Princess. Genius. Warrior. Engineer. Queen. Black Panther. Aja-Adanna. All of these words could be used to describe Shuri of Wakanda. She’s made quite the name for herself and is now in a major motion picture. So who is this amazing woman with all these titles? Let’s find out!
Shuri of Wakanda is the youngest daughter of King T’Chaka of the royal family. As smart as she was eager to become the next Black Panther, Shuri would attempt to sneak in to the tournament for the fight to be the next Black Panther but saw that her brother, T’Challa, had won the match before she could try. She was still young when the terrorist known as Klaw would attack Wakanda and leave a devastating destruction in his wake. Shuri would have to kill for the first time in order to survive and her father would die at the hands of Klaw. Devastated, Shuri would seek her brother, to help train her to be ready for any future combat, including if there was a time she needed to take his place as Black Panther.
Often taking control of Wakanda while her brother was off doing diplomacy/superhero work, Shuri would learn to take on leadership first hand. She’d also end up having to defend Wakanda from invaders who thought that the Black Panther was the only thing keeping the nation safe, they would learn the hard way how wrong they were. She’d take on the likes of Killmonger and the Skrulls on different occasions and come out victorious.
When her brother is put into a coma, there are Latverian forces at the borders of Wakanda, ready to strike. Shuri tries and fails to win the favor of Bast for the mantle of Black Panther. It would take her saving Wakanda from a threat and reviving her brother without any of the powers a Black Panther normally wields to impress Bast and gain the powers she’d wanted for so long.
The looming threat of Doctor Doom and Latveria was found to be him infecting Wakandans with nanites. Doom’s forces would overwhelm them, causing great casualties for Wakanda and Doom getting a hold of a lot of Vibranium. To stop him from using it, her brother would cause all Wakandan Vibranium to become inert. Wakanda would struggle to return economically from their number one resource not being viable, Shuri would head to the Savage Lands to lay claim on a rich vein of Vibranium. She’d face off again Klaw which would turn into a globe-spanning quest to save the world.
Her people having access to Vibranium once more was a short-lived victory as Namor of Atlantis had attacked her brother and Shuri declared war against Atlantis. She would argue with her brother over this decision until she banished him from the Golden City, the capital of Wakanda. The war with Namor and Atlantis would cause massive devastation to Wakanda, she’d sacrifice her life to save her brother and her people.
She had not truly died but was stuck in a limbo state between life and death. Her brother worked hard and bringing her back to the land of the living while her soul found her mother in the land of the dead. She would train with her mother in the ways of the spirits, when her brother was able to reunite her soul with her body she would return with new powers and a new title, Aja-Adanna. She would assist reuniting the splintered Dora Milaje to aide her brother in repairing the fractured post-war Wakanda.
There you have it! Shuri has been one of the coolest characters in the Black Panther mythos since she hit the scene. She’s now on the big screen in the Black Panther film. Seemed fitting to give her the spotlight. What amazing things will she do in the future of comics and films? Guess we’ll have to wait and see. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Black Panther #2, Vol. 4
Black Panther #4 Vol. 5
Black Panther Vol. 6
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
