Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered on November 11, 2022, and was a heartfelt continuation of the story of Wakanda and its people. As expected, the Dora Milaje made their return and proved themselves to be among Wakanda’s finest warriors. Based off of the real-life Dahomey Amazons, the Dora Milaje are an elite group of warriors recruited to protect the Black Panther. The Dora Milaje made their live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in Captain America: Civil War.
They would later return for a slew of MCU projects including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. However, their most significant appearance would in be in the 2018 film, Black Panther. While these elite warriors are lethal and effective, they are also trained to be loyal to the throne. This leads to conflict when Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) makes his way to the throne and the Dora Milaje are forced to stand by him. When T’Challa returns, though, they ultimately choose to serve their true king and turn against Killmonger.
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the Dora Milaje serve a similar role as in previous films. The only difference is that their roles and impact are significantly increased in the wake of T’Challa’s death, as they became more desperate to protect his remaining family, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright). However, their appearance takes on an unexpected turn as the film progresses. Here’s everything you need to know about Marvel’s Midnight Angels.
Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ahead!
Who are the Midnight Angels in Marvel comics?
In the comics, the Midnight Angels are a subgroup of the Dora Milaje. Like the Dora Milaje, they are elite warriors trained to be the bodyguards of the Black Panther. However, the Midnight Angels are considered the best of the Dora Milaje, the most elite of the elite. They were formed in a state of emergency after Doctor Doom stole all of the country’s vibranium.
Given how drastic the situation was, T’Challa employed the help of Deadpool. In addition to this, he formulated a new team, the Midnight Angels, to serve as back-up in Deadpool’s dangerous plan to retrieve the vibranium from Dr. Doom. Ayo and Aneka were the two most prominent members of the Midnight Angels.
The Midnight Angels in the MCU
The Midnight Angels have a different origin story in the MCU. As revealed in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri recruits Okoye (Danai Gurira) to help her take down Namor (Tenoch Huerta) after he attacks Wakanda. She puts Okoye in charge of recruiting and leading other members of the Dora Milaje in the offensive against Namor. However, Okoye had previously been stripped of her Dora Milaje rank by Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett). As a result, Shuri bestows upon Okoye a new set of armor – which she has named Midnight Angel.
The armor provides its users with superhuman abilities in strength and agility. Okoye dons the armor and goes to recruit Aneka (Michaela Coel), who agrees to become a Midnight Angel. Together, the two aid in Wakanda’s intense battle against the Talokan. Afterward, the two appear comfortable in their new armor and identities as the Midnight Angels.
Given that their origin is different than the comic books, it is difficult to determine what their MCU future will hold. However, the MCU did just debut an armor-clad team of warriors before the release of Marvel’s Fantastic Four and their upcoming Armor Wars film, meaning they could play a big role in the franchise’s future.
(featured image: Disney)
