The internet broke in half yesterday with Marvel Comics revealing that Black Panther’s white son, a new character known as Ketema, might take over Wakanda. A meme of Ryan Gosling as Black Panther has been circulating on social media for years. The meme was a reaction to the social media culture wars, as anti-woke critics were annoyed by Marvel’s race-bending of its characters. The meme asks how people would feel if Marvel made Black Panther a white man.
Well, the meme is now a reality. Marvel Comics deftly used social media to market Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1. The comic is written by Christopher Priest and Joe Quesada, two living legends of the comics industry. This six-issue series restarts the iconic Marvel Knights line of mature Marvel Comics that made its original debut in 1998.
Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1 features a new character, Ketema, a white man with blonde hair and blue eyes, who claims to be T’Challa’s son. Additionally, Tekema is now claiming the Wakandan throne. So, even though this comic features time jumps and hints at a potential future, the next king of Wakanda could be a white man.
What does all of this mean for Marvel Comics and the MCU? Will Black Panther’s white son satisfy anti-woke social media critics? Is the true king of Wakanda now a white man?
Should race matter at all when it comes to the throne of Wakanda or fans of this IP?
Before dissecting those issues, let’s first discuss Black Panther’s white son in Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1. Warning, slight spoilers ahead.
Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1
- Writer: Christopher Priest
- Art: Joe Quesada
- Colors: Richard Isanove
- Lettering: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith
- Editors: Nick Lowe and Nani Dakesian
The story begins 25 years in the future. An elderly King T’Challa dies on the Wakandan throne. His death is the inciting incident of the story. The story is told in years and decades-long flashbacks and flash-forwards around an event known as “The World to Come.”
In the past, Storm, T’Challa’s wife in the comic books, dies. T’Challa decides to marry an ex-girlfriend, Monica Lynne, in order to provide Wakanda with an heir.
In another time jump, a middle-aged T’Challa is fighting a challenger for the throne at Warrior Falls. The young, masked warrior, Tekema, harbors deep resentment for T’Challa. T’Challa chastises Ketema, publicly calling him his sole son, and members of the ruling Wakandan tribal elites watching the fight.
T’Challa beats Tekema but refuses to kill him. Then, T’Challa accuses Tekema of being influenced by Wakandan clerics desperate for power. Ketema beats T’Challa and removes his mask, revealing the face of a young, blonde and blue-eyed white man, Ketema then declares himself the newest King of Wakanda.
My Review
Priest’s story is engaging and hooks you instantly. The comic starts with the death of T’Challa and turns into a mystery that spans decades. You want to know more about these characters and what is going to happen next. This controversial story is about race and the power struggle for Wakandan lineage on the throne.
Priest wrote a groundbreaking Marvel Knights run of Black Panther in 1998; the Dora Milaje made their debut in that 1998 run.
I’m usually not a fan of time jumps, but the storytelling device works very well here. This story is more about Wakanda as a nation, Wakandan politics, and what it means to be the Black Panther when duty to country supersedes the love of family.
The title of Black Panther is a mantle that does not belong to one man. However, should that mantle ever be bestowed upon a white man, and does it matter? The idea of a white man being the king of Wakanda seemed unfathomable before the release of this comic, but now we’re all talking about it.
Quesada’s art is the best I’ve seen in a long time. Some of the panels seem wildly kinetic but in a static way, like they’re photos of action scenes and not drawn panels. The fight scene visuals and choreography between T’Challa and Ketema at Warrior Falls is visually enthralling. I re-read this comic a few times to fully take in the breathtaking artwork; I hope Quesada draws all six issues.
Buy It Now
I cannot wait for issue #2 – I have not said that about a Marvel comic book in a long time.
The first issue was a great start to this story and I highly recommend that you buy it. Buy it right now on Kindle for $5.99. You can get a physical copy of this comic with a variant cover by Swaby for about $9, but act fast because Amazon only has three copies left.
Black Panther’s White Son: What’s Next?
The reveal of Ketema was a masterstroke of social media marketing by Marvel. The company hijacked the hoax social media meme of Ryan Gosling as Black Panther and made it a reality. This story is controversial and will push the buttons of comic book purists who don’t like change. This comic was a hot topic in comic book social media circles for hours.
Whatever you feel about it, it got attention. Also, while The World to Come got so much social media attention because of the great story and art, it was the question that it asked that set social media on fire yesterday – should a white man ever sit on the Wakandan throne?
There is a Chinese Superman, a character named Kenan Kong. There are three or four Black Superman. Jace Fox is currently the Black Batman. Additionally, there are White, Latino, Black, and Muslim Green Lantern characters. The race bending and gender bending storytelling tactics of comic book characters are not a new thing.
What is new is the way social media is used in caustic social media culture war campaigns. Many critics believe that the new female Silver Surfer in the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four film exists to serve an “agenda,” because the character is traditionally male. There are many vocal comic book fans who think Superman should always be white.
There are memes on social media of Michael B. Jordan as Sueprman that exist solely to garner negative attention. A meme of Ryan Gosling as Black Panther has been circling social media for years; the meme has found new life recently due to the release of this comic.
The Infamous Ryan Gosling Black Panther Meme
Critics of race and gender-bending traditional white characters have been spreading the Ryan Gosling as Black Panther online for years, asking when will Marvel create a white Black Panther. The meme exists to ask, “How would you like it if Black Panther suddenly became white?”
The meme is offensive and meant to imply that the sanctity of white comic book characters are at threat. However, over 86% of comic book characters are white men or white. The Golden Age of comic books began in the Jim Crow era. It is no happy accident that Black Panther made his debut in 1966 in Fantastic Four #52, a year after the legal end of Jim Crow on paper.
It is no happy accident that most comic book characters are non-white. However, until June 4, 2025, we always knew that the Black Panther would always be Black, no matter the social media memes.
Since this story is set 25 years in a probable future, it seems highly unlikely to me that Ketema is T’Challa’s son by blood. There is a subtle hint on the page in issue #1 when T’Challa proposes to Monica Lynne in France that may prove this. (If you read the comic, comment below and tell me if you noticed something on that page as well.)
No matter how many variations of Superman or Batman exists, the status quo always reverts back. I doubt Ketema will become the new Black Panther. Let’s pretend that he does – the Black Panther is a mantle in a long lineage. The title is bigger than one man.
Mosi, the ancient and first Black Panther, is a member of Avengers 1,000,000 B.C., for example. The character is inherently a Black IP and can survive a white king on the throne. However, the story is not over, nor is this debate. Until the last issue of this series, we have yet to understand Ketema’s place in Wakanda.
Ketema is Not the End of Race-Bending in Comics
I also say, be careful what you wish for: anti-woke critics can’t celebrate Black Panther’s white son and then criticize other race-bent characters. Also, if Marvel, a subsidiary of Disney, can make a white version of Black Panther, then the race and gender bending of future characters are not going to end now, far from it.
Even now, new variations of the Ryan Gosling Black Panther meme are making the rounds on social media. Still, anytime anti-woke critics complain about race-bending from now on, Black Panther’s white son can be thrown in their faces, not a pic of a Ryan Gosling meme.
A Collector’s Item?
Even though this comic features a groundbreaking event and a new character, it is too soon to tell if it will ever become a collector’s item. It might be worth it to buy a copy of this comic with a low-printing variant cover for that purpose.
Right now, an ungraded copy of Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1 is worth $30. If I would buy this comic as a potential collectible to slab or grade, I would grab a copy with a variant cover. (Physical copies of this comic with variant covers are hard to find on Amazon, and it was released recently.)
This comic has grabbed the world’s attention, and it is worth it to wait and see its collector’s market value in the future. Buy it now at your local comic book shop, Amazon, or Marvel Unlimited.
The first appearance of T’Challa in Fantastic Four #52 from 1966 would also make a great collectible investment. A copy of that comic with a CGC grade of 8.0 is worth $2,300. A copy of this comic with a CGC grade of 9.8 is worth $46,300.
What do you think of this controversy? Is Black Panther’s white son the new ruler of Wakanda? What did you think of the issue? Leave a comment below!
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