Annlyel James 
Exploring the hero to villain story arc of Lupita Nyong’o’s Wakandan super spy…
Lupita Nyong’o had one of the most important roles in Black Panther as she portrayed T’Challa’s love interest and Wakandan spy, Nakia. Nakia was one of my favorite characters in the film for her fierce loyalty to her country and her king.
Throughout Black Panther, T’Challa tried to persuade Nakia to return home and be with him but it wasn’t until the end of the movie that she decided to abide by his wishes and stay in Wakanda. In the comics, however, her relationship with T’Challa isn’t as sweet as it appears to be in the movie. In the comics, she basically had a SERIOUS crush on T’Challa but when he didn’t reciprocate those feelings she became hateful and would one day team up with Erik Killmonger under the new alias, Malice, and become a mortal enemy of Black Panther.
I know it seems unlikely that Nakia would turn from the chivalrous heroine that she is now to a maniacal ex-girlfriend bent on killing King T’Challa but Marvel has stayed true to the comics while providing some creativity on their own.
Wouldn’t it be kind of awesome though to see Nakia become Malice? First of all, it’s a storyline unlike any other that’s been presented in the MCU between two characters who are supposedly in love with each other. And secondly, it could provide a whole new tone of drama that would provide Black Panther 2 the ultimate chance of being better than its predecessor.
Kevin Feige, however, holds the secrets to the Marvel Cinematic Universe so we won’t know if they’re developing that potential storyline until we see the movie.
Wakanda Forever!
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Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
