Dora Milaje
The Dora Milaje are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are a team of women who serve as special forces for the fictional African nation of Wakanda.
The Dora Milaje appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther, ', and '.
Publication history
The Dora Milaje first appeared in Black Panther, vol. 3 #1, created by writer Christopher Priest and artist Mark Texeira. The Dora Milaje share similarities with the Dahomey Amazons, the all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was located in West Africa in what is now the Republic of Benin.The 2017 series "World of Wakanda" written by Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey, tells the story of the couple Ayo and Aneka, two former Dora Milaje.
In the 2018 limited series Wakanda Forever, written by Nnedi Okorafor, the Dora Milaje act in team-ups with Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers.
Fictional character biography
To keep peace in Wakanda, the Black Panther picked dora milaje from rival tribes to serve as his personal guard and ceremonial wives-in-training.Members
- Aneka - The former leader of the Dora Milaje. She was later arrested and stripped of her rank after killing a chieftain who had been victimizing the women in her village. After escaping, she became one half of the vigilante duo known as the Midnight Angels.
- Ayo - Aneka's lover and another former Dora Milaje. After Aneka was arrested and sentenced to death, Ayo broke her out of prison. Using a pair of prototype armored suits, the two became the Midnight Angels.
- Okoye – One of the former Dora Milaje. Okoye is of the J'Kuwali tribe and acted as a traditional, proper concomitant to the king, speaking only to him and only in Hausa, an African language not widely spoken in Wakanda and thus affording the king and his wives a measure of privacy.
- Nakia – Nakia is a Wakandan Mutate with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. She is a former Dora Milaje of T'Challa.
- Queen Divine Justice – The street-smart queen of the Jabari tribe of Wakanda raised in Chicago, and former Dora Milaje of T'Challa. She originally went by the name Chanté Giovanni Brown.
Collected editions
| Title | Material collected | Pages | Date Published | ISBN |
| World of Wakanda | Black Panther: World of Wakanda #1–6 | 144 | ||
| Wakanda Forever | Amazing Spider-Man: Wakanda Forever, X-men: Wakanda Forever, Avengers: Wakanda Forever, Black Panther Annual vol. 2 #1 | 136 |
In other media
Television
- The Dora Milaje appeared in the Black Panther TV series, voiced by Alfre Woodard and Vanessa Marshall.
- Okoye, Nakia, and Divine Justice of the Dora Milaje appeared in episode "Welcome to Wakanda."
- The Dora Milaje appeared in Avengers Assemble with Aneka voiced by Erica Luttrell while the generic Dora Milaje are voiced by Daisy Lightfoot and Debra Wilson.
Film
- Florence Kasumba portrays Ayo, a member of the Dora Milaje, in '.
- The Dora Milaje appear in the 2018 film Black Panther. Florence Kasumba reprises her role, Danai Gurira portrays Okoye, and Sydelle Noel portrays Xoliswa while the unnamed Dora Milaje are portrayed by Marija Abney, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, Maria Hippolyte, Marie Mouroum, Jénel Stevens, Zola Williams, Christine Hollingsworth, and Shaunette Renée Wilson.
- Gurira reprises her role as Okoye in '; other Dora Milaje appear as well. Gurira also reprises her role in .