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Mephisto is known for tricking many heroes and villains alike, but the Devil of the Marvel Universe met his match against the Black Panther.
Few heroes in the Marvel Universe are as prepared or quick on their feet as the Black Panther. Being that he is a King, T’Challa has spent his whole life looking out for signs of honesty, betrayal and the general unexpected. While he doesn’t always gain the upper hand, his training allows him to overcome almost anything that comes his way. There was even a time when the King of Wakanda was pitted in a battle of wits against the devilish Mephisto, in which he put his very soul on the line.
Black Panther #1-5 (by Christopher Priest, Mark Texeira, Brian Haberlin, Richard Starkings and Siobhan Hanna) chronicles a mystery that ties a money-laundering scandal with Mephisto and the fate of Wakanda. In the arc, King T’Challa takes a trip to the United States, seeking justice for the death of an innocent girl and a scandal that threatens Wakanda. Not only must they contend with the publicity of an organization that serves as a front for many crimes, but now T’Challa must find a home for hundreds of refugees from surrounding civil wars. The King of Wakanda is placed under the protection of Everett K. Ross, who is met by Mephisto while Black Panther searches the streets of New York City for answers.
While Ross flounders at making small talk with the devil, T’Challa finds out about the appearance of a man named Achebe in Wakanda. Although he seems like an ordinary man, Achebe is highly educated, fit and politically-minded enough to stage a coup in Wakanda. Legends also state that he was once a farmer who nursed rebel soldiers back to health with his wife. However, once they got healthy, his wife left with them. This betrayal led to Achebe making a deal with Mephisto, and he used his hellish power to exact revenge on everyone his wife ever loved or interacted with. Now, as a servant of the devil, he seizes the opportunity to take control of Wakanda.
When T’Challa returns to Ross, he’s greeted with a warning about Mephisto and his strength. However, the Panther showed no fear and punched the devil in the face hard enough to knock him unconscious. It turns out that T’Challa’s team was aware of Mephisto’s presence and used their technology to create a field that constantly changed the molecules of the universe around him. Black Panther cut the hellish villain’s heart out, and he and Ross traveled to the devil’s realm. The genius of his plan is that with Mephisto’s heart separated, the Lord of Hell would be weak enough for T’Challa to have a conversation with him.
After enduring his mind games, T’Challa makes a deal with Mephisto he can’t refuse — by giving the devil his soul, the Lord of Hell must sever his ties to Achebe and leave T’Challa and all of Wakanda alone forever. Mephisto greedily accepts his offer, but there’s a catch he didn’t see coming. By claiming the soul of the Black Panther, the devil also accepts T’Challa’s ancestors and the Panther God. Suddenly a group of panthers appear before him and begin to offer their souls. This turns out to be too much for Mephisto to contain, and he begs for the deal to be reversed. In doing so, T’Challa sets his own terms that are the same as before, along with his soul being returned.
Unlike other heroes who have faced the power of Mephisto, the Black Panther knew that he had to outsmart him before he knew what hit him. As a result, he singlehandedly saved the souls of his people while reclaiming his own. This encounter proved how resourceful the Black Panther can be and how he is able to win some of the most frightening battles using the power of his mind instead of his fists.
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