Two new Black Panther Spots Highlights the King’s Ferocious Dora Milaje Bodyguards

If T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is going to have any chance ruling Wakanda and staving off the power-mad Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), he’s going to need the Dora Milaje. These elite warriors (all of them are women) are Black Panther’s first line of defense, his most trusted allies and his real secret weapon (even more so than his incredible suit). In two new videos, one a featurette and the other a TV spot, we get a longer look at the Dora Milaje, the most elite fighting force in Wakanda. They represent one of the reasons why Black Panther looks unlike any other Marvel film before it.

The Dora Milaje are just about the absolute best protection a king and a superhero could have. They’re led by Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), who we see trying to work through some differences, which are mainly a result of their varying methods and skills. Okoye is the more traditional of the two, and as the Dora Milaje’s general, she has a very specific way of doing things. Nakia is more of a spy, with her own ideas on how best to protect the king and the throne.

Yet the Dora Milaje know how to come together when there’s a fight to be had. They’ll be showing off their incredible battle skills both in Black Panther, which bows on February 14, and then a few months later, when Avengers: Infinity War drops on May 4. Our guess is they’re going to be crucial to stopping both Killmonger and Thanos, and will join Black Widow, Scarlett Witch and Valkyrie as some of the most powerful superheroes—regardless of gender—in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.