Draft:Okoye (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

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Okoye
Marvel Cinematic Universe character
First appearanceBlack Panther (2018)
Based on
Okoye
by
Adapted byRyan Coogler
Joe Robert Cole
Portrayed byDanai Gurira
In-universe information
Full nameOkoye
TitleGeneral
Affiliation
WeaponVibranium spear
SpouseW'Kabi (ex-husband)
OriginWakanda
NationalityWakandan

Okoye is a fictional character portrayed by Danai Gurira in the film franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. In the MCU, she is depicted as the General of the Dora Milaje.

As of 2023, she has appeared in Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). She will return in a spin-off Disney+ television series focusing on the Dora Milaje.

The character has received a universally positive critical reception.

Concept and creation[edit]

The character, created by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira, first appeared in the comic books in Black Panther #1 (November 1998) within the comics.

Gurira first learned of Black Panther through her agent and she wanted to meet with director Ryan Coogler to both better understand the subject of the film and ensure "that an African narrative is treated with the respect and authenticity."[1]

Boseman's death caused rewrites to the film's script. Gurira read the script and was initially apprehensive about Okoye losing her position as general of the Dora Milaje. Gurira said it was their "responsibility to allow these characters to be stretched and to go through complex things and for their humanness to really get put through its paces and allowed to open up."[2] Gurira "had a couple of injuries" while training for Wakanda Forever and fought through them, loving the experience "because, ultimately, it grounds the world. You have to know how to move and live in sort of an instinct of warriorness that is specific to your character."[3]

Characterization[edit]

Regarding Okoye's arc in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Gurira said, "She's gone through a lot and definitely takes the world on her shoulders. She doesn't really trust anyone else to do the duties that she feels called to do and she goes above and beyond those duties."[4] Gurira felt that Okoye was "trying to focus" as Wakanda needed her for its stability but that it was questionable if she had come up with the best ideas and in reference to Okoye's leadership being challenged in the film, furthered that she "was very thankful to get to explore her that way. You don't always get to really allow a character to go into another place."[5] In Wakanda Forever, after being stripped of her position in the Dora Milaje, Okoye dons the Midnight Angel armor. Ruth E. Carter sought to tweak the comic design to incorporate real African designs. Carter emphasized the importance of the mask and said they "landed on a mask style that's very much like the masks of Benin or South Africa, where you see this slanted eye with a round shape."[6]

Fictional character biography[edit]

Reign of King T'Challa[edit]

Further information: Black Panther (film) and Avengers: Infinity War

In Black Panther, Okoye is introduced as the general of the Dora Milaje. She has the utmost respect for T'Challa and the nation of Wakanda and is the romantic interest of W'Kabi. She stands beside T'Challa, but is forced to switch her allegiance to Erik Killmonger when he usurps the throne. After seeing that T'Challa is alive, and thus still legally King with the personal combat challenge incomplete, she leads the Dora Milaje to fight against Killmonger the moment he invalidates his own claim by refusing to continue the challenge. During W'Kabi's fight with M'Baku, Okoye eventually convinces W'Kabi to stand down, causing those fighting alongside him to also stand down.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Okoye fights alongside Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner, James Rhodes, and Wanda Maximoff in the battle against the Outriders and witnesses the arrival of Thanos. She survives the Blip, but is horrified when T'Challa disintegrates.

Battle of Earth[edit]

Further information: Avengers: Endgame

In Avengers: Endgame, Okoye has started working with Romanoff, reporting directly to her and monitoring issues in Wakanda. Later, she joins the final battle against an alternate Thanos at the Battle of Earth, and attends Tony Stark's funeral.[7]

Reign of Queen Ramonda[edit]

Further information: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Okoye attends T'Challa's funeral after the latter passes from an illness and a year later, she leads the Dora Milaje in fending off mercenaries attempting to steal vibranium. After accompanying Ramonda to a United Nations meeting, she learns of the ultimatum Namor gave the queen to either find the scientist who made the machine that tracks vibranium under water or have a war between the Talokan and Wakanda. In Shuri's lab, Okoye mocks the appearance of Midnight Angel armor and convinces Ramonda to let Shuri come with her to retreive the scientist. Learning her identity from Ross, Okoye and Shuri arrive at MIT to confront Riri Willliams. Despite an initial conflict, Okoye and Shuri convince her to come along with them to Wakanda, the three being found by the FBI shortly after arriving at Riri's garage.

The trio manage to evade the FBI, but are then ambushed by Namor's warriors. Okoye fights three warriors and Attuma, before Namora throws a grenade to Attuma and the latter deflects it at Okoye. She cuts it and is sent into the water, which awakes Shuri by splashing her. The Talokan take Shuri and Williams by the time Okoye regains consciousness, and she returns to Wakanda to get permission to retrieve the pair. Instead, Ramonda strips her of her title as general and Okoye is present during Namor's invasion of Wakanda, where she fails to resuscitate Ramonda after the latter's drowning. Okoye dons the Midnight Angel armor and fights against the Talokan on the Sea Leopard vessel, defeating Attuma. She later rescues Ross after his arrest for aiding the Wakandans.

Appearances[edit]

Reception[edit]

Gurira was widely praised for her performance in Black Panther.[11] Reviewing the film, Jim Vejvoda wrote, "Okoye's adherence to traditional values, her loyalty to the throne, and her coolness under pressure make her a character I could not take my eyes off of when she was on screen."[12] "No one is as impressive as Danai Gurira," wrote Joelle Monique of Polygon, who called Okoye "wonderfully complex" for being torn between country and family and praised her fight scenes as "incredible to watch."[13] Grant Watson hailed Gurira as making "a powerful impact as the Wakandan special forces commander Okoye."[14] Both Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly and Sam Sewell-Peterson singled out Gurira and costar Letitia Wright for praise, with Greenblatt writing that the pair felt the most "like they could easily hold their own films."[15][16]

Lauding the cast of Wakanda Forever, A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "Bassett, Wright, Gurira, Williams and Coel — rejoined by Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, who shows up a bit late in the action — form the kind of fractious, formidable ensemble that should be a franchise in its own right."[17] Abrigail Williams praises Wright, Bassett, Gurira, and Nyong'o as giving "outstanding performances that leave audiences with a palpable sense of the raw emotion and revere they bring to the screen."[18] BuzzFeed News writes that Gurira delivers "a sparkling performance that spans the tearful intensity of getting demoted by the queen to the understated hilarity of her blunt efforts to blend into an American college campus, but she gradually fades from the story as it approaches its final act."[19] Commentators such as Eric Webb and Justin Chang expressed disappointment that Okoye's role in Wakanda Forever diminishes halfway through the film.[20][21] Tim Grierson opines that Gurira "shines in her fight sequences, although the actress also flashes a cutting sense of humour that's especially welcome."[22] In a negative review of the film, Pramit Chatterjee praises Gurira, Bassett, and Winston Duke, noting that despite bad writing and having "to spend line after line and scene after scene delivering hollow dialogues, they give it their all."[23] Despite being "fan-favorite characters", Isaac Feldberg lamented, the sporadic appearances of Okoye, Nakia, and M'Baku throughout the sequel meant that none can register "as fully fleshed-out characters with their own dramatic arcs."[24]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2023 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Pending [25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Martin, Michel (February 17, 2018). "Danai Gurira On Her 'Black Panther' Role: 'She Protects What We Would Have Been'". NPR.org.
  2. ^ Coggan, Devan (November 11, 2022). "Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira on the Power of Women In 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'". Complex.
  3. ^ "The Women of 'Wakanda Forever'". New York Times. September 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Paiella, Gabriella (November 7, 2022). "How Danai Gurira Became Our Most Interesting Action Star". GQ.
  5. ^ Graves, Sabina (November 8, 2022). "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Danai Gurira on Okoye's Path in the Film". Gizmodo.
  6. ^ Coggan, Devan (December 19, 2022). "Costume designer Ruth E. Carter breaks down the looks in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever". Entertainment Weekly.
  7. ^ a b Dumaraog, Ana (May 1, 2019). "Every Marvel Character At The Funeral In Avengers: Endgame". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Strom, Marc (July 23, 2016). "SDCC 2016: Marvel's 'Black Panther' Confirms Additional Cast". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 14, 2017). "'The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira Starring In 'Avengers: Infinity War'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  10. ^ Breznican, Anthony (March 14, 2019). "Marvel updates Avengers: Endgame poster to include Danai Gurira's name". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  11. ^ Tassi, Paul (February 17, 2018). "Ranking The Ten Best Characters In 'Black Panther'". Forbes. I am glad that Danai Gurira managed to escape the set of The Walking Dead for a few months to film this role, as the film is far better for it, and it should help propel her to a new level of stardom. In a movie full of badass characters, she might just take the crown. She's funny, emotional, her fight scenes are the best in the movie. I loved everything about Okoye from start to finish.
  12. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (February 6, 2018). "Marvel's Black Panther Review". IGN.
  13. ^ Monique, Joelle (February 6, 2018). "Black Panther review". Polygon.
  14. ^ Watson, Grant (February 14, 2018). "REVIEW: Black Panther (2018)". Fiction Machine.
  15. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (February 6, 2018). "Black Panther reigns with style, a stellar cast, and real-world relevance: EW review". Entertainment Weekly.
  16. ^ Sewell-Peterson, Sam. "Black Panther (2018) Review". The Film Magazine. Letitia Wright's impish gadget gal Shuri (T'Challa's sister, who must surely be destined for a scene where she emasculates Tony Stark through tech talk) and Danai Guira's deadly spear-wielder Okoye (imagine how formidable you have to be to be asked to protect a bulletproof warrior-king). Both are undeniable highlights of the film, and Marvel better be busy writing them into anything and everything they can.
  17. ^ Scott, A. O (November 9, 2022). "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Review: Women on the Home Front". The New York Times.
  18. ^ Williams, Abrigail (November 17, 2022). "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' celebrates the legacy of a king". The GW Hatchet.
  19. ^ Samaha, Albert (November 11, 2022). ""Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" Is A Fitting Tribute To Chadwick Boseman". Buzzfeed News.
  20. ^ Webb, Eric (November 11, 2022). "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' review: This one's got its claws full". Austin American-Statesman.
  21. ^ Chang, Justin (November 10, 2022). "'Wakanda Forever' bids farewell to T'Challa and Chadwick Boseman". NPR.org. At the same time, they bring back many of the characters who made the first movie so memorable. Letitia Wright returns as T'Challa's brilliant scientist sister, Shuri, and it's nice to see Winston Duke again as the boisterous tribal elder M'Baku. I do wish that Danai Gurira, as the formidable warrior Okoye, weren't mysteriously sidelined halfway through. I also wish that the great Lupita Nyong'o had more to do as the skilled spy Nakia, who returns from self-imposed exile to help Wakanda through this latest crisis.
  22. ^ "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever': Review". Screen Daily. November 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Chatterjee, Pramit (November 11, 2022). "'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Review – A Dull Film That Fails To Clear MCU Phase 4'S Already Low Bar". DIGITAL MAFIA TALKIES.
  24. ^ Feldberg, Isaac (November 10, 2022). "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review: Ryan Coogler's Turgid Marvel Sequel Has No Time for Joy and Buckles Under Its Own Weight". Above the Line.
  25. ^ Hilary Lewis (January 12, 2023). "NAACP Image Awards 2023: 'Wakanda Forever,' 'The Woman King' Among Top Film Nominees". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 13, 2023.

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