I want to conclude this Black History month with a two-part special. I’ve written about Black Love and the importance of representation of nuclear Black families in the past. When I came across this particular union though, a burst of joy ran through my body that was unique from other marriage announcement. A union between two Black leaders and heros was so special to me, mainly because it included two of the most incredible superheroes of all time.
I grew up watching Storm, she was my favorite member of x-men and was the only character out of the bunch that I could even remotely relate to. I related to her in more ways than just skin tone though. The constant need for a strong Black women to calm the chaos created by those fighting around her resonated with me. Whenever Storm showed up, it didn’t matter what was going on she could shut down everything in an instant.
Like Storm, Black Panther is a marvel character that’s existed for decades. His recent boom in popularity, on account of the 2018 Black Panther Movie release, put him on a lot of people’s radar that don’t read the comic series. Black Panther was originally introduced to the public in the July 1966 edition of Fantastic Four #52 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Both he and Storm were around long before the release of the Black Panther movie, but Storm’s failure to appear in the film left many who’ve never read the comics completely unaware of their union.
Teenage Love Beginnings
I had no idea that these two iconic heroes ever had ever been married, let alone were married to one another. It wasn’t until I was watching and All Def comedy series that I heard one of the comedians say that Storm and Black Panther were married. I immediately did some research and found it be true. Near the end of 2006 marvel saw that the king of Wakanda was missing his better half, but it was a difficult decision to try and choose who would be a suitable queen for the powerful African empire. Eric Jerome Dickey, a New York best-selling author, was put in charge of arranging the tale and wrote a comic book starring the two heros illustrated by lan Medina and David Yardin. The team came out with a beautiful production, a love story that warmed the hearts of Americans, especially the young Black boys and girls who finally had a superhero example of Black love.
The story begins with the two as young teenagers meeting one another in the forrest, it was evident that Ororo had feelings for T’Challa, so much so that she worked very hard to contain to herself. That night the two shared an intoxicating kiss that ended with a natural eruption, literally the tree behind them burst into iridescent flames. The two grew up and lived separate lives fighting on opposite ends of the world.
Their Marriage, The Foundation of a Nation
The story caught back up with the two after Black Panther announced to the public his selection of Storm to be his Queen. Interestingly, the comic strip actually formats the page as a BET special with interview co-hosts raving about their excitement for the biggest celebrity news of the century. The page that encapsulates their their wedding ceremony in such a beautiful way that I want to print and hang the page on my wall. It’s a fantasy that lights the darkness we face in so many of our realities. Often we do not get to see many of our relationships end in marriage, but even in those cases many families cannot afford the luxury of a large extravagant ceremony, if they can afford one at all. However, the ceremony illustrated in the marriage between King T’Challa and Queen Ororo is luxurious to say the least, it’s a Royal festival with a cheering audience and a grand drum line. The images of Black love illustrated in this comic strip is so powerful that I couldn’t help but purchase a copy of the comic book for my own collection.
The story caught back up with the two after Black Panther announced to the public his selection of Storm to be his Queen. Interestingly, the comic strip actually formats the page as a BET special with interview co-hosts raving about their excitement for the biggest celebrity news of the century. The page that encapsulates their their wedding ceremony in such a beautiful way that I want to print and hang the page on my wall. It’s a fantasy that lights the darkness we face in so many of our realities. Often we do not get to see many of our relationships end in marriage, but even in those cases many families cannot afford the luxury of a large extravagant ceremony, if they can afford one at all. However, the ceremony illustrated in the marriage between King T’Challa and Queen Ororo Iquadi T’Challa is luxurious to say the least, it’s a Royal festival with a cheering audience and a grand drum line. The images of Black love illustrated in this comic strip is so powerful that I couldn’t help but purchase a copy of the comic book for my own collection.
Black love is the essence of our community. Without embracing Black love as that critical nucleus our community will only fail. It’s essential that Black men and women cherish and respect one another to the point of desiring to invest into one another’s lives as lifelong committed spouses, parenting and solidifying the community for which they serve. The story of Storm and Black Panthers Union is the perfect illustration of this concept. Black Panther, a mighty and powerful King of a sovereign African nation ,sought out a queen that could assist in carrying him through his nation building responsibilities. His teenage love was the perfect match, an equally strong and powerful woman that could withhold the weight of carrying a nation.
Real World Principals that the Comic Teaches
This comic while it is a source of entertainment, teaches us a few principles about marriage and unity that I want to highlight. An important aspect of partnership that I want to highlight with these two characters is the amount of accomplishment that they attained individually prior to their union. They didn’t run away as teenagers, they invested into themselves by living individual lives which is the best preparation for partnership. Another aspect of their marriage that I want to highlight that the comic references is the love that they have for their individual families and their individual communities. The officiant shared with the couple at the alter, “That love must be strong enough for each other, for your families, for your country. You are forming the foundation of a nation, a nation that will be in the forefront of all nations in times to come “. When we look at love as the essence of building then we take the task to love, respect, cherish and honor our partner much more seriously. We must embrace this concept, both King T’Challa and Queen Ororo Iquadi T’Challa not only leaders but they were both loved by a community that they felt empowered to serve as individuals which brought them closer together. Their commitment is strengthened by their love and service to their people in away that teenage love just can’t compete with. This comic while it is a source of entertainment, teaches us a principles about love, marriage and unity that are essential to nation-building. Seeing these types of examples in the media teach youth the potential of what Black Love can be, what Black love is: magical, powerful and heroic.
