Black Panther: Secret to Wakanda's Success May Be Darker Than Vibranium
The secret to the success of Black Panther's kingdom of Wakanda may not lie in its vibranium, but in something far darker. In the world of Marvel, the fact that the Wakanda withdrew from contact with the rest of the world and still managed to build a high-functioning society far more advanced than any other on Earth is quite an achievement. Granted, it wouldn't have been possible without the rich source of vibranium from the meteor that struck its location on the African continent, but the vibranium is the very reason that they withdrew from the world in the first place. This is understandable, given that Wakanda was responsible with it, whereas in the hands of another group of people things could have turned out much worse.
Despite the country's success, Wakanda's isolationist policies have not been without their repercussions. These policies have been a point of contention throughout the nation's history, especially in regards to its immediate neighboring nation, Niganda. Arguably Niganda has taken a major brunt of the damage as a result of Wakanda withdrawing into itself for the sake of protecting vibranium, the other repercussions of self-isolation notwithstanding. And the reason for this damage is actually something that has nothing to do with vibranium.
In King in Black: Black Panther #1, written by Geoffrey Thorne with art by Germán Peralta, it is revealed that when Wakanda withdrew from the rest of the world, it took with it the Alkama Fields, a region of Niganda. Understandably, the Nigandan people were none too pleased with having their lands taken. As a result, Wakanda achieved greater success with this action than it did with its acquisition of vibranium. The resources the Alkama Fields of Niganda offered, specifically rice, fonio, and other grains, provide the staple of the Wakandan diet. And if there's one resource that would arguably have more value than vibranium, it's a steady food supply.
What makes this so much darker is that Wakanda and Niganda were enemies long before that, so this didn't exactly make things between the two countries any easier. In fact, predictably, it made things far worse. Carrying its grievances as justification, Niganda often made alliances with the likes of Erich Paine and even Ulysses Klaw in order to annex Wakanda back to Niganda, which increased the threat to the safety of the vibranium source. This also opened Niganda up to being taken over by Killmonger, who wanted to invade Wakanda, which resulted in worse problems still when he was thwarted by Photon, and Niganda was left with a power vacuum.
That heroes from other countries, like Photon as well as Storm of the X-Men, have had to intervene on behalf of Wakanda in order to settle these mounting contentions is the most concerning result. Thanks to Wakanda's self-isolation up until now, to say that finding allies on the outside in times of strife could prove difficult is an understatement. Though the Black Panther can do so somewhat easily enough through his relations with other superheroes, he's also T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, and is in the rare position of being both superhero and statesman. And while other heroes might be more than happy to lend a hand when asked, going through the bureaucracy of politics where other world leaders are involved could prove dicey at best.
Ultimately, Wakanda having such power over Niganda, and Niganda lashing out to its own detriment in retaliation, has furthered Wakanda's own success. This is arguably darker than any success Wakanda achieved as a nation with the vibranium itself. It would be really interesting to see these concepts further explored in the comics, particularly in regards to how this affects both the Black Panther's and Wakanda's relationships with the rest of the world.