Stan Lee, the co-creator (with various illustrators) of hundreds of Marvel Comics series characters including "Spider-Man", "Iron Man", "Thor", "Ant-Man", "Daredevil", "The Fantastic Four", "Dr. Strange" and "The Incredible Hulk", was asked which of all the characters in the Marvel Comics Universe, is most deserving of a live-action big screen treatment in 'Phase 2' of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Lee said that the "Black Panther", followed by "The Inhumans" would be his top picks.
The "Black Panther" created by Lee and artist Jack Kirby, debuted in Marvel Comics' "Fantastic Four" #52 (July 1966), as the first black superhero in mainstream American comic books.
The "Marvel Knights Animation: Black Panther" DVD release, based on the variant Marvel Comics series by writer Reginald Hudlin and illustrator John Romita Jr., with a voice cast including Djimon Hounsou as 'Black Panther', Jill Scott as 'Storm', Kerry Washington as 'Princess Shuri', Alfre Woodard as 'Dondi Reese'/'Queen Mother' and Carl Lumbly as 'Uncle S'Yan' :
"...Deep in the heart of Africa lies 'Wakanda', an advanced and unconquerable civilization. A family of warrior-kings possessing superior speed, strength and agility has governed this mysterious nation as long as time itself.
"The latest in this famed line is young 'King T'Challa', the great hero known worldwide as the 'Black Panther'. Now, outsiders once again threaten to invade and plunder Wakanda. Leading this brutal assault is 'Klaw', a deadly assassin with the blood of T'Challa's murdered father on his hands, who brings with him a strong army of super-powered mercenaries.
Also created by Lee and Kirby, "The Inhumans" debuted in Marvel's "Fantastic Four" #45 (December 1965), their origins established millions of years ago, at the beginning of the alien 'Kree'-'Skrull' war.
The Kree set up a monitoring station on the planet Uranus, observing sentient life on Earth with genetic potential, followed by experimentation on primitive homo sapiens by splicing 'Eternals' DNA into 'Cro-Magnons'.
Their goal was to investigate ways of circumventing their own evolutionary stagnation, while creating a powerful mutant strain of soldiers for protection against the Skrulls.
Their goal was to investigate ways of circumventing their own evolutionary stagnation, while creating a powerful mutant strain of soldiers for protection against the Skrulls.
The test subjects, the 'Inhumans', eventually formed their own society, thriving in seclusion from the rest of humanity.
They developed their own advanced technology, including the mutagenic 'Terrigen Mist' which gave them superpowers.
Once led by the dethroned 'Unspoken'. the King of the Inhumans is the mute, 'Black Bolt'.
His royal family includes 'Medusa', 'Karnak', 'Gorgon', 'Triton', 'Crystal', 'Maximus the Mad' and the canine 'Lockjaw'.
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