The following contains spoilers for Black Panther #1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
In the wake of T'Challa's war against his old friend Jhai and his subsequent falling out with nearly every ally he has ever had, the Black Panther finds himself farther removed from the rest of the world than ever. Worse still, his absence from Wakanda in particular has opened the door for some especially unsettling threats to emerge. Unfortunately, there is only so much for the Black Panther to do about it now that he is a ghost in his homeland, let alone one that can't afford to be seen.
After returning to Wakanda in secret, the titular hero of Black Panther #1 (by Eve L. Ewing, Chris Allen, Craig Yeung, Jesus Aburtov, and VC's Joe Sabino) discovers that while the people have largely continued on with life as usual without him, there is plenty of trouble brewing in the halls of parliament as well as in the shadows. While Prime Minister Folasade and the ever thoughtful N'Yobi Umaru work diligently to bring Wakanda into a new era, others cling to the remnants of power they still have left over from before T'Challa's reign came crumbling down. As bad as it is that these threats are amassing what little power they can, the fact that they exist within a vacuum only means things will likely get worse before they get better.
Wakanda is Suffering Without Its King
Although it was the secret sleeper agents T'Challa had instilled across the globe coming to light that ultimately saw him exiled from Wakanda, his role as its king had been reduced to something of a symbolic one long before then. It was during Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on Black Panther in 2016 that the revolutionary force known as the People rose to prominence in Wakanda through a series of terrorist attacks, and while they were eventually defeated, the ideal of the free nation that they fought for still came to fruition. When the dust had settled, T'Challa resigned the political power he held in an act that would usher in Wakanda's new parliamentary democracy.
In the five years since T'Challa rescinded the vast majority of his political powers, Wakanda's new government has struggled to find any sort of firm foundation. Although there is certainly something to be said about the myriad of local, global, and interstellar incidences the nation has been embroiled in over the past half-decade, the fact that its government still only barely functions as intended is a truly dire sign. It also just so happens to be the reason why the remnants of groups such as the Hatut Zeraze still run rampant in the streets of Wakanda, and why the country's power vacuum grows more and more dangerous with each passing day.
An Unstable Wakanda Could Affect the Entire Marvel Universe
To make matters worse, a politically unstable Wakanda could very well mean a politically unstable Earth as a whole. Despite the numerous heroes and villains who sport it in one fashion or another, Wakanda's primary resource of Vibranium is still a sought after and highly valued treasure. That being the case, Wakanda will always have a powerful advantage in the realm of geopolitics as long as they maintain control over the world's supply of Vibranium. In a Wakanda with no king, however, the chances of rules and regulations around Vibranium being relaxed are higher than ever, as are the chances of it simply being stolen away.
Even if Wakanda's government can be brought into proper form through the guidance of figures such as its Prime Minister or younger Wakandan heroes like Tosin and Shuri, the longer that takes to happen, the higher the risk that things fall apart before they can be mended. Hopefully, what little T'Challa can do for Wakanda without being thrown into the spotlight will buy his homeland the time it needs to come together. Otherwise, it may not be long before Wakanda joins the rest of the world in entering a state of absolute chaos.