Bast

Bast is the ancient Egyptian cat goddess venerated by the Panther Cult of Wakanda. She serves as the divine protector and spiritual patron of the Black Panther, granting the chosen champion a sacred connection to her power and blessing their reign over Wakanda.

Few characters carry the weight of myth quite like Bast, who stepped onto the Marvel stage in Black Panther #4 in 1988, conjured by Peter B. Gillis and Denys B. Cowan during the Copper Age. A divine presence woven into the fabric of Wakandan legend, Bast has endured across nearly four decades of Marvel storytelling, surfacing in the pages where T'Challa, Shuri, and Ororo Munroe walk — sacred ground indeed. From Black Panther to Ultimate Black Panther to Miles Morales: Spider-Man, this figure bridges the cosmic and the earthly in ways that reward any reader paying close attention.