Okoye

"Wakanda forever!"

- Okoye

Okoye is the general of the Dora Milaje and the head of Wakanda's armed forces and intel. Witnessing T'Challa's coronation, she joins him in tracking down Ulysses Klaue. After Erik Killmonger overthrew T'Challa, Okoye found herself conflicted between her friendship with T'Challa, or her duty to her new king, Erik Killmonger. T'Challa soon returned and Okoye soon joined him in the fight against Killmonger and successfully taking back the throne.

When Thanos and his forces arrived on Earth to forcefully take the Mind Stone from Vision. Okoye soon was forced to defend Wakanda alongside her king and the Avengers. They were unsuccessful at the attempt however, though Okoye remained one of the survivors.

Serving for the King
On orders of King T'Chaka, Okoye was sent with T'Challa when he went to save Wakandan hostages from Zanda and Douglas Scott, to report back to the King on T'Challa's progress as the "Black Panther".

Following Terrorists
Saving the hostages while Black Panther distracted the mercenaries, Okoye ended up confronted by Douglas Scott. After the hostages escaped, and the police stormed the building, the mercenaries fled, and Black Panther made Okoye return to their aircraft to follow them.

Following them to a yacht, Black Panther and Okoye took out the mercenaries and confronted Zanda and Scott. Okoye fought Scott again, but was almost killed by a surprise attack, spared only when Black Panther dropped a metal bar on Scott's hands.

Upon returning to Wakanda, Okoye told T'Chaka how T'Challa proved himself in the field, though left out how she assisted him in her report, despite T'Chaka deducing her part in the rescue mission.

Rescue of Nakia


"Just don't freeze when you see her." "What are you talking about? I never freeze."

- Okoye and T'Challa

One week after the death of T'Chaka, Okoye and T'Challa flew a Royal Talon Flyer to Nigeria to rescue Nakia from her undercover assignment with a group of terrorists. T'Challa told Okoye that she did not need her help but when a gunman held a woman hostage, Okoye stabbed the man from behind, saving T'Challa from a tough situation and ending the skirmish.

Incoronation of T'Challa


"Sister Nakia, my Prince, we are home."

- Okoye

Afterward, Okoye flew the Royal Talon Flyer back to Wakanda, passing several shepherds as they approached Golden City's border. The three were greeted by Queen Mother Ramonda and Shuri, T'Challa's sister, escorted by the rest of the Dora Milaje. When Shuri asked if her brother froze upon seeing his ex, Okoye giddily confirmed, comparing him to 'an antelope in headlights' as the two laughed. As Shuri and T'Challa went to prepare for the ceremony, Okoye motioned for the Dora Milaje to follow her to prepare. En route to Warrior Falls, all of the tribes of Wakanda sailed along the river, with Okoye and the Dora Milaje leading as they struck their spears in unison, sending a sonic signal beneath the river to activate the drainage system of the Falls. Later during the ceremony, Okoye watched and cheered for T'Challa during his fight with M'Baku of the Jabari Tribe.

Arrest of Ulysses Klaue
"You will not believe who just showed up on our radar: Ulysses Klaue!"

- Okoye to Shuri Okoye alerted both T'Challa and W'Kabi that Ulysses Klaue had resurfaced. When the Tribal Council convened, Okoye informed them that Klaue would be in South Korea. T'Challa decided that he, along with Okoye and Nakia, would go to South Korea to either arrest or kill Klaue.

Protecting Everett Ross
To be added

Erik Killmonger's Arrival
To be added

The New Ruler
To be added

Battle of Mount Bashenga
To be added

Wakanda Moves Forward
To be added

Personality
"Guns. So primitive."

- Okoye Okoye is a fiercely loyal protector of Wakanda who isn't afraid to question her king, but would defend him with her life, fiercely protective of him despite his warrior abilities. A staunch traditionalist who is as formidable with her spear as she is with her tongue, Okoye finds herself torn between her allegiance to her country and her king when T'Challa begins to challenge ancient Wakandan traditions and rules. Despite her position and her serious attitude when her duties are concerned, she shares a relaxed, friendly relationship with T'Challa, quick to make jokes at his expense, especially when Nakia is concerned. She is quick to object to Killmonger's challenge as not only due to Killmonger's blatant disrespect of Wakandan traditions, but also because she knows the disastrous potential Killmonger holds to the nation and to the world. Due to her utmost respect for traditions however, she is unable to prevent Killmonger, who has a legitimate right to claim the throne, from challenging T'Challa.

When Killmonger succeeds in taking the throne, Okoye is torn this time between her personal loyalty to T'Challa, and her duty as the general of the Dora Milaje, which is essentially the king's royal guard. She nonetheless decides to stay and serve Killmonger, albeit reluctantly. When T'Challa comes back alive and ready to continue the unfinished challenge, she is quick to side with him, and turn on Killmonger with the Dora Milaje almost immediately when the contested king refuses to adhere to the very tradition that made him king to the letter.

Okoye's immense bravery and loyalty to her country proves instrumental in stopping a full blown civil war from happening, by standing in front of W'Kabi on a charging rhinoceros to prevent them from tackling M’Baku, halting his rampage from exacerbating the situation by appealing to his loyalty to Wakanda, resulting in the Border Tribe laying down their arms and allowing T'Challa and N'Jadaka to finish their duel one-on-one.

Despite her being able to see T'Challa's viewpoint and arguments regarding the issue of breaking Wakanda's isolationism, it is yet to be seen if she turns personally supportive of the king's measures to reveal what Wakanda truly is to the world. She was even willing to let Everett Ross die to conceal Wakanda's true nature from the rest of the world. However, she does seem to have a fondness for some American culture, as she was hoping to have a Starbucks in Wakanda after it was revealed to the world as well as having Wakandians participate in the Olympics.

Abilities

 * Master Martial Artist: Okoye is the General of the Dora Milaje thus, is extensively trained in various forms of combat but most noticeably her spear with which she is able to almost effortlessly incapacitate multiple foes at once during the casino fight. She is also an expert marksman, able to throw her spear through the car of one of Klaue's goons. She is easily one of the greatest martial artists in Wakanda.

"Does she speak English?" "When she wants to."

- Everett Ross and Okoye
 * Multilingualism: Okoye is fluent in Xhosa, English, and Korean, as she was able to understand the exchange between Nakia and Sophia.

Equipment

 * Sonic Spear: Okoye uses a specialized Vibranium spear capable of collapsing into a handle for concealment. The spear is sharp enough to pierce a Vibranium car during the Arrest of Ulysses Klaue and is strong enough to stop an SUV, as seen when Okoye threw it through the windshield of Klaue's goons' vehicle and embedded it into the road ahead, totalling the vehicle on impact. Her spear along with others have been shown to be able to interact with technology by striking the ground with the blunt end, notably electrocuting an enemy during the brawl at the Jagalchi Market Casino, and activating the drainage system for Warrior Falls.
 * Dora Milaje Armor: Standard-issue uniform of the Dora Milaje. While it is unknown if the suit of armor sports protection and durability to the level of the Panther Habit, it is strongly suggested that the armor is nonetheless made of Vibranium-weave due to being a Wakandan product, and is still better than most armor the world has to offer at large.
 * Kimoyo Beads: Okoye used her Kimoyo Beads to project images to the Tribal Council and to control the Royal Talon Flyer.

Allies

 * Golden Tribe
 * T'Chaka † - Former King
 * T'Challa/Black Panther † - King and Friend
 * Shuri
 * Ramonda - Queen Mother
 * War Dogs
 * Nakia - Friend
 * Dora Milaje
 * Ayo
 * Xoliswa
 * Jabari Tribe - Enemies turned Allies
 * M'Baku
 * Everett Ross
 * Avengers
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon †
 * James Rhodes/War Machine
 * Thor
 * Bruce Banner
 * Vision †
 * Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch †
 * Bucky Barnes/White Wolf †
 * Rocket Raccoon
 * Groot †

Enemies

 * Zanda †
 * Douglas Scott
 * Ulysses Klaue †
 * Linda †
 * Limbani †
 * Erik Killmonger † - Situational Ally turned Enemy and Attempted Killer
 * Border Tribe - Allies turned Enemies
 * W'Kabi - Lover turned Enemy
 * Thanos
 * Black Order
 * Corvus Glaive †
 * Proxima Midnight †
 * Cull Obsidian †

Trivia

 * In the comics, Okoye was a member of the Dora Milaje who assisted T'Challa during his coma.

Behind the Scenes

 * Janeshia Adams-Ginyard and Keisha Tucker were stunt doubles for Danai Gurira in the role of Okoye.
 * Regarding Okoye's stoic demeanour, Danai Gurira stated that "she can be serious, but she also has an unexpected sense of humour. She has a heart, but for her country and for her people. She’s not a person who doesn’t connect to human beings as a result of what she does."
 * The strip of beadwork on the abdomen part of Okoye's Dora Milaje costume was inspired by a table runner from senior visual development illustrator Anthony Francisco's aunt's home while the rings on the tassels at the side of her uniform were meant to be good luck charms.