Dora Milaje

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Dora Milaje
Dora Milaje.jpg
Dora Milaje in Doomwar #5 (August 2010).
Art by Scot Eaton
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceBlack Panther, vol. 3 #1 (November 1998)
Created byChristopher Priest
Mark Texeira

The Dora Milaje are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are a team of women who serve as special forces for the fictional African nation of Wakanda.

Members of the Dora Milaje appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the upcoming Disney+ series What If...? (both 2021), and the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).

Publication history[]

The Dora Milaje first appeared in Black Panther, vol. 3 #1 (November 1998), created by writer Christopher Priest and artist Mark Texeira.[1] The Dora Milaje share similarities with the Dahomey Amazons (Agoji), the all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey,[2][3] which was located in West Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin.

The 2017 series "World of Wakanda" written by Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey, tells the story of the couple Ayo and Aneka, two former Dora Milaje.[4][5]

In the 2018 limited series Wakanda Forever, written by Nnedi Okorafor, the Dora Milaje act in team-ups with Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers.[6][7]

Fictional character biography[]

To keep peace in Wakanda, the Black Panther picked dora milaje ("adored ones") from rival tribes to serve as his personal guard and ceremonial wives-in-training.[volume & issue needed][8]

Members[]

  • Aneka - The former leader of the Dora Milaje. She was later arrested and stripped of her rank after killing a chieftain who had been victimizing the women in her village. After escaping, she became one half of the vigilante duo known as the Midnight Angels.[9]
  • Asira - The princess of the Jabari tribe.[10]
  • Ayo - Aneka's lover and another former Dora Milaje.[8] After Aneka was arrested and sentenced to death, Ayo broke her out of prison. Using a pair of prototype armored suits, the two became the Midnight Angels.[9]
  • M'yra - A member of the Dora Milaje who lost her right arm. She was reassigned to protect Shuri.[11]
  • Nareema - A Dora Milaje member who assisted Storm in fighting the V-Series Doombots.[12]
  • Nakia – Nakia is a Wakandan Mutate with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. She is a former Dora Milaje of T'Challa.[13]
  • Okoye – One of the former Dora Milaje.[13] Okoye is of the J'Kuwali tribe and acted as a traditional, proper concomitant to the king, speaking only to him and only in Hausa, an African language not widely spoken in Wakanda and thus affording the king and his wives a measure of privacy.
  • Queen Divine Justice – The street-smart queen of the Jabari tribe of Wakanda raised in Chicago, and former Dora Milaje of T'Challa.[volume & issue needed] She originally went by the name Chanté Giovanni Brown.[14]
  • Zola - The headmistress of the Dora Milaje who trained Aneka, Ayo, and Nakia.[15]

Collected editions[]

Title Material collected Pages Date Published ISBN
World of Wakanda Black Panther: World of Wakanda #1–6 144 June 27, 2017 978-1302906504
Wakanda Forever Amazing Spider-Man: Wakanda Forever, X-men: Wakanda Forever, Avengers: Wakanda Forever, Black Panther Annual vol. 2 #1 136 November 6, 2018 978-1302913588

In other media[]

Television[]

Marvel Cinematic Universe[]

Main article: Dora Milaje (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

The Dora Milaje appear in live-action media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • Ayo of the Dora Milaje appears in the film Captain America: Civil War, portrayed by Florence Kasumba.[21]
  • The Dora Milaje appear in the film Black Panther, with Okoye portrayed by Danai Gurira, Kasumba reprising her role as Ayo,[21][22][23] the film-exclusive Xoliswa portrayed by Sydelle Noel,[24] and Marija Abney, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, Maria Hippolyte, Marie Mouroum, Jénel Stevens, Zola Williams, Christine Hollingsworth, and Shaunette Renée Wilson as various unnamed members.[25] After Erik "Killmonger" Stevens takes over Wakanda and seemingly kills T'Challa, the Dora Milaje reluctantly stand by him as they must remain loyal to the throne. After T'Challa returns, the Dora Milaje fight Killmonger, though Xoliswa is killed in the process.
  • In the film Avengers: Infinity War, the Dora Milaje join the Avengers in defending Wakanda from Thanos's forces.[26]
  • In the film Avengers: Endgame, the Dora Milaje join the Avengers in their fight against an alternate timeline version of Thanos.[citation needed]
  • The Dora Milaje appear in the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with Kasumba reprising her role as Ayo from the films,[27] while series exclusive characters Nomble and Yama are portrayed by Janeshia Adams-Ginyard and Zola Williams respectively.[28] After Bucky Barnes breaks Helmut Zemo out of prison, the Dora Milaje pursue the latter and eventually capture him before sending him to the Raft. Ayo advises Barnes not to return to Wakanda for some time, though he is able to ask them to create a suit for Sam Wilson.

Video games[]

References[]

  1. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ^ Carter, Terry (February 24, 2018). "The Female Warriors Who Inspired Black Panther's Dora Milaje Are Freakin' Badass". Popsugar. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  3. ^ Jones, Ellen E. (October 23, 2019). "Warrior Women With Lupita Nyong'o review – a kick-ass tale worthy of an Oscar". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Scott, Sydney (11 November 2016). "Roxane Gay And Yona Harvey Didn't Hesitate To Take On The 'World Of Wakanda'". Essence. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  5. ^ Dockterman, Eliana (July 28, 2017). "Roxane Gay on How to Build a More Inclusive Comic Book Industry". TIME.
  6. ^ McMillan, Graeme (March 16, 2018). "'Wakanda Forever' Brings Dora Milaje to the Rest of the Marvel Universe". The Hollywood Reporter.
  7. ^ Markus, Tucker Chet (March 16, 2018). "Fighting for Wakanda Forever". Marvel Entertainment.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Broadnax, Jamie (February 21, 2018). "Get to know the Dora Milaje, Black Panther's mighty women warriors". Vox.com.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Black Panther vol. 6 #1. Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ Black Panther Vol. 3 #13. Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Black Panther Vol. 5 #7. DC Comics.
  12. ^ Doomwar #4. Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Black Panther Vol. 3 #1. Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ "Queen Divine Justice". Marvel Universe. 2006-06-23. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
  15. ^ Black Panther: World of Wakanda #1. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ "Voice Of Dora Milaje - Black Panther". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 12, 2018. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sourcesCS1 maint: postscript (link)
  17. ^ "Voice Of Aneka - Avengers Assemble". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 14, 2017. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sourcesCS1 maint: postscript (link)
  18. ^ "The Zemo Sanction". Avengers Assemble. Season 5. Episode 5. October 14, 2018. Disney XD.
  19. ^ "Widowmaker". Avengers Assemble. Season 5. Episode 21. February 17, 2019. Disney XD.
  20. ^ Goldman, Eric (May 25, 2018). "Okoye Works To Help Save Shuri In New 'Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Black Panther: Trouble In Wakanda' Short". Marvel News. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Forest Whitaker Joins Marvel's 'Black Panther'". Marvel.com. October 7, 2016. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  22. ^ Strom, Marc (July 23, 2016). "SDCC 2016: Marvel's 'Black Panther' Confirms Additional Cast". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  23. ^ Ching, Albert (July 23, 2016). "SDCC: Marvel Studios Reveals Latest Phase 3 Secrets". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  24. ^ Marston, George (August 4, 2017). "Report: Arrow Adds Black Panther Actress in Recurring Role". Newsarama. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  25. ^ "Black Panther Press Kit" (PDF). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  26. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (14 June 2017). "'The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira Starring In 'Avengers: Infinity War'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  27. ^ Eisenberg, Eric (April 2, 2021). "The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Just Hit Us With An Awesome Black Panther Tie-In". Cinemablend.
  28. ^ White, Brett (April 9, 2021). "'Falcon and Winter Soldier' Easter Eggs: 5 Things You May Have Missed in Episode 4". Decider. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.

External links[]

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