The first time MCU fans met Danai Gurira's Okoye was in the first Black Panther movie in 2018. Introduced as one of the Dora Milaje, Okoye was shown as a force to be reckoned with as she fulfilled her duty to protect Wakanda and the royal family. This largely carries over into Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but after a recruitment mission with Shuri (Letitia Wright) goes awry, Okoye is stripped of her title and her purpose lands on shaky ground.
After Shuri and Riri (Dominque Thorne) were kidnapped by a small group of Talokanil, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) was furious at Okoye. Believing Okoye was then unfit to uphold her duties, the queen removed Okoye from the Dora, a devastating consequence for the warrior. Eventually, Okoye continues to find ways to help. In the final battle, she even dons a new suit made by Shuri, which she was initially extremely resistant to wearing. In an interview with Deadline, Gurira expands on Okoye's future after the credits roll, sharing what some of her hopes are for the character. She shares that during a press event at the DGA, director Ryan Coogler and producer Nate Moore had discussed scenes left out from the final product, including one centered on Okoye:
"And then there's another key one of mine, which is really my character saying bye to Shuri and she just catches her in Haiti unexpectedly, and Shuri's like, 'Are you going back to the Dora?' and my character says no. And she said, 'Where are you going to go,' and I was like wherever my blue suit takes me, and she just walks off. And they have the beautiful moment, and then she just walks off. [Coogler] was saying it's like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don't know where Okoye's going. And she's sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That's kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don't know where that leads to."
Gurira continues that, should we ever see Okoye again, this thread is something she'd like to explore more of. She cites it as something "very, very exciting" to her, considering that Okoye has, up until this point, had one central purpose throughout her time in the MCU thus far. Gurira is interested in seeing how a woman like Okoye, "who has been used to carrying the most advanced nation on the planet on her shoulders," moves forward. "What does she do when she just lets go? Who does she become?"
As of now, Marvel hasn't shared any word on whether we'll see a third Black Panther movie or any related solo features or shows beyond a continuation of Riri's story in Ironheart. Regardless, the superhero giant has several movies planned through 2026 that keep the door open, even if only slightly, for Okoye's return down the line.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out now in theaters. Watch our interview with Gurira below: