Actress and screenwriter Michaela Coel has dropped some new information on her role inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. The actress, who plays Dora Milaje member Aneka, revealed that her character would be having a forbidden romance with Ayo in the sequel.
In the comics, Aneka and Ayo (played inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverby Florence Kasumba) are two Midnight Angels - an elite strike force within the already-elite Dora Milaje. The two fall in love following the flooding of Wakanda at the hands of Namor (played in the MCU by Tenoch Huerta). The two have been prominent supporting characters in the Black Panther mythos, and Ayo herself has appeared several times in the MCU. She appeared most recently inThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where she reunited with Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, whom she helped free from Hydra’s mind control.
RELATED:Some Marvel Fans Think There’s Another Black Panther in Wakanda Forever’s Trailer
In an interview withVogue, Coel revealed that the relationship between Aneka and Ayo was what drew her to the role, which is the first confirmation that this aspect of the comics will be adapted inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. Coel explained to the publication, “That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer. I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.” Her desire to see the affair between Aneka and Ayo play out mirrored a desire to promote change within Ghana, where Coel has familial roots.
The country has Draconian anti-gay laws, and recently made identifying as gay or an ally a second degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s fine, it’s just politics.’ But I don’t think it is just politics when it affects how people get to live their daily lives," Coel said. “That’s why it felt important for me to step in and do that role because I know just by my being Ghanaian, Ghanaians will come.”
The depiction of Aneka and Ayo in an explicit romantic relationship would be a step forward within the Marvel Studios films. There has been little on-screen LGBT+ representation in the MCU thus far. While LGBT+ characters have appeared on-screen, few of them have engaged in any sort of romantic relationship or their orientation has been downplayed. Disney has also faced backlash for donating to politicians in support ofFlorida’s recent Don’t Say Gay bill.
Most recently, Korg (Taika Waititi) was revealed to be gay inThor Love and Thunder. Thelesbian identity of Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavezwas not explored withinDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the character explicitly had two mothers and a nod to her sexuality was included in her costuming (she wears a rainbow pin on her denim jacket). Aneka and Ayo’s relationship would be the second to be explored in theaters, with the first being Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) of theEternals, who was depicted with a husband and son.
Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverreleases in theaters on July 30, 2025.
MORE:Deadpool 3: 10 Villains Who Could Be Great For The Hugh Jackman Ryan Reynolds Movie
