For 50 years, the Black Panther has stood at the forefront on the Marvel Universe. As we count down to a vision of T’Challa on the big screen coming soon, take a look back at five decades’ worth of comic book adventures…

With lingering differences from their previous mission, Black Panther and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes witnessed the death of Jack of Hearts in AVENGERS #76, as well as the continued splintering of their teamwork. Later, in IRON MAN #75, T’Challa joined with his comrades to discuss whether or not Tony Stark should resign from the Avengers due to his new position as Secretary of Defense.

Stark arrived at Avengers Mansion in IRON MAN #84 to discuss matters with the Panther and others, but instead continued on a secret mission to recover a deactivated android from the building’s basement. When it accidentally activated in IRON MAN #85, T’Challa fought alongside his teammates to block the rampage.

Avengers (1998) #76

• Published: February 15, 2004
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Rating: T+

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At a full meeting of the United Nations, T’Challa placed himself between an unstable Tony Stark and the Latverian ambassador in AVENGERS #500, unaware of the simultaneous destruction of Avengers Mansion. Standing with his fellow heroes, The Black Panther approached the smoldering ruins in AVENGERS #501 to seek answers to troubling questions over the incident.

The Kree alien warrior race attacked the gathering in AVENGERS #502, prompting T’Challa to join in the fight. Hawkeye nobly sacrificed himself to save his teammates, and after the Kree retreated, the Panther heard Doctor Strange and Captain America deduce the culprit behind the heinous act in AVENGERS #503.

To begin with a disclaimer, this therapist has a standing policy not to question the divinity of clients who identify as deities from various pantheons until significant evidence makes that a necessity. While this writer has a previously existing therapeutic relationship with the client in question, there remains too little evidence to make contesting his assertions regarding his family line and being the former God of Thunder a therapeutically useful or appropriate choice. His history of claiming to have had multiple mortal forms and names over time is similarly not an area of focus at this time.

The client, Thor Odinson, presents in a markedly different manner than he previously did when seeing this writer. Whereas once he prided himself on his appearance and garb, he arrived to this session slightly late and looking rather disheveled. Additionally, he was not appropriately dressed for session, being shirtless, and took much convincing to put on a sweatshirt staff provided him with, only agreeing to when this writer explained that I would not see him until he did so as I would not see any client who tried to attend session not fully dressed.

As previously established, the client comes from a family rife with interpersonal conflict. Most often, this occurs between he and his adopted brother Loki or, although less often, his father Odin. The client’s current presenting problems do seem to start in the family unit this time as well. However, they are far different than those the client has previously referenced.

In short, the reveal of a secret sister, Angela, sparked a chain of events that saw the client stripped of his mystical hammer Mjolnir because he became unworthy to carry it and a new figure, a woman whose identity Odinson remains ignorant of, tapped to become the carrier of the weapon. The client has anger towards his parents for hiding his sister from his knowledge and towards his mother for what he suspects as her role in passing the hammer along to a new God of Thunder.

The hammer, however, appears to be the far bigger cause of the client’s presenting concerns. Since losing it, he has been consumed by his need to reclaim it and his full power. Consumed to the point that even a traumatic physical injury—the loss of his arm—has made less of an impact on his personal sense of well-being then the loss of Mjolnir and the title of “God of Thunder.”

As a result, the client has become both obsessed and unfocused. He seems to be thrashing about, reaching for any solution but unable to plan or consider his options. Odinson is all reactivity, no introspection or evaluation.

While, in the past, I have pointed out that despite his tremendous size and strength and his general disconnect from modern society, Odinson is capable of great thought and insight, this series of events seems to have robbed him of that ability. He has become defined by his desire; his personality, his intelligence, subsumed by it.

Before working on his concern, then, this therapist feels the client must be able to process and integrate the trauma of the event. Therefore, the current treatment plan is focused on cognitive processing and distress tolerance, in the hopes that Odinson can begin to think and act in a more integrated and personally helpful manner.

For further information on Thor Odinson and evidence of this writer’s conclusions, please refer to Doctors Jason Aaron and Olivier Coipel’s report, available for review on February 1 in the academic journal UNWORTHY THOR #4.

Psy D. Candidate Tim Stevens is an Outpatient Therapist who has never claimed to be a god. Out loud any way.

With so many classic creatures on the loose in Monsters Unleashed, we turn to their earlier adventures thanks to Marvel Unlimited.

In 1968, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby pitted Thor against one of his greatest and most monstrous foes: Mangog! Ulik discovered the place where Odin buried the creature in the pages of THOR #154. The troll remembered the basic history of Mangog after finding where Thor’s dad hid the being in his Odin-Cave. He said that it held the last of an alien race that “almost succeeded in destroying Asgard itself!”

Once freed, Mangog immediately stated his intention to take out those responsible for squashing his people’s invasion. Ulik realized he screwed up in freeing the creature. To make up for it, he sent a warning to Thor and the other Asgardians.

In the following issue Mangog tore through a trio of Storm Giants before bursting through the very walls of Asgard and taking on its forces directly. Along the way he explained that, when Odin destroyed the invading space race, they funneled the power of billions into one being: Mangog.

Thor (1966) #154

• Published: July 10, 1968
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: September 17, 2008
• Penciller: Jack Kirby
• Cover Artist: Jack Kirby

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Thor finally met his foe at the end of #155, but the real battle began in #156 and carried through into #157. The Odinson fought against the beast valiantly both alone and alongside his fellow Asgardians. Mangog even grasped the gigantic Odinsword, about to unleash Ragnarok when Odin awoke from the Odinsleep to negate the previous spell that created the beast in the first place. In doing so, the god king brought those souls back to life.

Though that may have seemed like the end of Mangog, he continues to pop up from time to time to hassle Thor and his pals. Resurrected by everyone from the mystic Igron to a clone of Thanos, each ensuing version of Mangog usually ends up on the wrong end of Odin or Thor’s wrath.

Forget about Thor, meet Thorr in our next installment!

On February 1, Star Wars fans will find themselves facing one of the deadliest of Darth Sidious’ apprentices and certainly the longest lasting one: Darth Maul. This meeting takes place in the upcoming DARTH MAUL limited series written by Cullen Bunn with art by Luke Ross.

Although the series focuses on the short period following Maul’s christening as Palpatine’s apprentice just before the events of “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace,” we decided to talk with Bunn about his thoughts on the most significant events that helped create the cerebral attack dog who quickly became a true fan favorite.

Marvel.com: If we’re being honest and upfront with one another, Cullen, let’s admit one thing: You’ve been given the chance to work with one of the baddest villains in the Star Wars toy box. What was your response when you found out about this opportunity and what is the major appeal to Darth Maul for you?

Cullen Bunn: When editor Jordan D. White called me and asked if I’d be interested in writing a Darth Maul comic, I think I responded with an adamant “Yes!” before he had even finished the sentence. As you said, Maul is one of the coolest characters in the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars is blessed with a wealth of characters that you want to know more about. I mean, every background character in every cantina in every hive of scum and villainy is ripe for further exploration. But Maul ranks right at the top. We’ve seen a few different sides of Maul: obedient killing machine, madman, crime lord, cunning strategist. I was excited to write a story that might show off all of those aspects of the character. I also find it fascinating that the Sith are taught to embrace their anger, but Maul—because of his master’s planning—has to keep his in check.

Marvel.com: So let’s dig in here. When it comes to the most significant events in the life of Darth Maul, I think we have to go back to what is probably the best scene from “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace”: the big showdown between Qui-Gon Jinn, a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul. What was your reaction to first seeing it when the movie first came out and how did it inform your take on the character?

Cullen Bunn: Yes, for me the showdown between Maul and the Jedi was the best scene in “The Phantom Menace.” It was exciting to see because Maul was so different than Vader, the only other Sith I had seen in action at that point. He was fast. He jumped. He used martial arts. He uses the Force to hurl objects with deadly accuracy. And that lightsaber! There’s a moment in that fight when Qui-Gon Jinn and Maul are moving down a corridor and these force fields are separating them. Qui-Gon sits in an almost meditative stance. But Maul is pacing back and forth, menacing, so impatient to kill his enemy. I feel like that moment really informed where I wanted to go with the character.

Marvel.com: There’s also the Maul we that we meet back in the animated “Star Wars: Clone Wars” television series, years after his defeat at the hands of Obi-Wan. This takes place well-after the time you’ll be writing about, of course, but which moments from this series stood out the most to you in terms of developing the who Darth Maul would become?

Cullen Bunn: Yes, this is long after the story I’m telling, but “Clone Wars” still helped to inform the character. This is where you are seeing a different side of Maul, really digging into what makes him tick. He’s more than just an attack dog. As far as I was concerned, those aspects of Maul were always there. We just didn’t see them in “The Phantom Menace.” The Maul I’m writing plays a lot closer to this version of the character, I think. There are little bits and pieces that are left unexplained here, and I am able to connect the dots a little in my book.

Marvel.com: Naturally, this brings us to his current iteration as seen on the “Star Wars: Rebels” cartoon. Was there anything noteworthy that took you by surprise in his appearance here? The changes seem pretty obvious, but has he become someone altogether different for you at this point, especially when looking at the version you’ll be introducing us to later this month?

Cullen Bunn: Again, I look at all the changes to the character, and I feel like the seeds of those changes might have been with them for a long time, so I wanted to write a character that readers can see turning into the man they would see in “Rebels.” And I think I’ve found some interesting connective tissue between the comic and “Rebels”, too. There are definitely some things to look for fans of the series.

Marvel.com: Of course, he existed in the Legends material as well, and while no longer canon, were there any particular stories that stood out to you that really got to the heart of the character for you?

Cullen Bunn: I had not read many of the Maul comics before taking on this series. And I struggled with the notion of reading them. SON OF DATHOMIR was an easy choice, but I didn’t want many of the other books to influence me in a major way. After I came up with my pitch for the series, I had some time on my hands before approval, so I did go back and read the Legends stuff. I enjoyed quite a bit of it.

Marvel.com: As we wrap things up here, Cullen, is one thing in particular you think that will provide an equally momentous milestone for Maul in the story you and Luke Ross will be telling? Any hints as to what that will be?

Cullen Bunn: There are some major milestones for Maul in this book. Not only will you see how his training shaped him, you’ll also see him take actions that inform the man he will become and that could haunt him even in his latest incarnation.

There’s also quite a few guest stars I’m excited about in this series. Some are new, like Jedi Padawan Eldra Kaitis, but some are characters you’ve seen before and they may surprise you when they show up.

Get to know your Sith Lord in Cullen Bunn and Luke Ross’ DARTH MAUL #1, out February 1 and available at your local comic book retailer!