Warning: Spoilers for Blood Hunt #4!Marvel just reshaped Black Panther lore, turning him into the ultimate vampire hunter. The source of the Black Panther’s power has always been the Heart-Shaped Herb; anyone hoping to become the Black Panther and rule over Wakanda must first eat the nation’s local plant which gifts any would-be ruler Vibranium enhanced superhuman powers. Now, the Herb has been revealed to play a critical role in the fight against Marvel’s vampires.

Blood Hunt #4 – written by Jed MacKay, with art by Pepe Larraz – introduces a new element to the Heart-Shaped Herb, revealing that it fights against the curse of vampirism. T’Challa had been afflicted with the curse of the vampire over the course of Blood Hunt, but by issue’s end, he’s cured, thanks to the Heart-Shaped Herb.

This moment is significant in adding to the ever-expanding lore of the Heart-Shaped Herb in the comics, while also adding a new feature, which will allow Black Panther to be involved in more horror stories.

Black Panther’s “Heart Shaped Herb” Breaks Marvel’s Vampire Curse

Blood Hunt #4 – Written By Jed MacKay; Art By Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, & VC’s Cory Petit

In Blood Hunt, Blade has been possessed by the first vampire, Varnae, forcing him into a shocking villain run. One of his first acts of villainy was turning the Black Panther into a vampire, thus putting T’Challa under his control as a right hand man. However, when Blade least expects it, T’Challa lunges at him. The surprise attack fails, but evading it gives Blade the opportunity to ask how T’Challa broke his control. As the hero reveals, the Heart-Shaped Herb had been fighting the vampire infection since Blade turned him, bringing Black Panther back to normal with each passing moment.

Beyond giving the user the powers of the Black Panther, there remains a lot of mystery surrounding the Heart-Shaped Herb, specifically in terms of how it works and what it does to the body. However, the new information in Blood Hunt #4 adds to the Heart-Shaped Herb’s lore significantly, even offering another perk to becoming the Black Panther. The user not only gains super strength and super agility, among other things, but they become virtually immune to vampire attacks. Overall, this vampire-healing component is a major addition to the Herb’s power-set.

The “Heart Shaped Herb’s” New Lore Could Make Black Panther Pivotal In Marvel’s Horror Stories

T’Challa Can Be The Ultimate Vampire Hunter

One thing that has been refreshing about Blood Hunt is that it puts the Black Panther in a horror environment, one that readers aren’t accustomed to seeing him in often. Readers were ready to assume that this would be the last time T’Challa would be fighting vampires, but with the Herb helping him be immune to these creatures of the night, the door opens for more horror stories to be told. It offers a new setting for creative teams to let T’Challa flourish in. Even Black Panther’s implication that Wakanda has combated vampires before deserves a further exploration, and now it can.