A former college professor is suing Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney World Company, claiming he is the original author of the movie "Black Panther."

David Louis Whitehead, a former Wiley College professor, alleges that he submitted a film proposal to Netflix executives in November 2016 entitled "Black Batman." Despite being informed by executives on the day of the submission that they were not interested, Whitehead maintains Black Panther took elements from his submission. Marvel Studios counters that Black Panther was created in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

"The film Black Panther has a nearly all black cast, with two white characters, with one of those characters depicted as CIA agent relating to the plot," Whitehead’s lawsuit reads. "In contrast, plaintiff’s script ‘Batman Blackman’ has an all-black cast and he worked at the CIA for nearly seven years."

Despite conceding that Netflix responded within minutes of his emailed transmission, denying the proposal, according to news reports Whitehead "interprets the immediate rejection as a clear indication of 'fraud and negligence and violations of privacy.'"

Marvel responds:

"To the extent his claims surround the creation and distribution of the movie 'Black Panther,' there is no question that the film was based on the Marvel Comic character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the 1960s, long before Plaintiff submitted his 'proposal' to Netflix. Plaintiff’s allegations here are thus consistent with the fantastic allegations Plaintiff has raised over the past two decades against a myriad of entertainment entities."

—Source: Breitbart.com