Danai Gurira ‘s Okoye’s journey through the MCU has been as rough as anyone’s. Following T’Chaka’s death in Captain America: Civil War Okoye was present for T’Challa’s defeat at the hands of Killmonger in Black Panther. She then found herself on opposite sides of her husband in the fight for the throne. Thanos’ snap took another Wakandan King from the Dora Milaje General and though the Avengers’ battle against the Mad Titan resulted in T’Challa’s return, fate cruelly took him again, this time permanently, prior to the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. T’Challa’s death was followed by the abduction of Princess Shuri which led to Okoye’s dismissal as General at the command of Queen Ramonda who was killed by Namor a short time later.
With little left to lose, Okoye rolled the dice and wore one of a pair of prototype Midnight Angel armors created by Shuri to aid in the battle against Talokan. As Wakanda Forever came to a close, Okoye used the armor to help free Everett Ross from custody, indicating that whatever the future holds for Okoye, it’s likely going to be tied to the powerful suit. That nebulous future might have something to do with one of the World of Wakanda spinoffs reportedly in the works. It’s long been thought that Gurira’s character would be the focus of one of those spinoffs and according to the actress, Okoye’s arc in Wakanda Forever originally ended in a way that set her character up to go on a journey of self-discovery.
During a round of 20 questions with Deadline, Gurira told the outlet Okoye’s final moments in Wakanda Forever were meant to set her off to walk the Earth like David Carradine‘s Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu. Gurira relayed that the original ending of the film saw Okoye in Haiti with Nakia, T’Challa II and Shuri. As Okoye parted ways with the group, Shuri inquired about her future asking, “Are you going back to the Dora?” “My character says no.” continued Gurira, “and [Shuri] said, ‘Where are you going to go?’ and I was like, ‘Wherever my blue suit takes me,’ and she just walks off.” Gurira called the scene between Shuri and Okoye a “beautiful moment” and went on to describe director Ryan Coogler’s vision of what the future holds for the character.
[Coogler] was saying it’s like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don’t know where Okoye’s going. And she’s sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That’s kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don’t know where that leads to.
Danai Gurira
Whatever the MCU future for Okoye turns out to be, it may be some time before fans see it. Executive Producer Nate Moore revealed that the Wakandan spinoff series is “probably not as far along as people want it to be” and Gurira has a full slate of Walking Dead-related projects ahead over the next few years. However, given Coogler’s passion for developing the World of Wakanda, there will certainly be more adventures including its characters while fans wait for the return of Okoye and her “blue suit.”
