Okoye is the leader of the Dora Milaje and a high-ranking general of the entire Wakandan Army. She was also a former Avenger at one point (shocking right; if you haven’t seen Endgame yet). Formalities aside here, I created this arc because truthfully I am tired of seeing comments saying Okoye should be black panther instead of Shuri. I get the comments though because she’s badass, confident, prideful, loyal to her country & people to a fucking T, and exhibits the elements worthy of Black Panther. Nakia even made a note that she is likely the strongest human warrior of Wakanda as armed with a vibranium-laced armor and spear, Okoye can take down a barrage of human and even alien soldiers. She managed to survive quite a few battles and wars virtually unharmed. Although not a super soldier like Captain America, strong as the hulk, tech-savvy like Tony Stark, or even as powerful as the infinity stone-infused Captain Marvel & Scarlet Witch; Okoye serves to remind the human viewers that like Black Widow and Hawkeye, you really don’t need superpowers to be a fan favorite hero and she has proven countless times that she can handle herself in a battle against multiple threats (terrestrial or extraterrestrial). Below are my reasons why Danai Gurira’s (2nd) beloved character cannot become the Black Panther.
She is first and foremost a Dora Milaje member.
Okoye is a member of the elite King’s Guard the Dora Milaje, an all-female troop that serves as personal guards and emissaries for the royal family. Wakandan laws bound them to remain neutral when their king/queen is being challenged. The only exception was during Killmonger’s reign. The laws also require the Dora Milaje to forfeit their own rights to challenge for the throne and mantle of Black Panther because they are bound to remain loyal to whoever sits on the throne therefore politically it’s impossible for Okoye to become or be seen as a Dora Milaje.
She is not of Royal Blood
Okoye hails from the border tribe and is not a member of the royal, so she cannot invoke her rights to challenge for the throne unless present at the warrior falls.
She is a dedicated soldier at heart
Okoye is devoutly loyal to both the royal family and Wakanda. While her position grants her a seat at the tribal council as well as serving as one of the king’s advisors; she is nonetheless a dedicated soldier and will gladly give her life away for Wakanda and the royal family should it come to that.
She is a traditionalist
Okoye is also a traditionalist as she follows up on and believes most of the ancient laws Wakanda imposed on its citizens enough to proudly keep her head shaved bald. Although a firm believer of tradition, Okoye’s opinions have been swayed before thanks to T’Challa’s efforts as well as Killmonger’s actions as she is now more than willing to cooperate with outsiders even going as far as to outright join the Avengers roster. Nonetheless, Okoye believes in most of the traditions Wakanda has imposed and refused to change them for anybody including her own soldiers. This would include becoming Black Panther because this would go against her oath to never forsake the throne. This also includes challenging whoever sits on it for the right to be king.
Okoye deserves to be her own hero and protect Wakanda in her own way.
Okoye is a spectacular hero in her own right, she’s strong, nimble, flawless, and precise. The Dora Milaje’s skills were even witnessed by the Avengers who recruited Okoye to their ranks during the blip. She is well respected by virtually everyone she comes in contact with and threatens anyone who she perceives as an enemy of her or the royal family. To have her take on a mantle seems to completely go against what her character stood for. She is a traditionalist at heart so she would never take on a mantle meant for the king. On top of that, she has been proven to handle herself in a fight with nothing but “bulletproof” armor and a spear having been extensively trained in various forms of combat prior to becoming general. With her spear she can take down most threats she comes in contact with ranging from armed human gunmen to considerably stronger, more vicious aliens such as Thanos’ soldiers. Okoye fights for Wakanda just as the black panther does and is devoutly loyal to it enough to even go against her own husband when he was swayed by Killmonger. But Okoye becoming Black panther seems to ruin her arc a bit as Okoye has proven that you do not need the heart-shaped herb (or the super soldier equivalent) and a bulletproof catsuit to be a strong and amazing hero as well as protect Wakanda. If anything, Okoye like Natasha Romanoff is a powerful hero in her own right. Nakia even acknowledged that next to T’Challa she is the greatest (living) warrior Wakanda likely has.
Again these are my thoughts on why Okoye shouldn't become the Black Panther in the next or even future films. Regardless, I'm excited for the showing of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. At first I had doubts that it would ever live up to the sequel because Chadwick Boseman's performance was so great, looking at how the promos and leaked clips were organized it seems like a great project and is implied to even serve as a blue print for future changes to the world to come.
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