| Bast | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | As idol: Fantastic Four #52 (July1966) As Sacred Black Panther: Fantastic Four #53 (August 1966) As Panther-God: Avengers Vol. 1 #87 (April1971) As Panther Spirit: Black Panther Vol. 1 #9 (May1978) As Bast: Black Panther Vol. 3 #21 (August2000) |
| Created by | Stan Lee andJack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Heliopolitan Gods The Orisha |
| Notable aliases | Bastet Babastis Cat God Cat Goddess Lady of the East Panther Goddess Baast-Hathor[1] Panther spirit[2] Sacred Black Panther |
| Abilities | Ennead physiology |
Bast is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character first appeared as anidol inFantastic Four #52 (cover-dated July 1966), created byStan Lee andJack Kirby, and is based on theEgyptian cat goddessBastet. Bast is a member of theHeliopolitan andWakandanpantheons. and the patron of the superheroBlack Panther.[2]
Bast appears in the live-actionMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmBlack Panther (2018) and was interpreted by Akosia Sabet inThor: Love and Thunder (2022).
Bast or Bastet is an ancient Egyptian goddess represented as ablack cat. Bast first appeared in Marvel comics alongside Black Panther inFantastic Four #52 as anidol,[2] referred to as a male deity, theSacred Black Panther.[3]
InAvengers #87 (April 1971), written byRoy Thomas and illustrated bySal Buscema, he is referred to asPanther-God. InBlack Panther vol. 1 #7 (cover-dated January 1978), written and illustrated byJack Kirby, the first Black Panther, Olumo Bashenga,[4] is said to have instituted thePanther cult.[5] InBlack Panther vol. 1 #9 (cover-dated May 1978), written and illustrated byJack Kirby and the four issueBlack Panther miniseries (1988), written byPeter B. Gillis and illustrated byDenys Cowan, is referred to asPanther spirit.[2] InBlack Panther vol. 3 #21 (cover-dated August 2000) written byChristopher Priest and illustrated by Sal Velutto the Panther-God of Wakanda was retconned as Bast.[2] InBlack Panther vol. 6 #13 (cover-date June 2017) written byTa-Nehisi Coates and illustrated by Wilfredo Torres it is revealed that Bast is part of the Wakandan pantheon, calledThe Orisha,[6][7] also composed of gods from various places inAfrica:Thoth andPtah, as Bast are fromEgypt,[8]Mujaji fromSouth Africa[9][10] andKokou is a war deity ofBenin.[11][12]Orisha is aYoruba word meaningspirit ordeity,[13] previously revealed that Yoruba was one of the official languages of Wakanda.[14] At first, the authors portrayed Bast as a male deity, but today they portray him as his analogue in Egyptian mythology.[2][1]
Bast the Panther Goddess is one of the eldest of theEnnead and the primary deity ofWakanda.[8] The daughter of the powerful Egyptian sun godAtum / Ra, Bast inherited her father's life-giving heat while her sister, the lion goddess Sekhmet, inherited his fiery, destructive fury.[8] Bast was worshipped on Earth as early as 10,000 BC, granting power to her worshippers "the Children of Bast" and their descendants in the mountaintop city of Bastet, the High Kingdom.[15][8]
After Egypt's mortal pharaohs rose to power, Bast began to obtain worshippers in the area that would one day become Wakanda as the "Panther God."[8] Her sister Sekhmet arrived later and came to be worshipped in Wakanda as the "Lion God."[8]
Before the emergence of the Wakandan nation, mystic beings known as Originators were expelled from the region by the humans and the Orisha, the pantheon of Wakanda consisting of Thoth, Ptah, Mujaji, Kokou and Bast.[6][7] Her other sister, K'Liluna, considered a betrayer, was banished from the pantheon.[16][17] Bast also battled against another god, Magba.[18]
Eons ago during the First Blasphemy,Khonshu tries to avenge a prisoner that was killed byVarnae only for Bast to tell Khonshu to stay his hand. Varnae stole Vibranium from the Fires of Ptah and planned to ascend to godhood. This attracted the attention of Khonshu who met with Bast, Eshu, Gherke, and Ptah duringRa's slumber. He wants the gods in the surrounding realms to be made aware before he retaliates. He gets their support alongside the support of Kokou the Ever-Burning. In the distant past, Bast and Gherke lead theEnneads and the Orishas against Varnae's forces. Kokou confronts Varnae in his temple. The prisoners are evacuated as Bast instructs the black panthers to take the prisoners west and wait for the news of victory.[19]
In the distant past, a massivemeteorite made up of the elementvibranium crashed in Wakanda. The meteorite was named Mena Ngai.[20] After the vibranium meteor fell, a number of Wakandans were painfully mutated into "demon spirits" and began attacking their fellow Wakandans. According to legends, during the tumult,T'Challa's ancestor Bashenga composed of various warring clans, he gathered all the aforementioned under his guide to defeating the inhabitants transformed by the impact into fierce "demonic spirits", a company which has unified the nation by founding Wakanda and becoming its first ruler[21][22] and the first to obtain the title of "Black Panther" as it tells of his "spiritual connection" with the Panther Goddess Bast that led to the foundation of the Panther cult.[5]
Bast's Ennead physiology enables her to possess immortality, super-strength, power bestowal, shapeshifting, teleportation, and solar energy absorption.
During the "Secret Wars" storyline, Bast is shown to reside in theBattleworld domain of Egyptia. She and Egyptia's ruler Khonshu were last seen being restrained by the army led by the Prophet.[23]
In the pages of "Ultimate Invasion",Maker traveled toEarth-6160 and remade it into his own image. Just like in the mainstream universe, Bast is the patron goddess of Wakanda.[24]
Bast makes her presence known when she savesT'Challa from Z'Non, the spirit of vibranium, as the spirits of the previous Black Panthers drive Z'Non off. Bast offers to train him to be ready when Z'Non returns. T'Challa is told that he must not only "wear the panther", he must "become it". T'Challa is lead to a cave by the Black Panthers.[25]
From this moment forth– I live with but one thought– one aim– one goal!! This deed must be avenged! Klaw shall pay– in full measure! I shall be as strong– and as fearless– as the Sacred Black Panther!! This do I swear to T'Chaka– my father who is no more!"
"To The Wakandian male, The Black Panther represents a figurative god image, and is considered to be a sacred being as the cow is venerated in India. --Religious Fanatic Stan.
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