T'Challa is king of the African nation of Wakanda and, empowered by the Panther Spirit, he's the hero of his people. Wakanda prospers under his rule. But elsewhere in Africa, the apartheid nation of Azania is suppressing and persecuting its Black citizens. When an Azanian holy man interrogated by their brutal police calls out for help, the Panther Spirit answers.
In Wakanda, T'Challa finds his powers leaving him. In Azania a new, brutal Black Panther rages against the white oppressors. It's not T'Challa, of course. But Azania's government don't know that - and, believing that another nation is stirring up a revolution against them, they start planning a way to strike back against Wakanda...
Black Panther (1988) provides examples of the following tropes:
- Amoral Afrikaner: Some white Azanians are shown to have conflicted feelings about the nation's racism and segregation, but the government antagonists are overtly villainous. They're prepared to launch a nuclear missile at Wakanda in the belief that Wakanda's been assisting an uprising of Azania's oppressed Black population.
- Barrier Warrior: Azania's government-backed superhero Barricade has force field powers which he uses to shield himself and his allies.
- Bulungi: Azania is used as a stand-in for South Africa during The Apartheid Era, a country with a racist government and segregation laws. A few white Azanians are shown to have mixed feelings about this.
- Knight Templar: Azania's government superteam, the Supremacists, see themselves as patriotic champions defending their country. But their country is deeply racist and they're attacking another nation due to a case of mistaken identity.
- No Name Given: The holy man who becomes a Willing Channeler for the Panther Spirit and sets the plot in motion is never named.
- Recycled Title: The series is simply Black Panther, the same title used for T'Challa's first series, as well as many of its successors. As of 2023 it hasn't acquired a retronym.
