With the Marvel Cinematic Universe rapidly expanding in front of our very eyes. It makes sense that some side characters should be given their own spotlight. Okoye is among them. She is the leader of the infamous Dora Milaje, the king’s elite forces, highly trained in various forms of combat and laced in Vibranium armor. Many times Okoye has proven herself to be a badass and valued addition to the MCU whether hunting the slippery no. 1 South African Black Arms Dealer & criminal Ulysses Klaue, combating the rogue Killmonger (then with the powers of the Black Panther), or the mad Titan Thanos himself without hesitation. Her skills, experience, and leadership even earned her a place on the Avengers during the blip. Although not a significant part of the main plot, fans of her would notice Okoye going through substantial growth herself. Originally Okoye, given her job, was distrustful of outsiders because Okoye is bound to tradition to keep Vibranium safe from outsiders and was willing to let Everett Ross, an American CIA Agent, die of a bullet wound after saving Nakia regardless if it was out of sacrifice or not. However, she herself was torn between her profession and her personal relationships as she was bound to serve Killmonger as king no matter if he was corrupt to lead Wakanda. Eventually, when T’Challa reveals himself to be alive, Okoye along with the other Dora’s were quick to rebel and attempt to stop him. This led her to turn against her husband W’Kabi and was forced to stand against him when his views allowed him to be swayed to Killmonger’s cause. Okoye was also willing to help her king stop the Mad King Thanos and ally with the Avengers knowing that Wakanda would indeed be affected by the blip if they do not stand to oppose. Despite decimating his army, Okoye and the rest of the heroes lost dreadfully and were no match for Thanos. As a result she had lost her king and friend as well as her princess and half her people leaving all of Wakanda in a state of panic along with the rest of the world. Despite her old views about tradition and distaste towards outsiders, T’Challa’s impact on Wakanda and Okoye was more prevalent as she made the choice to continue allying with the Avengers and even became one herself while reporting her situation to Black Widow. And later when the Blip occurred and restored everyone, she was one of the first of the heroes to arrive as reinforcements and take a stand against a time displaced version of Thanos.
As a character, Okoye has proven herself to be very interesting and she has proven herself to be a noble warrior and natural born leader at heart, however much remains to be seen such as her early life as well as her time during the blip. The viewer only knows so much about Okoye only knowing that she is the general of the wakandan army, hails from the border tribe, and is married to W’Kabi and appears to have children as well. She has also taken an oath to serve and never forsake the throne (which likely highlighted her choice to honor T’Challa by remaining a loyal ally to the avengers). No one really knows of Okoye’s history, why she wanted to join the Dora Milaje, and how she ascended their ranks to being granted a seat at the Tribal Council. Though as Okoye alongside other characters of Black Panther’s increasing popularity it is possible we may get a story that focuses on her time before serving T’Challa as well as getting a brief look at what she was doing during the blip since she was only barely seen throughout the film aside from a brief implication of a possible war with Atlantis. Even without the presence of T’Challa, Okoye has proven herself to be a tough and sometimes sarcastic character with a heart to do what’s right. With the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman and the decision to write out his character T’Challa, Okoye alongside the other major characters of Black Panther will likely be given more prominent roles. It would also give the viewer more chance to observe the country of Wakanda since we only know of their wealth and were shown the top of their hierarchy such as their kings, queens, and diplomats but not those who stand as the commonfolk.
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