Weeks back, it was announced that British actress Michaela Coel had joined the Marvel Universe as part of the upcoming “Black Panther 2” movie.
According to Pink News, Coel’s character could be a member of the LGBT+ community and romance between her character and another female role could blossom onscreen.
The publication reports that Coel will play the character of Aneka — a former captain of the Dora Milaje. Aneka is found guilty of murdering a chieftain who had been terrorizing women. Aneka and Ayo, a member of the Dora Milaje( the personal bodyguards of the Black Panther. In the MCU, Ayo is played by Florence Kasumba. The pair later teamed up to become the Midnight Angels. They also become lovers.
Speaking to Vulture in 2018, Kasumba addressed the lack of representation in the record-breaking movie — and the MCU in general.
“I’d love to, at some point,” she said about seeing Ayo’s sexuality explored on screen. “Not now, because it’s too soon. At this point, the focus is somewhere else. I started reading World of Wakanda towards the end of filming and I loved reading the comics. I loved reading about, Okay, how do the Doras become Doras?” she said.
“That’s the whole reason why we had a boot camp [to train for the movie]: In order to be physically able to move as a unit. That was more important. That’s what I’m saying, right? Who is in love with whom and whatever — that was not important in this movie.”
It looks like now could be the time.
Coel received four Emmy nominations for her HBO Max series, ‘I May Destroy You.” Her other credits include the Netflix programs “Black Mirror” and “Chewing Gum,” and the feature films “Been So Long” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
The cast of “Black Panther 2” has remained tight-lipped about the storylines in the upcoming movie.
