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Achebe (character)

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Achebe
Achebe in Deadpool Vol. 2, #43 (August 2000).
Art by Jim Calafiore.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceBlack Panther Vol. 3, #3
(January 1999)
Created byChristopher Priest (writer)
Mark Texeira (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoReverend Doctor Michael Ibn al-hajj Achebe
SpeciesHuman
Place of originGhudaza, Africa
PartnershipsMephisto
Notable aliasesBob
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Political strategist
  • Skilled acrobat

Achebe is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira, the character first appeared in Black Panther Vol. 3, #3. Achebe is a recurring enemy of the superhero Black Panther.[1]

Development

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Concept and creation

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Creator Christopher Priest stated that the character was inspired by the Joker, Hannibal Lecter, and Hans Gruber. Christopher Priest has stated that he is "the Joker to [Black] Panther's Batman."[2]

Publication history

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Achebe was mentioned in Black Panther Vol. 3, #2. He debuted in issues #3-5, #8-13, #22-23, and #36-37. He appeared in Deadpool Vol. 2, #43-44. He appeared in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1. He appeared in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1.

Fictional character biography

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Achebe's origin and past is vague, but is assumed and believed by the United States government that he was a Ghudazan farmer nicknamed "Bob" who tended to leftist rebels from the neighboring country of Ujanka when the men were driven across the Ghudazan/Ujankan border and onto Achebe's property.[3] The soldiers repaid Achebe's kindness by leaving him for dead after they seduced his wife, razed his farm, and stabbed him thirty-two times.[4] According to urban legends, Achebe survived by selling his soul to Mephisto.[5] Then, he went on to kill everyone who had ever interacted with his wife, destroying the homes of his victims and stabbing each one thirty-two times.[6][7][8]

After attending Yale Law School, Achebe returned to Ghudazan where he helped instigate an ethnic war.[6] When Black Panther established a refugee camp on the outskirts of Wakanda for those seeking asylum from the conflict, Achebe infiltrated it and exacerbated unease between the refugees and the Wakandans. Achebe then lured Black Panther out of Wakanda by corrupting one of his charities situated in America and by having the organization's "poster children" killed.[9][10]

While Black Panther is preoccupied in the United States, Achebe leads an uprising in the African refugee camp and appoints himself head of the provisional government that overtakes Wakanda.[11] Achebe subjects Wakanda to his deranged decrees, which worsen after his connection to Mephisto is severed by the cunning of Black Panther. Achebe's forces weaken without Mephisto's backing, though he retains his position as prime minister by promising to share power with Black Panther's stepmother, Ramonda, so long as Black Panther remains in America.[12] Achebe later tries to assassinate Black Panther by having his allies in the United States place a bomb on a bystander and a remotely controllable exoskeleton on Black Panther's ex-fiancée, Monica. Black Panther is able to defuse the explosive and free Monica from the exoskeleton with the help of the Avengers.[13]

As Achebe prepares to be crowned king of Wakanda, and begins conversing with a hand puppet named Daki, Black Panther works on unraveling the conspiracy that helped Achebe instigate the Ghudazan conflict that allowed him and his backers to attain power in Wakanda.[14][15][16] While Ramonda is distracted, Achebe knocks her out and acquires her codes for the Prowlers, the robotic defenders of Wakanda.[17] Achebe unleashes the reprogrammed Prowlers, covers himself in explosives, and confronts Black Panther and his friend Everett K. Ross when they reach Wakanda.[18] Achebe forces Black Panther and Ross into a deathtrap based on a claw machine, which they later escape from, while he flees Wakanda.[19][20]

Achebe resurfaces in America, where he hires Deadpool to steal Preyy, the pet spotted leopard of Erik Killmonger, the current Black Panther.[21][22] By doing this, Achebe hoped to goad T'Challa into coming out of his self-imposed exile to reclaim the title of Black Panther.[23]

Powers and abilities

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Along with being empowered by Mephisto, Achebe is a very psychological and manipulative villain.[24][25] A rebel anarchist, brilliant schemer, top tier political strategist, and planner.[26][7] He is also a highly skilled acrobat with exceptional agility.[27] However, Achebe is slightly weakened by his mental instability and obsessive detestation of Black Panther.[14]

Reception

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Critical response

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Matt Wood of CinemaBlend included Achebe in their "5 Marvel Villains We'd Love To See In Black Panther 2" list.[7] Darby Harn of Screen Rant included Achebe in their "15 Most Powerful Black Panther Villains" list,[27] and in their "15 Best Black Panther Comics Characters Not In The MCU" list.[28] De'Angelo Epps of Comic Book Resources ranked Achebe 5th in their "Marvel: Ranking Black Panther's Rogues Gallery" list, writing, "Many look at Achebe as one of the most iconic villains of the Black Panther. He is a creation of one of the Black Panther's best writers, Christopher Priest and many fans call him "The Joker of the Black Panther." Which speaks volumes to his icon status in the comic series. Achebe has a great taste for murder and cruelty with a master's in manipulation. This silver tongued snake is one of the greatest threats there is to Wakanda,"[25] while Peter Eckhardt ranked him 12th in their "10 Most Iconic Black Panther Villains" list.[29] Chase Magnett of ComicBook.com ranked Achebe 6th in their "8 Best Black Panther Villains" list.[26]

Other versions

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The Once and Future King

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Achebe is among the villains recruited by T'Charra to help him kill and usurp his father, an elderly Black Panther.[30] Achebe and the other criminals are defeated by Black Panther's allies Brother Voodoo, Falcon, and Luke Cage.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Here's Why Marvel's Black Panther Will Bring Veneration To The Superhero Niche". MoviePilot.com. Moviepilot. January 25, 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. ^ Priest, Christopher (June 2001). "Chapter Eleven: Black Panther Series Commentary". DigitalPriest.com. Digital Priest. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ^ Clough, Rob (2021-02-03). "Stories Black Panther Fans Most Want To See In The Wakanda Spinoff - Looper". Looper.com. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  4. ^ Lealos, Shawn S. (2021-06-14). "Black Panther: Main Comic Book Villains, Ranked Lamest To Coolest". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  5. ^ Jason Wiese (2020-11-29). "5 Marvel Characters Kevin Hart Would Be Perfect For". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  6. ^ a b Christopher Priest (w), Mark Texeira (p), Mark Texeira (i), Brian Haberlin (col), Rich S and Comicraft's Siobhan Hanna (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Original Sin" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 3 (January 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ a b c Matt Wood (2018-02-22). "5 Marvel Villains We'd Love To See In Black Panther 2". CinemaBlend. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  8. ^ Grubbs, Victor (2019-01-16). "The Next Big Things: 20 D-List Marvel Characters We Hope The MCU Turns Into Household Names". CBR. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  9. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Mark Texeira (p), Mark Texeira (i), Brian Haberlin (col), RS and Comicraft's Siobhan Hanna (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "The Client" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 1 (November 1998). United States: Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Mark Texeira (p), Mark Texeira (i), Avalon Color (col), Rich S and Comicraft's Siobhan Hanna (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Invasion" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 2 (December 1998). United States: Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Mark Texeira (p), Mark Texeira (i), Brian Haberlin (col), Richard S and Comicraft Letters (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "The Price" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 4 (February 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Vince Evans (p), Vince Evans (i), Brian Haberlin (col), Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Wes Abbott (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Lord of the Damned" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 5 (March 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Joe Jusko and Amanda Connor (p), Vince Evans and Jimmy Palmiotti (i), Brian Haberlin (col), Starkings and Comicraft (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "That Business with the Avengers!" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 8 (June 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ a b Christopher Priest (w), Mike Manley (p), Mike Manley (i), Chris Sotomayer (col), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Enemy of the State" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 9 (July 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ Jacobs, Eammon (2018-02-18). "Who Will Be the Villain of Black Panther 2?". CBR. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  16. ^ Hood, Cooper (2022-01-08). "The Best Characters Denzel Washington Could Play In The MCU". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  17. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Mike Manley (p), Mike Manley (i), Chris Sotomayer (col), Richard Starkings and Comicraft/JL (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Enemy of the State, Book Two" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 10 (August 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Mark Bright (p), Nelson Decastro (i), Chris Sotomayer (col), Richard Starkings and Comicraft/JL (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Enemy of the State, Book Three" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 11 (September 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Mark Bright (p), Nelson Decastro (i), Chris Sotomayer (col), RS and Comicraft's Liz Agraphiotis (let), Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti (ed). "Enemy of the State, Conclusion: The Taking of Wakanda 1-2-3" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 12 (October 1999). United States: Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Donahue, Casey (2020-12-19). "Black Panther's Weirdest Enemy Will Never Be In The MCU". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  21. ^ Christopher Priest (w), J. Califiore (p), Jon Holdredge (i), Shannon Blanchard (col), Chris Eliopoulos (let), Mike Marts (ed). "The Menaced Phantom (Or: Deadpool's Last, We Swear, Cosmic Adventure!)" Deadpool, vol. 2, no. 43 (August 2000). United States: Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Christopher Priest (w), J. Califiore (p), Jon Holdredge (i), Shannon Blanchard (col), Chris Eliopoulos (let), Mike Marts (ed). "Cat Trap (Or: Wakanda Merc Are You?)" Deadpool, vol. 2, no. 44 (September 2000). United States: Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Sal Velluto (p), Bob Almond (i), Steve Oliff (col), Sharpefont and PT (let), Tom Brevoort (ed). "More of that Business with the Avengers" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 23 (October 2000). United States: Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ Clough, Rob (2020-04-08). "Obscure Marvel Characters We Want To See In Phase 4 - Looper". Looper.com. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  25. ^ a b Epps, De'Angelo (2020-12-07). "Marvel: Ranking Black Panther's Rogues Gallery". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  26. ^ a b Magnett, Chase (February 21, 2018). "The 8 Best Black Panther Villains". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  27. ^ a b Harn, Darby (2021-09-25). "15 Most Powerful Black Panther Villains". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  28. ^ Harn, Darby (2022-04-23). "15 Best Black Panther Comics Characters Not In The MCU". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  29. ^ Eckhardt, Peter (2022-11-30). "13 Most Iconic Black Panther Villains". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  30. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Sal Velluto (p), Bob Almond (i), VLM (col), Sharpefont and PT (let), Mike Marts (ed). "The Once and Future King, Part 1" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 36 (December 2001). United States: Marvel Comics.
  31. ^ Christopher Priest (w), Sal Velluto (p), Bob Almond (i), VLM's Jennifer Schellinger (col), Sharpefont's Paul Tutrone (let), Mike Marts (ed). "The Once and Future King, Part 2" Black Panther, vol. 3, no. 37 (January 2002). United States: Marvel Comics.
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