Behind the Panel: Christopher Priest on Marvel Knights: Black Panther

Thanks to the blockbuster box office of Black Panther (2018), Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's iconic hero is now on the A-list of superheroes. But two decades ago, a Black Panther ongoing series was a rarity. Black Panther had headlined his own comics and established himself as an Avenger, but it was the 1998 Marvel Knights: Black Panther series that firmly established T'Challa as a major player. Christopher Priest and artist Mark Teixeira changed the game and introduced several key supporting characters including Nakia, Okoye, and Everett K. Ross. all of whom played major roles in the film.

For the latest installment of SYFY WIRE's Behind the Panel, Priest shared his thoughts about seeing the characters he created on the big screen.

"It was really surreal to see characters running around that I created," said Priest. "It was emotional. I still can hardly believe it."

Marvel Knights co-founder, Jimmy Palmiotti, added that "it's extremely flattering. It also tells me that we did something right. We hit a note that had to be hit at the time, right place, right time. Watching that Black Panther movie, I was just giggling."

"What really feels satisfying is when I go to see the Black Panther movie," said Joe Quesada, the other co-founder of Marvel Knights and current Marvel Chief Creative Officer. "And I think about Priest, and how much on the screen did not exist before his crazy brain got to that stuff."

Throughout the video, Priest, Quesada, and Palmiotti share a few additional stories about that Black Panther era, including the fan reaction. Additionally, Priest speaks about his initial desire to write a different Marvel Knights title, but you'll have to watch the video for that detail!