The Marvel Cinematic Universe has pushed family as a major theme of the Black Panther franchise. The bond that T'Challa shares with his late father, T'Chaka, his sister, Shuri, and mother, Queen Ramonda, has always been emphasized as important, even more so after T'Challa's in-universe death following Chadwick Boseman's ing. Family remains a prevalent theme, yet, the MCU continues to exclude one key family member from the comics.

In the comics, Black Panther has an adopted brother named Hunter who calls himself the White Wolf. Not to be confused with Bucky Barnes, who in the MCU was once referred to under the name belongs to Hunter.

With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon and the new Black Panther expected to debut in the movie, now is as good a time as any for Marvel to incorporate the forgotten brother into its cinematic franchise.

Black Panther Has an Adopted Brother, the White Wolf

Makes First Appearance in Black Panther #4 written by Christopher Priest, pencilled and inked by Mark Texeira, colored by Brian Haberlin, and colored by Richard Starkings and Comicraft

Hunter is introduced to Black Panther lore during the reign of King T'Chaka, the previous Black Panther. The boy was born in the African nation of Mohannda, and with his parents, were victims of a fatal plane crash. The crash claimed the lives of everyone onboard, including Hunter's birth parents, but not Hunter himself, who remained the sole survivor. Exercising his duties as King of Wakanda and the Black Panther, T'Chaka decides to adopt Hunter, despite his white skin tone being enough to leave fellow Wakandans apprehensive.

For a better understanding of Hunter's role and upbringing in Wakanda, read The Rise of Black Panther, a six-part series written by Evan Narcisse, art by Javier Pina, and consultation from Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Nonetheless, Hunter gains a genuine love for the country, and grows a fond kinship with T'Chaka, his adopted mother (T'Chaka's late first wife), Queen N'Yami, and T'Chaka's second wife, Queen Ramonda. When T'Chaka re-married and had another son with Ramonda, T'Challa, Hunter and the newest member of the family would grow as close as actual blood brothers. However, their dynamic shifted when, as a biological son, T'Challa was appointed the heir apparent to the throne, spurring jealousy in Hunter, who felt as though he was owed the throne due to being, technically, in the family longer than the blood-borne son.

Still, though, before his death, T'Chaka would appoint Hunter as the White Wolf. As White Wolf, he operates as the head of Wakanda's top secret police unit, the Hatut Zeraze. Granted, he did so under controversial means, which included conducting actual assassinations upon political leaders that did not work within Wakandan ideologies. While Hunter's heart was in the right place to better the people of Wakandan, his methods and approach has put him in direct conflict with King T'Challa, further straining and complicating their bond as brothers.

Hunter is Incredibly Close to the Black Panther's Mother

Both are South African Outsiders of Wakanda

When making an argument for Hunter's potential in the MCU within the Black Panther franchise, it cannot be overlooked how close he is to Queen Ramonda. The reason why Hunter grew so close to T'Chaka's second wife is because they could relate to each other as outsiders. While not touched on in the movies, the comics version of Ramonda was viewed as an outsider by Wakandans because she was born in South Africa, as was Hunter. While his race makes for a more blatant disconnect for Wakandans, his displaced region is what made living in Wakanda just as hard.

The connection that he shares with Black Panther's mother is compelling enough and makes for a world of potential for storytelling. However, Hunter's presence allows Black Panther stories to talk about complex themes of otherness that the comics seldom touch base on, and the movies never do. Hunter's white race makes that otherness far more overt in themes of racism, but in connection to Ramonda's plight as a South African, it covers how even a Person of Color can feel othered by their own tribe, and the complexities within that sort of narrative.

Incorporating The White Wolf Allows Black Panther to Have In-Universe Discussions About Race

Bring Conversations Surrounding the Movies into the Actual Movies

Oftentimes, Black Panther as a character and as a series inspires conversations surrounding race and diversity, both in comics and movies. It's interesting that such visceral conversation begin whenever a new comic or movie revolving around the character releases, as such themes rarely weave their way into the actual storylines. Particularly with the release of Captain America: Brave New World, where Anthony Mackie's on and off-screen.

If Marvel ever wants to further analyze and deeper such heavy topics into the MCU, then staking Hunter's claim to the throne is just the way to do it. Whilst adding a new sort of depth to the lore of the franchise, framing Hunter as an opposition and occasional ally to T'Challa has made for some of Black Panther's best comic books. In the same revolve, introducing Hunter as the White Wolf has the potential to give birth to one of the best Black Panther movies.

All Black Panther comics and series are available now from Marvel.