B’TUMBA
Real
Name: B’Tumba
Identity/Class: Normal human
(citizen of Wakanda)
Occupation: AIM
squadron leader
Group
Membership: AIM
(Advanced Idea Mechanics)
Affiliations: Black
Panther (T’Challa)
Enemies: N’Baza;
formerly AIM, Black Panther (T'Challa)
Known
Relatives: N’Baza
(father, deceased), S'Yan (uncle), T'Chaka (Black Panther, uncle, deceased), N'Yami (aunt, deceased), Ramonda (aunt), Ishanta (cousin), Dr. Joshua Itobo (cousin), Jakarra
(cousin), Khanata (cousin), M'Koni (Mary Wheeler, cousin), Shuri (Black Panther, cousin), T’Challa
(Black Panther, cousin), Zuni (cousin), Hunter (adopted cousin), Azzari the Wise (grandfather, deceased), Bashenga (first Black Panther, ancestor, deceased), many unidentified ancestors (past Black Panthers, deceased)
Aliases: Squadron
Leader
Base
of Operations: Wakanda, briefly USA
First
Appearance: Avengers
I#87 (April, 1971)
Powers/Abilities: B’Tumba
had no superhuman powers
but was a skilled athlete and briefly wielded a sonic blaster during
his time
with AIM. As part of AIM, he also customarily carried a stun gun.
History:
(Avengers
I#87 (fb)) – Shortly after the death of T’Challa’s
father, T’Chaka, B’Tumba found T’Challa standing outside of Wakanda’s
Panther
Idol and asked him to come play, claiming they could be men later. When
T’Challa
explained that he had to be a man now, witch-doctor N’Baza told
T’Challa that
to be a man, he would need a proper education in the outside world.
Agreeing to
act as Regent, N’Baza sent both T’Challa and B’Tumba to America, where
they both
attended college together. While still in college, B’Tumba was secretly
recruited by AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics). Upon graduating, both
B’Tumba and T’Challa
returned to Wakanda, with T’Challa becoming suspicious that N’Baza had
sent him
to gain his own position of power. Sending B’Tumba away, N’Baza devised
tests
to prove T’Challa’s worthiness of Wakandan leadership. T’Challa soon
donned the
Black Panther costume after finding it inside the Panther Idol and
after eating
the heart-shaped herb that enhanced his physical abilities, the Black
Panther
discovered a group of AIM agents attempting to rob Wakanda of its
Vibranium. Unaware
that B’Tumba was actually the AIM squad leader, Black Panther fought
them off,
demanding to know who had betrayed Wakanda. B’Tumba then revealed
himself to
the Black Panther, proving T’Challa’s suspicions about N’Baza to be
false and
exclaiming that he was tired of living in T’Challa’s shadow. Black
Panther was
soon knocked out by an AIM agent’s stun burst and when he awoke to
B’Tumba
throwing cold water on his face, the Black Panther learned that AIM had
constructed a sonic blaster that B’Tumba intended to use himself to
kill the
Black Panther. When it came down to B’Tumba pulling the trigger on the
blaster,
however, he found he could not kill his old friend and instead turned
the sonic
blaster against AIM. Realizing that he had been a fool to side with
AIM, B’Tumba
teamed up with T’Challa against the AIM agents, who shot B’Tumba. After
defeating the AIM agents, the Black Panther rushed to the side of the
dying B’Tumba,
who asked T’Challa not to tell N’Baza of his betrayal. B’Tumba then
died
explaining to T’Challa that N’Baza had only ever wanted the best for
T’Challa.
Comments: Created by Roy
Thomas, Frank Giacola and
Sal Buscema.
Profile
by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
B’Tumba has no known
connections to
- any other "B’Tumba” characters
images: (without ads)
Avengers I#87, p10, splash page (in AIM uniform, main image)
Avengers I#87, p17, pan5 (unmasked)
Appearances:
Avengers I#87 (April, 1971) – Roy Thomas (writer), Frank Giacola
(pencils), Sal
Buscema (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Last
updated:
08/29/13
Any
Additions/Corrections? please
let me know.
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