Name: Okoye

Superhero Name: N/A

Created By: Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira

 

Played By: Danai Gurira

Powers: Expert unarmed and armed combatant, and master strategist

Mini Bio: When King T’Challa reinstated the Dora Milaje, a team of warrior women that I will have a whole post dedicated to going up in the next week, Okoye and her friend Nakia were both chosen from their tribes. After being chosen, they, and the rest of the girls who were chosen, were trained in combat and became bodyguards to the King.

Not much is really known about Okoye, as she hasn’t been in many storylines, and hasn’t had that much of a chance to lead a story of her own – her Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart has been fleshed out a lot more than her comic version.

But, in saying that, she has recently become one of T’Challa’s most trusted guards, to the point where he named her the Director of the Agents Of Wakanda – a secret group of intelligence gatherers for the Avengers. She also played a big role in stopping the invasion of the Cotati during the Empyre storyline, so maybe she will one day get her own solo series.

Interesting trivia: There may not be any comic runs dedicated to Okoye, but there is a novel – Okoye To The People by Ibi Zoboi, which follows Okoye as a teenager in New York. So if novels are your thing, I’d definitely recommend checking it out!

First Comic Appearance: Black Panther (1998) by Christopher Preist

Most Common Team Ups: Dora Milaje, Agents Of Wakanda, Avengers

Comic Recommendations: Black Panther (1998) by Christopher Preist, Black Panther Vs Deadpool (2018) by Daniel Kibblesmith, Black Panther And The Agents Of Wakanda (2019) by Jim Zub