Being a younger sibling can be tough – being the little sister of a king and superhero presents a whole other set of challenges. Shuri, the younger sister to T’Challa the Black Panther, is relatively new to comics. She was introduced in Black Panther #2 (May 2005) by creators Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr., and from a young age, Princess Shuri wanted to be the Black Panther. But, when her chance to win the mantle was presented, she lost it to her brother T’Challa. Despite the disappointment, Shuri continued to be a vital member of Wakanda, known for technological contributions.
After T’Challa was viciously attacked by Doctor Doom, he returned to Wakanda to heal, and his wife, Queen Ororo, nominated Shuri to become the Black Panther. To prove that she was worthy, Shuri completed several challenges, such as walking barefoot across fire, meditating in a scorpion pit, and climbing a mountain to the heart-shaped herbs, which were surrounded by panthers.
Having now proved her physical prowess and bravery, on top of being lauded for her intelligence, Shuri became arrogant. When she ingested the herb to meet with Bast, the Panther God, she announced her worthiness to be the Black Panther, rather than offering humility. Though Bast told her that she wouldn’t be the Black Panther, he also did not destroy her for being unworthy. Understanding that she needed to redeem herself for being arrogant, Shuri wore the Black Panther costume the first time to protect Wakanda from a Morlun attack.
Later when she went to the US, Shuri was attacked by Desturi, a group of Wakandans that Doctor Doom was manipulating. His machinations pitted her and Namor against each other, then the Fantastic Four arrived to stop him and Doctor Doom’s plan to steal Vibranium from Wakanda came to light. The now-healed T’Challa tackled that situation while Shuri worked to stop the Desturi from spreading in Wakanda.
Once T’Challa destroyed the Vibranium so that Doom couldn’t take it, he decided to focus on being the king. Shuri continued her journey as the Black Panther and traveled around the world to learn from other heroes like Black Widow, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.
