy other Earths during the ongoing Incursions as a sign of weakness, but T’Challa turns that perception on its head, making it clear that the only reason why Namor’s actions have only gone unchecked is because T’Challa has allowed it.
What’s more, T’Challa later proves that his threat to Namor was never empty inAvengersVol. 5 #40, where he exacts a calculated and brutal revenge. Black Panther stabs Namor with a ceremonial blade he inherited from his ancestors, has Black Bolt blast him, and makes sure Namor is conscious long enough to be incinerated by the collapsing world beneath them. In a grim twist,T’Challa condemns Namor to die by the same method he urged T’Challa to embrace in the first place — the destruction of a world to save another.
Namor’s Response To Black Panther Adds A New Layer To Their Conflict
Namor Regrets Nothing After The Events Of Avengers vs X-Men
Namor hurls Black Panther’s words back at him, saying, “every breath [the surviving Wakandans] take is mercy from me.“Namor admits that he never regretted flooding Wakanda and reveals he told Thanos' generals to look for the Infinity Stones in Wakanda, not only to spare Atlantis from a deadly attack but also to finish off the Wakandans who survived the flood.Namor goes so far as to say that the only thing he regrets is that"so many were left alive"in the first place, making it clear that the rest of the Wakandans survived not because Namor couldn’t kill them, but before he didn’t want to.
Marvel’s Timing Didn’t Allow T’Challa & Namor’s Conflict To Be Translated To Live-Action
T’Challa And Namor Never Interacted In The MCU
Sadly,Black Pantherstar Chadwick Boseman passed away shortly afterAvengers: Endgame, and Ryan Coogler reworkedBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverto pit Namor against Shuri. Wakanda and Talokan make a truce when Shuri spares Namor’s life even though Namor murders Queen Ramonda in cold blood, but the tensions between the two kingdoms will likely continue to exist in future MCU projects. Unfortunately,T’Challa and Namor’s feuddidn’t make it to the big screen in the MCU.If Marvel Studios wants to translate T’Challa and Namor’s complex dynamics, a soft-reboot will be necessary.
