The women of Wakanda are an integral part of the success of the nation. They are more than pretty faces whose comments are ignored. T’Challa literally surrounds himself with Wakandan women and he trusts them to help him make major decisions regarding the well-being of the their great nation.
Okoye is a general in the Wakandan army, and she’s pretty much the king’s right hand woman. She is consulted on every major decision regarding national security, and T’Challa takes her input very seriously. In addition to that, she’s really just an all-around badass. Her leadership and love for her nation stop Wakanda from going into a complete civil war. Her words of dedication to Wakanda force her love, the man who is fighting with the nation’s enemy, to kneel before her in the middle of battle, which ultimately cause a domino effect that stops the battle entirely. Her boldness, her bravery, and her dedication to Wakanda, are the reasons the nation is able to stay out of a conflict that could cause some serious damage.
Wakanda is a nation that has access to technology that is unheard of elsewhere. Shuri, the princess of the country, is responsible for a lot of the technological advancements that Wakanda has made. What makes her character even cooler is the fact that she’s so young. Besides overseeing the technological side of Wakanda, Shuri, like most of the characters in the movie, is so dedicated to her nation that she wouldn’t give laying down her life for it a second thought. When it comes down to it, she fearlessly walks into battle ready to fight for the preservation of the country that she holds dear. As amazing as all of these factors are, what makes Shuri special, is her wit. She is full of comebacks and hilarious one-liners that have already become classics (“Don’t scare me like that, colonizer). The fact that Shuri is such a dimensional black female character is a breath of fresh air that the Marvel universe needed, and you better believe that I’m here for it.
The Wakandan government has spies who are tasked with things like rescue missions, and Nakia is one of them. Nakia is an overall interesting character because she has so many layers. She is an independent and driven woman, who is not interested in slowing down for a man; not even the king of Wakanda. In the film, we see that Nakia and T’Challa were once an item, and from the very beginning, we see that there are definitely still sparks there. The two have a bond that’s so strong, the king asks Nakia to retire from her career as a spy, stay in Wakanda, and become his queen. In all honesty, if I were in her shoes, I would take T’Challa up on his offer, I mean, every girl wants to be a queen. Right? Wrong! Nakia rejects T’Challa’s offer because she is so dedicated to fighting the good fight and making sure her people are safe. Nakia, like all of the other women in this film, is very resourceful and thinks very quickly on her feet. When necessary, she comes up with a plan to save Wakanda from falling into the hands of the evil Killmonger. She is a phenomenal woman and a force to be reckoned with.
The women of Wakanda are powerful entities who are dedicated to the well-being of their nation. What makes them so special is the fact that they have so much to offer, and they are so dimensional. The Marvel Universe has never seen such amazing women, and the fact that they are women of color is even cooler. In “Black Panther”, we finally get to meet some women that aren’t overly sexualized and have something to offer to the group. If you are in need of some female empowerment, head to the movie theater and see “Black Panther”; you’ll leave feeling empowered and refreshed.