Summary
Warning: Spoilers for Black Panther #8!Monet St. Croix of X-Men fame might be making a case for Avengers membership, following an impressive fight against Black Panther. Also known as M or Penance, Monet originally made her Marvel Universe debut in 1994, as a member of Generation X, slowly working her way up over the years, to the ranks to X-Men member, and even and X-Corp’s CXO.
Black Panther #8 – by Eve L. Ewing, Mack Chater, Chris Allen, Craig Yeung, Jesus Aburtov, and VC’s Joe Sabino – finds Monet taking a step toward climbing yet another rung up the Marvel ladder. As most classic superhero fights tend to stem from, a misunderstanding forces a physical confrontation between Monet and T’Challa.
Even without a winner, the fight manages to elevate Monet’s status in the Marvel Universe, after having an evenly-matched contest with a current member of the Avengers roster. This could open the door to Monet earning a justified spot on the Avengers herself.
Former X-Men Member Pulls No Punches With Black Panther
One of Black Panther’s mission statements coming into his latest series, and moving to the urban environment of Birnin T’Chaka, was to clean the city up of crime as a street hero, starting with the city’s top mob boss, Baba Nkisu. However, Baba was surprisingly murdered by the supernatural boogeyman known as Kivu’Ma. Further investigating the killing, T’Challa learns from local anti-heroine Natima – better known as Beisa – that Baba was in business with ambassador Cartier St. Croix: Monet’s father. Subsequently, as T’Challa searches the St. Croix holiday home for clues, he finds Monet there.
Knowing that the Black Panther was exiled from Wakanda, Monet thinks this is an impostor, who is trying to steal from her and her family. T’Challa tries to explain himself, but Monet is in no mood for talking, only wanting to fight. As a result, a fight ensues, with the two heroes going blow-for-blow, trading strike after strike. There is little to no sign throughout the confrontation of either getting the advantage over the other. Things finally conclude when Natima intervenes, confirming Black Panther’s identity.
Monet Proves She Is Ready For An Avengers Promotion
It is worth noting that Black Panther may be pulling his punches in this altercation, since he knows Monet’s fury stems from a miscommunication, but the fact that she can still go to bat with an Avenger at half his power is impressive. On paper, in a close contest, M almost beat an Avenger, which surely must be her most impressive feat to date. Monet isn’t particularly high on the Marvel hero totem pole, but as she continues to rise up the ranks, her performance in this fight alone significantly boosts the former X-Men’s member’s reputation, which could believably grab the Avengers’ attention.
Black Panther #8 is available now from Marvel Comics.
[SPOILER] almost beat T’Challa! Read More