I read Black Panther for Reconsidering the Superhero. What intrigues me about T'challa more than the other Marvel superheroes is that being the Black Panther is a position in Wakanda, not something that he was born with. He inherited the position from his late father, and his powers come from the ancestors of Wakanda. He is intrinsically connected with his land and people, and is given his powers to protect them. Someone like Hulk or Thor was simply born with or imbued on accident with superpowers, and, while they protect their homes, they didn't do anything to earn their powers or have any reason other than the fact they aren't immoral keep them from doing good instead of harm.