Every Friday we use the powers of Marvel Unlimited to look back at the very first appearance of a major character, place or object that made waves this week.

The queen was dead, long live the queen! That’s right, the one-time ruler of Wakanda, Shuri, fully returned this week in the pages of BLACK PANTHER #10 by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Chris Sprouse. Considering how important she has become to the world of Wakanda and her brother T’Challa, it might surprise some that Shuri first appeared only 12 years ago in the pages of BLACK PANTHER #2 by Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr.!

Shuri passed away fighting for Wakanda during Jonathan Hickman’s NEW AVENGERS #24, but has been hanging out on spirit plane in the current series ever since Coates kicked it off right after Secret Wars. Recently, in BLACK PANTHER #9, Shuri returned to the land of the living with mysterious supernatural powers only to find her homeland going through tumultuous times.

Black Panther (2016) #9

• Published: December 28, 2016
• Rating: Rated T
• Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Penciller: Brian Stelfreeze
• Cover Artist: Brian Stelfreeze

All of this makes you wonder what might have happened had she been just a bit faster in getting to the tournament in her first appearance. In a scene narrated by Everett K. Ross as he explains the nature of the Black Panther title to a group of U.S. officials, we get a glimpse at the trials for deciding the role.

Each year, the Panther must take on any and all challengers who wish to try out for the sacred post. As the scene unfolds, the Panther holds his own against a series of competitors. At the same time, T’Challa’s sister Princess Shuri attempts to race to the ring, intending to try out herself. She had just about made it when the Panther tossed a rather large opponent out of the ring who landed on her.

In that brief amount of time, a masked challenger leaped over both, landed in the ring and bested The Black Panther. That masked man turned out to be T’Challa. That’s how he took the mantle of Black Panther from his uncle S’yan, literally leapfrogging his sister in the process.

Of course, Shuri did not shrink into the background. She continued her training and proved herself an able warrior time and time again. She even achieved her dream of becoming Black Panther after a confrontation with Doctor Doom nearly killed T’Challa. She served in that same capacity until her relatively brief death at the hands of Proxima Midnight.

Flash Forward

Though Shuri’s time as her country’s totem did not last long in the grand scheme of things, she still starred in three different series: BLACK PANTHER, DOOMWAR, and KLAWS OF THE PANTHER. The first sees her becoming the hero and going on missions to figure out what happened to her brother which leads directly into conflict with the Latverian leader who stole all of Wakdanda’s Vibranium. Then, in KLAWS, she learns a variety of lessons about being a hero from the likes of Shanna the She-Devil, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and others.

As you’ll see in CHAMPIONS #1.MU, out February 22, the Marvel Universe’s newest super team believes in equal opportunity when it comes to fighting giant monsters. As the Avengers, X-Men, and Inhumans will discover during this current Monsters Unleashed crisis, the Champions got it covered.

That puts us in mind of some of our favorite instances of heroes beyond the big groups battling humongous creatures on their own.

Fantastic Four (1961) #1

• Published: November 08, 1961
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Writer: Stan Lee
• Penciller: Jack Kirby
• Cover Artist: Jack Kirby

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Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #103

• Published: December 10, 1971
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: May 09, 2011
• Writer: Roy Thomas
• Penciller: Gil Kane
• Cover Artist: Gil Kane

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Champions (1975) #13

• Published: May 10, 1977
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: October 09, 2009
• Writer: Bill Mantlo
• Penciller: John Byrne
• Cover Artist: Dave Cockrum

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Thor (1966) #380

• Published: June 10, 1987
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: June 17, 2010
• Writer: Walter Simonson
• Cover Artist: Walter Simonson

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Fin Fang Four (2008) #1

• Published: November 26, 2008
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 26, 2008

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Pick up CHAMPIONS #1.MU on February 22 for more monster madness!

In a universe full of monsters, talking animals, and spider people, only one villain stands bold enough to hunt them all down and showcase their hides like a badge of honor. On February 22, Kraven the Hunter stalks his latest prey in ROCKET RACCOON #3, written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Jorge Coelho.

To help get all you novice hunters out there ready we asked Rosenberg to pass on a little of Kraven’s wisdom. For your convenience we’ve taken the liberty of putting it all together in a very special how-to guide:

-“First things first, raccoons are crafty little beasts so make sure you have secured a bag or cage capable of holding them. This is important because there is no honor is capturing your prey if you cannot showcase it to lesser hunters.”

-“Remember to keep your plan simple; we are only dealing with a raccoon. Never underestimate your prey.”

-“Use your environment. On Earth, raccoons are considered disgusting and unwelcome animals. This disgust is only magnified when it is a freakish, genetically enhanced, alien raccoon, so follow the shrieks of commoners. If this does not work, try searching near garbage cans.”

-“Be prepared for anything. Remember that the hunter is the true weapon, and an honorable one bests his prey with only the bear minimum. If they are without a weapon, throw yours aside. However, in the case of an intelligent, weapons crazed vermin – always have a bigger gun.”

-“Always be willing to go further than your prey. If they steal an assault vehicle, steal a tank. If they take cover inside a secure facility, bring down the building. Persistence is key. A master hunter is not deterred by even the most daunting circumstances.”

-“Maintain the element of surprise and cut off all escape routes. Raccoons are quick and chasing them down is both annoying and tiring. Anticipate and remove all possible means of escape before launching your well devised sneak attack.”

And that’s it! You’re now prepared to head out on your first alien raccoon hunt and with Rocket stranded in New York now marks the opportune time to make your move. Though it may be well advised to wait and see how Kraven does chasing him across the city before you launch your full-scale attack. After all Rocket isn’t your ordinary prey.

Rocket Raccoon (2016) #3

• Published: February 22, 2017
• Rating: Rated T
• Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
• Penciller: Jorge Coelho
• Cover Artist: David Nakayama

The hunt begins in ROCKET RACCOON #3 by Matthew Rosenberg and Jorge Coelho, coming February 22!

Following her kidnapping by the Imperial Guard, the Goddess of Thunder faces the gods of the Shi’Ar in MIGHTY THOR #16, due out on February 15.

Before writer Jason Aaron and artist Russell Dauterman show us exactly why Jane Foster should “pray for mercy,” read up on some notable members of the Shi’Ar Imperium, the planet-spanning empire that brought war to Asgard and abducted Thor!

Lilandra Neramani
While none of the Neramani family showed their faces in the onslaught against Asgard, most Marvel fans likely recognize the most well-known member of the Shi’Ar. Lilandra, the often-friend of the X-Men and former betrothed of Charles Xavier, debuted in UNCANNY X-MEN #97 back in 1976 and served as their ally for years, as they assisted her in her on-again, off-again quest to hold the Shi’Ar throne. Sometimes her duties put her in conflict with Earth’s heroes, like that time she put Reed Richards on trial for saving Galactus and, of course, when she came for Dark Phoenix and pit her Imperial Guard against the X-Men. She died rebelling against Vulcan, the “lost” Summers brother who took over the Imperium for himself.

D’Ken Neramani
While his “panel time” pales in comparison to his little sister, Lilandra’s brother D’Ken served as emperor before she ascended. D’Ken proves noteworthy for two reasons: one, he killed Cyclops and Havok’s mother and set their father onto a course that led to his role as space pirate Corsair, and two, he sought to expand his power by finding the fabled M’Kraan Crystal, which would have proven deadly for the universe without the timely intervention of Phoenix. Lilandra opposed him and ultimately took his crown when his exposure to the crystal left him comatose. Years later, that pesky Vulcan would help wake him up, only to kill him after marrying his other sister…

Deathbird
And then you have Deathbird, the oldest Neramani sibling; she ruled the interstellar empire before D’Ken, but the Shi’Ar exiled her after she killed her mother and their fourth sibling, another sister. Deathbird and Lilandra would battle often for the right to rule. Outside of her family squabbles, the deadly damsel’s adventures have included a battle with Hawkeye, a romance with the X-Man Bishop, and even a stint as one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen, War. And, as noted above, her marriage to Vulcan led to his rule over the Shi’Ar until he apparently perished while battling Black Bolt and the Kree.

Imperial Guard
Traditionally led by Gladiator, the Imperial Guard serve the ruler of the Imperium, a group of super-powered aliens assembled from the planets under its authority. Some, like Oracle and Electron, come from the Shi’Ar homeworld, while others vary by race. The current Smasher, for instance, comes from Earth.

Gladiator, the current Majestor of the empire, led the team against Asgard in his quest to capture Thor. But the Guard’s rivalry with Earth’s heroes goes back decades; they served D’Ken and fought the X-Men in their first appearance, and later, after Lilandra became ruler, they fought the mutants for the life of the Phoenix. Other times they’ve helped our planet, such as during the Heroes Reborn event; when Earth lost the Fantastic Four and Avengers for a time, Lilandra sent some of her legion to our planet to serve as protectors.

Starjammers
After D’Ken killed Katherine Summers, mother to Havok, Cyclops, and Vulcan, Christopher Summers became Corsair and rebelled against his captors. He joined with several other Shi’Ar prisoners, including the catlike Hepzibah, the amphibian strongman Ch’od, and the cyborg Raza. Together with doctor Sikorsky, the team fought D’Ken’s rule and became strong allies of the X-Men, accepting several Earth heroes like Cyclops, Havok, Polaris, and even Carol Danvers—as Binary—as members over the years.

Adam-X
In X-MEN #23, Mister Sinister teased the existence of a third Summers brother—ultimately revealed as Vulcan. But before the truth came to light, many suspected D’Ken fathered a child with Katherine Summers, his concubine for a time—a child named Adam. The half-Shi’Ar dubbed “Adam-X” possesses the mutant power to ignite a person’s blood on fire. After a battle and subsequent team-up with the Cable-led X-Force, Adam saved the life of Phillip Summers, Cyclops and Havok’s grandfather, to whom he felt a kinship. Later an old ally of D’Ken, Eric the Red, told Adam his supposed origin, but this proved untrue with the introduction of Vulcan. While his background remains a mystery, we do know Adam remains one thing: X-Treme!

The Asgard-Shi’Ar War continues on February 15 in MIGHTY THOR #16 by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman!

In life, Morris Sackett felt he could count on two things: his physical talents and his father. His exposure to Terrigen Mist in MOSAIC #1 robbed him of the second. Will the fallout from that event take the second away from him as well?

That question proves paramount in MOSAIC #5, the climax of the first act of Morris’s new life available February 22. We snagged writer Geoffrey Thorne in the midst of electrocuting an Inhuman cocoon to ask him all about it.

Marvel.com: How would you characterize father Mason’s role in son Morris’ life just prior to the latter’s Terrigen exposure?

Geoffrey Thorne: Mason handled everything in Morris’ life that wasn’t fun. Everything. Every business decision. Everything to do with the larger part of Morris’ fortune. Everything. He was his first coach, his only advisor and, for the most part, his only parent. Mason has been everything to Morris.

Marvel.com: How did Morris relate to and view his father over the years?

Geoffrey Thorne: Morris viewed his father as the only true thing or person in world.

Marvel.com: Given that Morris has now been “exposed” to the father-son dynamic Peter Parker experienced with Uncle Ben how, if at all, has this cast his relationship to his father in a different light?

Geoffrey Thorne: Nope. Morris perceives Uncle Ben—who he thinks is Spidey’s dad—as weak; just another grinder. He has no respect whatsoever for the big power—responsibility paradigm.

Marvel.com: What does the seeming loss of Morris from his life do to Mason? How does it affect his self-perception and/or social status?

Geoffrey Thorne: Sorry. Spoilers. But we…discuss…some of that in issue #5. Yes. We definitely discuss that.

Marvel.com: In issue #5 we see that Mason has evolved as a person as his son has grown. Without giving away any revelations, how would you say he has changed over the years?

Geoffrey Thorne: Mason was always a Big Picture guy. Now, with what’s happened to his son, that picture is huge. He sees the sky as absolutely not the limit for the Sackett family.

Mosaic #5 cover by Mike del Mundo

Marvel.com: There is an artistic device employed in #5 that points to changes in Morris’ self-perception and may indicate an increasing acceptance of his new life/lack of physical form. How have you and artist Khary Randolph collaborated to portray Morris’ evolution not just through his words but through the art?

Geoffrey Thorne: Khary and [inker] Emilio [Lopez] make Morris look the way he does. In the scripts I indicate certain things I’d like to see but the interpretation is their own. I don’t think I’ve given a single note to them on how he’s supposed to look behind what his actions in a given panel might be. I like to let the artist flex because, let’s face it, they’re far better artists than I am.

As I write him, Morris is getting a better handle on his powers at the same time they’re refining his look. I’d call it a happy coincidence.

Marvel.com: MOSAIC #5 leads to a big shift in the father-son dynamic. Again, keeping things on the level of tease, how big a change might that bring about in the lives of the characters? Can we expect a shift in the tone of the book as well?

Geoffrey Thorne: You can expect, after #5, Morris will have the beginnings of quite a different mindset about himself, his future, and what to do with his new powers. After #7, the view will be locked in.

Marvel.com: Finally, #5 does feel like a turning point in the book, an end of the initial storyline and the introduction of several elements that will define the series going forward. With an eye towards that future, can you offer a hint or two about where the next storyline might take Morris and/or how we might see him further adapt to his Mosaic form?

Geoffrey Thorne: We are in discussions about that right now. The entire first arc takes place over less than 72 hours after he emerges from the cocoon and is really showing Morris reacting to things. After #5, Morris encounters the other Inhumans. This will be the final pin in the map of the course he’s going to set for the near future. Regardless of the outcome of that meeting, Morris will be very much in his own driver’s seat, going forward.

And there’s still the Brand Corporation out there as well as the little matter of the people whose lives he’s already influenced as well as the question of Fife. What is the deal with him and Morris, anyway? Stay tuned.

MOSAIC wraps its initial arc with issue #5, available February 22!

Civil War II might have concluded but the shockwaves of the conflict continue to ripple throughout the Marvel Universe.

In the pages of UNCANNY AVENGERS by Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz, the Unity Squad must deal with Captain America’s rejection of them even as they battle one of their deadliest and most persistent foes: The Red Skull!

We talked with Larraz about getting into the Skull’s demented head, bringing the team together, and the important role music plays in his collaborations with Duggan!

Marvel.com: Civil War II wreaked a lot of havoc on hero relationships in the Marvel Universe. Is that something that comes through when you’re bringing this disparate group of characters together?

Pepe Larraz: I believe that the Unity Squad was created to prove that Inhumans, mutants, and Avengers can work together for a greater good. I think the fact of them being rejected by Steve Rogers affected them in a much bigger way than the rest of the events of Civil War II. Steve Rogers was the one who gives them legitimacy, the head of the Squad, and without him they had to find a new identity as a team.

Civil War II affected this series directly in [issues] #15 and #16, and I had to catch up with the event very fast; not only what had happened to Bruce Banner but also how the characters felt about what happened to Bruce Banner. Gerry focused on that in a beautiful way at the end of #16.

Marvel.com: The current story finds the team facing off against The Red Skull. How do you balance incorporating classic elements with putting your own spin on him?

Pepe Larraz: When you face a character you’ve never drawn before, the first thing you’ve got to do is try to understand him. The acting, the movement, the clothes, all of that comes from understanding who he/she is, what he/she wants, and what is he/she willing to do to get that.

In the case of Red Skull, he has a huge story behind him, so I focused on his essence. He’s a Nazi; he’s been fighting all his life against the Avengers and all that the Avengers mean, and finally he’s winning. All his acting is a reflex of that; he never loses his nerve. Everything is always under his control and he is enjoying it in a sadistic way. I wanted his face to look a bit like a mask. You see something horrible on his face, but I wanted you to fear more the eyes underneath. That’s where the real monster is.

Marvel.com: Since the launch of UNCANNY AVENGERS the team has gone up against their fair share of Earth-threatening events. Do you enjoy digging into all of those epic action scenes filled with powers and destruction?

Pepe Larraz: What really amazes me is the measure of time in an Avenger’s life. The three arcs I’ve worked [on] this year—each one happened in one night. In one night they start fighting monsters in the NY subway and they end near the surface of the Sun. In one night they go to Japan, fight against the Hand and an undead samurai Hulk and recover Bruce Banner’s body by the sunrise. When you are an Avenger you can never be sure of arriving for a date on time, because one night can start with pizza and a film and end with stopping meteors in one of Saturn’s rings. I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve destroyed New York’s streets twice in this last year. Not even Godzilla can do that.

What is important to me is that the environment feels real to the reader and I put a lot of effort on that. I study lots of references to draw the backgrounds. The point of Marvel comics, in my opinion, is to have super heroes on your street. It must not feel like an invented street of an invented city; it has to feel real.

Marvel.com: You’ve been working on this team on and off for a while now. Have any of the characters offered unexpected challenges or surprises as you’ve gotten more familiar with them?

Pepe Larraz: The character most difficult for me to draw is Captain America. He’s so noble, and official that it took me a lot of effort to turn him into a human being, not a marble statue. In the whole series I made like, maybe two drawings of the Captain which make me feel satisfied. All the contrary happened with Rogue. I grew up reading X-Men so drawing Rogue was a dream. It felt natural to draw her. I wanted to contrast a fragile appearance with her superhuman strength.

For Wasp I used Audrey Hepburn as reference. She has to be stylish. I needed some drama to get the hang of Torch and Doctor Voodoo. You need to crack the character a bit to see what’s inside. Synapse is still a mystery to me. Same happens with Cable, but I think it is part of his charm. You never really know what Cable is able to do, or where he comes from. You can’t look inside him.

With Deadpool I wanted to escape the comedy at some point. Everyone makes a funny Deadpool. I wanted to remind the reader that yes, he’s a clown, but he’s also a trained assassin, and he can be deadly dangerous. I hope I haven’t done a boring Deadpool, though.

Marvel.com: Along similar lines, how has your working relationship with Gerry changed over time?

Pepe Larraz: I knew little of Gerry’s work when we started working together, but he grabbed me with the first two issues. Almost all of the two issues were about the Avengers talking. The dialogue was so fluid, and everyone was in the right place, all the characters so well defined, while Gerry was building momentum. You almost could chew the tension. Then the action came and it was enormous, and it hasn’t stopped since #11!

We haven’t talked too much during the year, because we are both swamped by work, but we send each other several emails every month. We made something very useful in terms of writer-artist relationship: We both love soundtracks, and we recommend soundtracks to each other. That’s perfect to suggest the general feeling of a scene, the rhythm, the emotion. That helped me a lot. Maybe we should publish the soundtracks of [UNCANNY AVENGERS].

Coming February 22, UNCANNY AVENGERS #20 by Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz sends the Unity Squad on another very bad day at the hands of Red Skull!