Warning! Minor spoilers ahead for Black Panther #25
One of the many exciting developments in Black Panther #25 is that it sees one of Marvel's strongest villains complete his redemption arc and become a hero in his own way. The issue marks a number of huge changes and is the finale of writer Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on the series, which he has written since 2016. The villain in question who has been seeking redemption in Black Panther is Dr. Eliot Franklin, aka Thunderball.
Dr. Franklin was created by Len Wein with a design by Sal Buscema when he first appeared in The Defenders #17. He is a genius physicist who built a gamma bomb, had it stolen from him, and then in his attempt to retrieve it, ended up in jail. As Thunderball, he was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a team of criminals who have often gone toe-to-toe with the God of Thunder himself, Thor. The group got together in prison and developed super strength and the ability to take a serious punch thanks to an enchanted crowbar and some lightning.
Previously in the Black Panther series, T'Challa has been working with Thunderball to help him be the better man that he knows he can be. T'Challa acknowledges that Dr. Franklin is a genius and wants to give him a fresh start free from his criminal past. Within this issue, titled "Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda," which is written by Coates with artwork by Daniel Acuña and Brian Stelfreeze featuring colors by Laura Martin, readers get to see Dr. Eliot Franklin using his intelligence and not his fists as he teaches an Advanced Physics class, rounding out his arc. He doesn't magically turn into a superhero but instead redeems himself in another way.
This is a smaller moment in the Black Panther finale issue as it also features an epic cosmic war for Wakanda. However, these little victories of redemption that feel earned should shine as well. Hopefully, this will not be something undone within a handful of issues, after all, Dr. Franklin himself has said how easy it is to fall back into a hole, after all. But maybe he will instead take on a more active role outside of the classroom and inside the hero community.
This "finale" is really a new beginning for Black Panther and the world of Wakanda as a whole. It will be exciting to see where everything goes from here under the writing pen of John Ridley (The Next Batman: Second Son) in the new Black Panther series. Will Thunderball continue his status as one of the good guys or will turn back to the dark side? Either way, it sounds like plenty of things are brewing within the world of Black Panther.
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