Who are the Midnight Angels in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
There were several big announcements at Expo D23 this year. One of the much talked about projects was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There was also a reveal of new comic-accurate costumes for the Midnight Angels. So who exactly are they and their members Aneka and Ayo?
Who are the Midnight Angels?
If you’ve heard of Dora Milaje, you also know the Midnight Angels. The Dora Milaje are obviously the personal bodyguards of the King or rather the Black Panther. They are extremely skilled fighters and are trained in martial arts as well as the handling of various weapons. The Midnight Angels are essentially a small group within the Dora Milaje. They are the strongest and best of them and they form a striking force. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be the Midnight Angels’ first launch on the big screen. We see them in action when Namor the submariner decides to invade Wakanda.
In the comics, the Midnight Angels are extremely loyal to T’Challa and fight with him on the battlefield. They are extremely brave and courageous warriors. They stood firm against Dr. Doom after stealing Vibranium from Wakanda. Then they also helped Deadpool in his mission to kill Doom. They wore Vibranium-free armor in order to escape Doom’s control. Even their weapons are free of Vibranium. Midnight Angels use Kimoyo beads as a means of communication. If they move their hand in a form of sign language, they are able to send text messages using the beads. They can even produce holograms. Their mode of transportation is a Quinjet used specifically by the Midnight Angels called the Dagger.
New costumes for the Midnight Angels unveiled
In the very first Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer, Dora Milaje’s Aneka is seen wearing a brand new outfit. The outfit can be recognized as the Midnight Angels costume from Marvel’s Black Panther comics. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s costume designer, Ruth Carter, designed her costumes with meticulous attention to detail. These suits were on display at Expo D23. The Midnight Angels costume consists of a brand new helmet, two daggers that can also be seen in the trailer, and striking blue and gold armor. The display also contained updated costumes for Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and M’Baku (Winston Duke). Ayo and Aneka, two members of the Dora Milaje, had stolen prototypes of the Midnight Angel’s armor to help the people of Wakanda.
Who are Aneka and Ayo?
Aneka was an extremely important character in the Black Panther comics. She was tasked with training Dora Milaje’s fighters and teaching female warriors techniques to fight robots. T’Challa did this in anticipation of the Doomwars. Aneka was then put on trial for killing the chief of a village. She was brought before Queen Ramonda to face justice. During this panel, we also meet Ayo, teammate of Dora Milaje. She defended Aneka and justified her actions. It turns out that the chief abused the women of the village and thus forced Aneka to take serious measures.
Despite her efforts, Aneka was found guilty by the Queen and sent to Fort Hahn’s Wakandan Prison to face her death. It was then that Ayo stole the Midnight Angels armor and took it upon herself to break Aneka out of jail. Then, with their armor stolen, they swore never to return to the Dora Milaje.
However, they always remained loyal to the kingdom and protected it from threats when needed. In fact, they helped the Jabari tribe and the Dora Milaje to kill the white gorilla. Eventually, a time came when T’Challa needed their help to defeat the people’s onslaught. shuri then managed to convince Aneka and Ayo to help the Black Panther defend the Golden City. They will surely play an important role in the next movie and it will certainly be very exciting.
