10 Most Exciting New Additions To The MCU
7. Lupita Nyong'o As Nakia
Lupita Nyong'o came to fame with her incredibly harrowing performance in 12 Years A Slave, which won her a much-deserved Oscar. While that role proved she was one of the best new actors, she has since been establishing quite a bit of geek cred, having starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and now joining the MCU in Black Panther.
As previously mentioned, Coogler has been putting together quite an amazing cast for his trip to Wakanda and Nyong'o is a huge get. She'll be playing Nakia, one of the members of the Dora Milaje who are the king of Wakanda's most trusted and formidable bodyguards, with suggestions she may also be a love interest.
The fact that her job is to protect her king makes for an interesting dynamic. It would be a shame if an actor of Nyong'o's talents is wasted on typical damsel in distress role, but having her play a true warrior hopefully means Coogler is shaping a strong female lead.
The casting of Nyong'o, along with the rest of the Black Panther cast shows that Marvel is abandoning the ignorant and outdated studio thinking that non-White actors cannot sell a blockbuster. Hopefully this film will help to dispel that myth.