This week’s episode of Marvel’s Avengers: Black Panther’s Quest is better down where it’s wetter as T’Challa and Shuri take a trip down to Atlantis. The gang gets into all manner of bullshit under the sea – – from fighting giant shrimp and boozing it up with underwater warlords to freeing imprisoned war criminals and nearly starting World War III! There’s a lot to love in this ocean floor espionage, take it from me.
1. Grumpy Brother T’Challa
We’re diving headfirst into this whole Black Panther, Super Spy bit. T’Challa has and uses six different gadgets (re-breather, laser-gate disrupter, vibranium net, etc.) as well as a Panther Sub and a Panther Jet. The vast majority of the episode has T’Challa infiltrating Atlantis to interrogate Tiger Shark who happens to be imprisoned in Attuma’s bedroom. T’Challa doesn’t get much to do except kick the crap out of giant animals and beat info out of people but I’m totally cool with the current dynamic of him being a blunt instrument under instruction of a super-genius.
2. Action Princess Shuri
For about half of the episode Shuri exists as the faceless snark guiding T’Challa’s actions, the other half she’s being a badass tech spy while schmoozing Attuma. It’d be great to see this dynamic continue where Shuri is basically the main character and T’Challa is just around to take orders and beat up everyone that she can’t take care of herself. In just this episode Shuri is able to act as a Wakandan ambassador in Atlantis, flirt with Attuma and convince him to dance, distract guards in restricted areas, disrupt proximity alarms in hairy situations, explain how to use her tech, (unwisely) call out N’Jadaka on his bullshit treachery and help detect a bomb that threatens to vaporize everyone. Shuri does a whole hell of a lot in this and still shows signs of potential growth through her transition from snarky, impetuous younger sibling to snarky, fearsome tactician.
3. Tiny Dancer
I looove Attuma. He’s got the makings of a great supporting buddy-cop character somewhere down the line but for now he’s just this cool one-dimensional despot that rules over all of Atlantis. With Namor seemingly nowhere in sight to kick his ass, Attuma is left to his own devices which include: talking about how much he rules, likening dancing to war, sippin’ Aqua Velvas and manspreading. We do glimpse a slightly different side of Attuma when he starts gettin’ his buzz on with Shuri, something similar to when you show interest in your uncle’s die-cast NASCAR models and he suddenly opens up about how he met your aunt after his tour in Vietnam. He and Panther get some time together where they play off of each other well but it’s all too brief, though, I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ll see of them together.
4. Like Mike
After two episodes as obfuscated mastermind, N’Jadaka finally shows up in the flesh. Dressed up and lookin’ about as much like Michael B. Jordan’s plain-clothes Killmonger as possible, I guess we’re supposed to just pretend we don’t know who he is and exactly what he’s about. He plays coy for two seconds when Shuri calls him out on his villainy – – but quickly owns up to being on the new Shadow Council (a super cool group of assholes that do crazy Bond-villain shit) and blows up pretty much all of Atlantis. There’s no real depth to N’Jadaka just yet. He’s kind of just here to reveal himself, advance the season plot, and cartoonishly escape his own plot to nuke Atlantis.
5. My Special Avenger
Welp, the Daily Bugle got wind of the nuke in Atlantis and Attuma kicking up a fuss about Wakanda meddling with his me-time so now we’re two minutes to midnight on the Doomsday Clock and the Avengers are pissed. Tony gives T’Challa a bunch of gumbo about how this is a poor reflection on the Avengers and how he’s not mad, just very disappointed. Doing the reasonable thing, T’Challa says “fuck it” and walks, leaving the Avengers for what I’m sure is not the first or last time (see: quitting on his second day in Avengers #53). On his way to the Panther Jet he gets stopped by Cap, “Your mother and I still love you, we just want you to make the best decision. You’ll always be my…Secret Avenger.” Then he smooches T’Challa and slips him $20 to go have some fun.
