Over the course of his time at Marvel Comics, Black Panther has proven himself to be one of the Marvel Universe's most consistent and trustworthy leaders. With help from the Wakandan Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa has enhanced strength, speed, and durability, all of which make him a hero with peak human abilities. And while Black Panther's physical abilities have been enormously helpful on the battlefield, he has one hidden superpower that could pose a great threat to the X-Men, should they ever come to blows.
As it turns out, Black Panther's command over his body also extends to his mind, as he has telepathic resistance. This allows him to pass undetected by telepaths as well as thwart off attacks by them. In Original Sin #4, Emma Frost found this out the hard way when she tried to read T'Challa's mind, and instead found herself in great pain as she discovered that his mind was lain with traps (written by Jason Aaron, art by Mike Deodato, colors by Frank Martin, letters by VC's Chris Eliopoulos). Describing it as a "bear trap wrapped in barbed wire... that someone set on fire," T'Challa's mental safeguards proved to be immensely painful for even a powerful telepath like Emma.
This hidden strength of Black Panther's could be problematic for the current X-Men team, who rely heavily on their telepath, Marvel Girl, when first assessing a situation. In fact, one could argue that the X-Men are overly reliant on Jean Grey's powers, seeing that there are rarely ever consequences for telepaths using their powers in the field. And while it doesn't look like the X-Men and Wakanda are headed towards conflict any time soon, the existence of T'Challa's telepathic resistance in the Marvel Universe suggests that there could be others out there with similar abilities.
Black Panther's telepathic resistance spells trouble for the X-Men because they approach telepathy as a blanket approach for almost any situation. While on one hand, this is highly effective, since it gives Jean the chance to completely understand a situation before jumping into it, it is also reckless because it fails to account for foes that are resistant to her powers. In the case of Emma Frost, T'Challa's mind was so painful to enter that it disarmed her, which would put Jean at significant risk on the battlefield. While telepathy is often seen as a less dangerous way to engage a foe because it does not require a physical attack, telepathically-resistant beings undermine this reasoning completely.
More generally, Black Panther's resistance to telepaths speaks to one of his most under-appreciated strengths as a hero. While his physical prowess makes him an immensely versatile fighter, his strength of mind has made the difference between winning or losing a battle. So aside from being able to fend off telepaths looking to catch a glimpse into his thoughts, it is Black Panther's steady control over his mind that makes him a character even the X-Men could learn a thing or two from.
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