Black Panther #25 previews a war for the Wakandan Empire

Black Panther #25
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The finale of Ta-Nehisi Coates' five-year run on Black Panther is set to hit stands on May 26, and for the occasion, Marvel is rolling out a wide array of variant covers.

In addition to the main cover by series artist Daniel Acuña, variants have been revealed from Sam Spratt, Brian Stelfreeze, Natacha Bustos, Juan Cabal, Carmen Nunez Carnero, Joshua Cassara, Iban Coello, Patrick Gleason, Peach Momoko, R.B. Silva, and Carlos Pacheco.

Here's a gallery of all 12 Black Panther #25 covers:

Interested in owning one? Click on the artists' names above for direct links to where you can order one now.

"It's the end of an era for the Black Panther as renowned writer Ta-Nehisi Coates concludes his Wakandan epic! Over five years, Coates has taken the Black Panther to hell and back and expanded Wakanda into the distant stars," reads Marvel's description of Black Panther #25. 

"Now, in his final issue, he brings T'Challa full circle, back to the home he left behind…and the crown he has never fully accepted. This is the story of a king who sought to be a hero, a hero who was reduced to a slave, a slave who advanced into legend…and the man who has struggled to hold up an empire in his bare hands. The journey will conclude, but the legend remains."

Check out this preview of Black Panther #25:

For the occasion, original series artist Brian Stelfreeze is returning to the title to draw a special epilogue written by Coates.

"Ta-Nehisi has come up with a truly special finale here, one that not only wraps up the current story of T'Challa's attempt to stop Emperor N'Jadaka's conquest of Wakanda, but also deals with elements that reach all the way back to the beginning of Ta-Nehisi's run," series editor Wil Moss said earlier this year. "Black Panther #25 is an immensely satisfying conclusion, with twists you won't see coming and repercussions that will be felt for years to come."

Black Panther #25 goes on sale on May 26. The final arc will be collected as Black Panther Book 9: The Intergalactic Empire Of Wakanda Part Four, on sale June 23.

Coates' Black Panther is among the best Black Panther stories of all time.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)

Read more
Marvel Knights: The World to Come #1
Christopher Priest returns to Black Panther after 22 years alongside Marvel Knights architect Joe Quesada for a story that foretells the future of the Marvel Universe
Silver Surfer sitting on his board
Marvel June 2025 solicitations: 10 must-have comics to pre-order this month
X-Men #16 variant cover by Russell Dauterman
Marvel reveals its full slate of May 2025 comics and covers featuring the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and more
One World Under Doom #3
Marvel reveals its full slate of April 2025 comics and covers featuring the X-Men the Avengers, Spider-Man, and more
Captain America is... a snake?!
Steve Rogers is no more, now there is only Cap-Snake! Check out a first look at the final issue of Avengers Assemble
Phoenix #9
Peach Momoko dresses up Phoenix, Black Cat, Wolverine, Venom, and many more in new kimono variant covers
Latest in Comics
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel may have just sneakily confirmed one of the biggest Daredevil: Born Again fan theories
New Champions #4
Meet Gold Tiger, the young Wakandan hero whose origin will be revealed in New Champions #4
Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
DC June 2025 solicitations: 10 must-have comics to pre-order this month
Batman and the Jason Todd Robin leap into action.
Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire revisits the early days of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd
Marvel Rivals: Ignite #1
Marvel Rivals goes manga in a new comic from Peach Momoko and three other Japanese artists that reveals several new in-game costumes
Fantastic Four #30
Thanks to Doctor Doom, Ben Grimm is no longer the Thing and his kids don't even recognize him in Fantastic Four #30
Latest in News
Moana in Moana 2
Disney Plus finally adds heavily requested feature, and we're surprised it took this long
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing lagiacrus holding a monster down
Monster Hunter fans lose their minds as Monster Hunter Wilds confirms Lagiacrus will return this summer, finally answering 7 years of prayers
Alienware Area-51 16-inch and 18-inch RTX 5080 gaming laptops on a purple background
Brand new RTX 5080 Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops just hit the shelves at Dell
Monster Hunter Wilds hunter eating a meal at the cat cafe
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 is out April 4 and looks stacked: Zoh Shia returns, the Grand Hub adds a social space, plus Arch-Tempered Rey Dau, arena speedrun contests, and Mizutsune
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows players are questioning the lack of modern day segments: "what happened to Layla, Desmond, and Basim?"
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last of Us
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners changed the way they introduce Abby so fans don’t get "spoiled in between seasons": "It felt appropriate to give viewers that context right off the bat"