Okoye (Dora Milaje) - Black Panther

Okoye is a fierce warrior of Wakanda. She is a member of an elite force, Dora Milaje who is also called the Wives in training. Basically, they serve the King of Wakanda no matter what the situation is. 

Every member from Dora Milaje represents a different tribe of Wakanda. This is because of a political tradition to maintain peace between the tribes. Not only does the member of Dora Milaje gets a role in the palace but they also have a chance to become the next queen.  

History

In Marvel Comics, the order of Dora Milaje was inactive for quite some time. But, the group was brought back into service by King T’Challa to restore political peace in Wakanda. Okoye and her friend, Nakia got the opportunity to represent their tribe and train in the capital. 

Even though Wives in Training is a ceremonial name, King T’Challa had no romantic interest in the women. In fact, he thought about them as his children. 

Okoye understood the situation but Nakia always had the dream of marrying the King. Nakia’s obsession turned quite ugly when she abandoned Dora Milaje and went on a different path.

What are the Agents of Wakanda?

When King T’Challa got appointed as the chairman of Avengers, he decided to create a secret group to help the main team when required. 

T’Challa requested Okoye to help him to gather members for the group, Agents of Wakanda. Later, she got appointed as the director of that group. 

Okoye in Marvel Cinematic Universe

In the MCU, Okoye is the general of the Dora Milaje and head of the Wakandan armed forces. After the coronation of T’Challa, she joined him to track down Ulysses Klaue. She even shares a great friendship with T’Challa. 

But as the general of Dora Milaje, her duty is to serve the King. When Erik Killmonger took over the throne, she found herself conflicted in the situation. But, T’Challa returned to take his throne back. Okoye joined T’Challa in the fight against Killmonger. 

Is Okoye a member of the Avengers?

Okoye joined the Avengers and worked under the leadership of Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff after the snap. So, it is fair to say that she is a member of the Avengers. 

But once the battle was over, Okoye did return to Wakanda and resumed her services as the general of Dora Milaje. 

Appearance in MCU

Okoye has a big role in the Black Panther movie and other Marvel movies as well. During the absence of T'Challa, the Black Panther due to the snap, she did step up to fulfill the role that was required of her.

As of now, Okoye has appeared in three Marvel and one animated series. On November 11, 2022, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is going to release and that will mark her fourth appearance in the Marvel movies.

Saving Wakandan Hostages

On the basis of T’Chaka’s order, Okoye accompanied T’Challa when he went to rescue Wakandan hostages from Zanda and Douglas Scott. During the mission, Okoye got confronted by Scott. But the mercenaries fled and Okoye returned to their plane to follow them on the order of T’Challa.

After following them, T’Challa and Okoye confronted Zanda and Scott. But things escalated which resulted in Okoye fighting Scott. But, she was almost killed because of a surprise attack. 

T’Challa’s help allowed her to avoid that attack. Upon returning to Wakanda, Okoye reported to T’Chaka that T’Challa was able to prove himself in the battleground. 

Rescuing Nakia

After the death of T’Chaka, T’Challa decided to rescue Nakia from her current mission. The new king wanted her to be there for him during the coronation. Since Okoye is a pilot for her king, she and T’Challa flew to Nigeria where Nakia was located. 

When they located Nakia, Okoye was ready to equip herself for the fight but T’Challa told her that he can handle the situation on his own. She did follow orders but did help him by giving a Kimoyo Beads. Okoye watched the fight from afar but when a gunman tried to attack, she interfered. 

T'Challa becomes the King

During the coronation of T’Challa, Okoye and the members of Dora Milaje participated in the preparation of the ceremony. While Shuri and Ramonda were dancing, Okoye, Ayo and Dora Milaje performed the required rituals. 

On the way to the Warrior Falls, Okoye and the Dora Milaje led all the tribes to sail along the river. M’Baku appeared from nowhere and challenged T’Challa for the throne. Since the result ended in T’Challa’s favor, he got crowned the king. 

Capturing Ulysses Klaue

After locating the whereabouts of Ulysses Klaue, Okoye joined T’Challa and Nakia to arrest Klaue. And for that, they traveled to Busan. 

During their mission, Okoye got identified by the two bodyguards which caused her to take those bodyguards down. Not only that, she managed to defeat other bodyguards as well. 

Klaue was able to escape with multiple SUVs. However, Okoye and Nakia didn't waste any time chasing him down. But they were stopped in their tracks by Klaue's bodyguards. 

Klaue started driving away thinking that he was safe. Only to be caught by the Black Panther.  

Taking Everett Ross to Wakanda

During the interrogation of Ulysses Klaue, an armed gunman caused an explosion at the office. The goons were successful in rescuing Klaue. 

But soon after, Black Panther attempted to chase them down. As soon as he started chasing them down, Okoye stopped him to let him know that someone got shot. 

The one to get shot was Everett Ross. While protecting Nakia, he took a bullet in his spine. T’Challa used Kimoyo Beads to stabilize his wound. But to help Ross recover completely, the king decided to take Everett to Wakanda. 

Erik Killmonger Arrives

After getting the reports from the Border Tribe about an outsider, Okoye informed Shuri and told her to warn T’Challa about it. The outsider happened to be T’Challa’s cousin, who goes by the name, Erik Killmonger. 

Killmonger challenged T’Challa for the throne. Erik defeated T’Challa and threw him down the waterfall. Okoye was a spectator for the whole thing but was not able to do anything.

The New King

After defeating T’Challa, Killmonger got crowned as the new king of Wakanda. First and foremost, Okoye made sure that Shuri and Ramonda were safe. But, she couldn’t defy Killmonger as she was meant to serve anyone who rules Wakanda. 

After hearing Killmonger’s plan, the general did show her objection to the order. But Okoye's husband, W’Kabi countered her argument. Okoye had no other choice than to follow the orders of the new king. 

The Battle of Mount Bashenga

Erik Killmonger and the Border Tribe were getting ready to deliver the Vibranium weapons. But the plane eventually gets destroyed while they try to deliver the precious metal. Okoye had a brief joy on her face when T’Challa emerged from the destroyed aircraft. 

When the Border Tribe charged toward T’Challa, Okoye and a few members of Dora Milaje got into a battle against Killmonger. Later in the battle, she even stopped W'Kabi and made him realize what needs to be done. 

Infinity War

The Avengers arrive in Wakanda seeking T’Challa’s help. Okoye joined T’Challa to welcome the Avengers. The Avengers warned about the battle they have to fight to save the world. In no time, Thanos’s army arrived to take the Mind Stone. 

When the battle started, things got out of hand. Okoye and Natasha Romanoff were almost killed by the Threshers. But, Wanda saved them. Later, Okoye and Natasha teamed up against Proxima Midnight. And with the help of Wanda, they were able to kill her. 

Avengers: Endgame

After Hulk uses the Infinity Gauntlet to bring everyone back, Okoye got reunited with T’Challa and Shuri. Soon after, they traveled to the ongoing battle against Thanos from a different timeline. 

Okoye along with T’Challa and Shuri were the first ones to travel through the portal alongside the Wakandans army. They were able to defeat the alternate Thanos and bring everything back to normal.

Okoye's Ability

1. Master in Martial Arts
2. Master in using Spear
3. Master in making Tactics
4. Outstanding Pilot

Okoye's Equipment

1. Vibranium Spear
2. Kimoyo Beads
3. Armor of Dora Milaje

Who portrays the role of Okoye in the MCU?

Danai Jekesai Gurira portrays the role of Okoye in the MCU. She is an American actress who has a good number of movies under her belt. As of now, she has appeared in three Marvel movies. And it won’t stop here, as she is going to appear in the sequel of Black Panther as well.

No doubt, everyone is going to miss Chadwick Boseman. But things are going to move ahead and as per different rumors, another character is going to take the mantle. It is quite sure that Okoye is not going to be the one.