Black Panther

According to Marvel Studios,  the diversity movement is the reason that the current Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman, will be replaced by his sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright. Boseman is said to be "pretty unhappy" with what Marvel has decided.

Boseman will not be replaced in Black Panther 2 and the possibility could happen in Black Panther 3. The transition would not be sudden, as it would be a gradual passing off of the torch. Marvel is smart in not replacing the character so quickly after grossing a billion dollars at the movie box office.

Shuri becoming the Black Panther aligns with the plans of Marvel transitioning to more female-led heroes. Captain Marvel's success shows that female heroes can carry movie box office success. With this success, the confirmation of shows featuring female heroes such as She-Hulk and Scarlet Witch is currently in development on Disney Plus. Let's take a dive at Shuri key books that are hoping to rise in the coming years.

 

Black Panther #2 (Volume 4, 2005)

Shuri's first appearance is in Black Panther #2 (Volume 4, 2005). The book comes in a direct edition and newsstand cover. To differentiate between newsstand and direct edition, the words "Direct Edition", is not printed in the UPC box. So be on the lookout for the rare newsstand copy, as it is the preferred book to grab.  Sales for this comic are quiet as there is no confirmed news on this character and on the upcoming Black Panther movie. The trend is showing as negative. Meaning, this is a great buy low, especially with the news of Shuri becoming the Black Panther down the road!

Black PantherBlack Panther

Grade 9.8 $122.50 last sale 3-23-20 returns negative -33.7%

Grade 9.6 $69.99 last sale 02-6-20 returns negative -29.8%

Grade 9.4 $36.01 last sale 3-23-20 returns positive 31.1%

 

 

Black Panther #1 (Volume 5, 2009)

Shuri does indeed become the Black Panther in this comic series, but not until issue #5. Black Panther #1 (Volume 5, 2009) marks the first cover of Shuri as the new Black Panther. Marvel has done this in the past in introducing new characters on the covers of books before their actual first appearance. Red She-Hulk was introduced first as a cover appearance in Hulk #14 and would make her first full appearance in Hulk #16.

Black Panther

This is another key book for Shuri as sales are scarce and the book is very inexpensive. The book has a variant cover by J. Scott Campbell that is worth buying if the price is right. We should have more sales going forward once more news comes down the Marvel pipeline. Expect the negative trend it is currently showing to start to turn to positive once Marvel makes the official announcement as Shuri as the new Black Panther.

Grade 9.8 $146 last sale 11-17-19 returns negative -8.8%

Grade 9.6 $74.50 last sale 02-28-20 returns negative -15.6%

Black Panther

 

Black Panther #5 (Volume 5, 2009)

Finally! Shuri's first appearance as the new Black Panther is in Black Panther #5 (Volume 5, 2009). The issue comes with a regular direction and a rare newsstand cover. The newsstand is rarer, where the cover price will show a cover price of $3.99, compared to a direct edition, where it shows a price of $2.99.Black Panther

Black Panther

There have not been any graded sales for this book in 2020. Sales are slow and obtaining this book presents a great buy-low opportunity. Trends are very volatile, just like the United States stock market during the virus epidemic. I would not worry about the trends since this is a character Marvel believes in for the long haul.  Once the rumor train starts, we should expect sales of this book on eBay to start popping up. Be sure to get ahead of the game and grab yourself a copy!

Grade 9.8 $159 last sale 07-16-19 returns positive +40.9%

Grade 9.6 $46 last sale 10-13-19 returns negative -15.6%

Grade 9.4 $49.99 last sale 10-1-19 returns positive +354.9% (2 sales)

 

Girl Power...

Shuri is one of many characters for Marvel that will be getting the push into the hero spotlight. Marvels' shift to introduce more female heroes is real and it has already started.

Black Panther

The fact that Marvel has already hinted for Shuri to take the mantle of Black Panther after the first Black Panther movie had grossed over a billion dollars should tell you how much they believe in character diversity. Infinity saga was a huge success led by the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor while blending newer characters such as Captain Marvel, Gamora, and Wasp. Marvel has done a fantastic job with this transition as we move to a more culturally diverse cinematic universe.