| Wakanda | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Country |
| Ruler | Black Panther |
| Ethnic group(s) | Wakandan |
| Race(s) | Human |
| Location | Central Africa |
| Locations | Birnin Zana (Golden City) The Vibranium Mound Jabari village |
| Characters | T'Challa |
| Population | 6,000,000 |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Demonym | Wakandan |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy |
| Currency | Wakandan Dollar |
| Language(s) | Wakandan Yoruba Hausa Lingala Xhosa English[1] |
Wakanda (/wəˈkɑːndə,-ˈkæn-/), officially theKingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byStan Lee andJack Kirby, the country first appeared inFantastic Four #52 (July 1966).[2] Wakanda is located insub-Saharan Africa and has been depicted as being inEast Africa.[3] It is home to the superheroBlack Panther.
Wakanda has appeared in comics and various media adaptations, such as in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, where it is depicted as the most technologically advanced nation on Earth.
Some sources place Wakanda just north ofTanzania and exactly atRwanda,[4] while others — such asMarvel Atlas #2[1] — show it at the north end ofLake Turkana, in betweenSouth Sudan,Uganda,Kenya, andEthiopia (and surrounded by fictional countries like Azania, Canaan, and Narobia).[5]
DirectorRyan Coogler stated that his depiction of Wakanda in the 2018 filmBlack Panther was inspired by the Southern AfricanKingdom of Lesotho.[6][7]
In recent stories by writerTa-Nehisi Coates, Wakanda is located onLake Victoria, near fellow fictional nations Mohannda, Canaan,Azania, and Niganda. This places these nations mostly in what in real life is the eastern half of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.[8]
Birnin Zana is located within Wakanda. It is considered by some to be asmart city.[9] In Birnin Zana, pedestrians walk along commerce-filled streets that are car-free except for the occasional appearance ofbus-likeshuttles. The whole is quite similar to thewoonerf concept, an approach to public space design which started in the Netherlands in the 1970s.Maglev trains are seen zipping above and around the city. Wakandan buildings incorporate some traditional African elements, such asthatched roofs andhanging gardens, on some of the tallest structures.[10]
Before the emergence of the Wakandan nation, mystic beings known as Originators lived in the region. Originators were diverse races:Anansi (spider-like), Vanyan (ape-like), Creeping Doom (insectoid), Ibeji (two-headed humanoids)[11] and Children of Olokun (sea-creatures).[12][13]
The Originators were expelled from the region by the humans and the Orisha,[14] thepantheon of Wakanda consisting ofThoth,Ptah, Mujaji, Kokou andBast, the Panther Goddess.[15][16]
Eons ago during the First Blasphemy,Khonshu tries to avenge a prisoner that was killed byVarnae only for Bast to tell Khonshu to stay his hand. Varnae had stolen Vibranium from the Fires of Ptah and planned to ascend to godhood. This attracted the attention of Khonshu, who met with Bast, Eshu, Gherke, and Ptah duringRa's slumber. He wanted the gods in the surrounding realms to be made aware before he retaliated. He gained their support, as well as the support of Kokou the Ever-Burning. In the distant past, Bast and Gherke lead theEnneads and the Orishas against Varnae's forces. Kokou confronts Varnae in his temple. The prisoners are evacuated as Bast instructs the black panthers to take the prisoners west and wait for the news of victory.[17]
In the distant past, a massivemeteorite made up of the elementvibranium crashed in Wakanda. The meteorite was named Mena Ngai.[18] It was unearthed a generation before the events of the present day. T'Challa, the previous Black Panther and brother to the current Black Panther, Shuri, is the son of T'Chaka, the Black Panther before him and a descendant of Olumo Bashenga.[19] Knowing that others would attempt to manipulate and dominate Wakanda for this rare and valuable resource, T'Chaka conceals his country from the outside world. He sells off minute amounts of the valuable vibranium while surreptitiously sending the country's best scholars to study abroad, consequently turning Wakanda into one of the world's most technologically advanced nations. Eventually, however, the explorerUlysses Klaue finds his way to Wakanda and covers up his work on a vibranium-powered, sound-based weapon. When exposed, Klaue kills T'Chaka, only to see his "sound blaster" turned on him by a grieving teenaged T'Challa. Klaue's right hand is destroyed, and he and his men flee.[20]
Wakanda has an unusually high rate of mutation due to the dangerouslymutagenic properties of the Vibranium Mound. A large number of these Wakandan Mutates are working forErik Killmonger.[20]
Vibranium radiation has permeated much of Wakanda'sflora andfauna, including the Heart-Shaped Herb eaten by members of the Black Panther Tribe (although T'Challa once allowed a dyingSpider-Man to eat it in the hope that it would help him deal witha mysterious illness) and the flesh of the White Gorilla eaten by the members of the White Gorilla Tribe.
In the 2008 "Secret Invasion" storyline,Skrull forces led by Commander K'vvvr invade Wakanda and engage Black Panther and his forces. Due to heavy resistance to the deployment of technological developments, both sides are forced to fight with swords and spears. The Wakandan forces voluntarily wear panther masks; this prevents the Skrulls from focusing attacks on their leader. Despite losses, the Wakandans defeat the Skrulls. They kill every single one, including K'vvvr, and send their ship back, packed with the bodies. A warning against invading Wakanda is left written on the wall of the ship's control center.[21]
While under the cosmic power of thePhoenix Force,Namor attacks Wakanda for hiding the Avengers and destroys much of the country with a tidal wave. After the attack, all mutants (particularly those who were siding with Phoenix controlled mutants) are banned from entering Wakanda as stated by Black Panther. Some students from the Jean Grey school are attacked by the Wakandan people; the students barely flee with the help of Storm.[22]
When Hydra manipulates a sentient cosmic cube named Kobik into unknowingly replacing the real Captain America's Steve Roger with his Hydra counterpart, then enact theirSecret Empire, Wakanda is under a threat to be taken over by the rise of terrorist group across the universe, with its king T'Challa getting captured and forced to surrender, until all heroes and some villains who rebel against Hydra finally find a way to get both Kobik and the real Steve Rogers back, while rescuing both T'Challa and the rest of both captured and manipulated heroes.[23][24] Once Hydra's empire has been undone, Wakanda expanded its legacy to form anintergalactic empire on Planet Bast, while also revoking the mutant ban in their country, such as allowing Storm to visit and help anytime.[25] The empire, now encompassing five galaxies, arises after a mission that sought the origin of Mena Ngai, the meteorite that brought the vibranium to Wakanda.[18][26]
In an alternative timeline set 2000 years in the distant past,[27][28] a man named after Killmonger's real name, N'Jadaka, became a hero of the empire after retrieving theShard of M'Kraan during the war against theShi'ar Empire. However, the current ruler of Wakanda feared that N'Jadaka would overthrow him, so he sent N'Jadaka along with his squad on a secret suicide mission to take the Matrix of the Mamadou galaxy, which was inhabited by theKronans,Shadow People, and theKlyntar. Upon arriving on a planet in the galaxy, they were quickly attacked by a race known as the Between. Trying to survive, he came across a member of the Klyntar race and bonded with it, since they had a mutual hatred against the current emperor, who made the Klyntar an endangered species.[29] Upon defeating the Between, N'Jadaka and the symbiote killed the emperor and took the throne as the new emperor of the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda.[30] During this time, he got married and conceived a daughter.[31] Upon finding out that T'Challa from thefuture had arrived in his present, he feared that T'Challa would join the Maroon rebels, so he had him become a member of the Nameless, slaves who had their memories wiped and were forced to mine for Vibranium on asteroids.[32][33] However, T'Challa retained his memories of Storm and managed to escape to join the Maroon's regardless. After that, N'Jadaka approachedBast and after recounting his origin, battled Bast's avatar. He was successful in killing it and making his daughter the new Avatar of Bast.[34] After the Maroons got ahold of N'Jadaka's daughter and T'Challa had visited the planet of the Between, N'Jadaka with his army went after the rebels in order to get his daughter back. However, Bast betrayed him and made his Empire fighters crash into the mothership while a rebel commander set the planet holding the rebel base's core to explode as a last ditch attempt to stop him; resulting in the sacrifice of thousands of lives and the apparent death of N'Jadaka.[35][36][37][38]
After N'Jadaka invades Earth, Queen Ramonda forms an alliance with the Originators to prevent total destruction.[39]
There are several theories about the etymology of Wakanda. The name may be inspired by aSiouan god calledWakan Tanka, Wakanda, Wakonda, or Waconda; or Wakandas. Or it may draw from a fictional African tribe fromEdgar Rice Burroughs' novelThe Man-Eater, written in 1915 but published posthumously in 1957;[40] or otherwise from any of several terms derived from theProto-Bantu "-ganda", such as the KenyanKambaethnic group, also called Akamba or Wakamba;[41][42] or the wordkanda, which means "family" inKikongo.[43]
In the comics, Wakanda has three official languages: Wakandan,Yoruba andHausa.[1] In theMarvel Cinematic Universe, characters from Wakanda are portrayed speaking the South AfricanXhosa language.[44][45] The Jabari Tribe are portrayed speaking a dialect similar toIgbo fromNigeria.[46][47]
In the 2018 filmBlack Panther and its 2022sequel, the Wakandan language is depicted as being written in a Wakandan writing system based on theNsibidi writing system; the Wakandan writing system was created for the film by production designerHannah Beachler.[48] According to designer Zach Fannin, it was also inspired byTifinagh,Ancient South Arabian andBamum script.[49]
In the comics, Wakanda is the foremostmilitary power on Marvel Earth. The Wakandan Army is the country's main ground forces,[50] while the Wakandan Navy oversees naval operations.[51] The Wakandan Air Guard is the nation'sair force, which includes pilots wearing powerful suits of combat armor.[52] In order to ensure peace and stability in Wakanda, the Black Panther pickedDora Milaje ("adored ones") from rival tribes to serve as his personal guard and ceremonial wives-in-training.[53][54] The Dora Milaje are trained in various African martial arts such asn'golo (Angolan),laamb (Senegalese wrestling) andNguni stick-fighting, as well as other forms of combat from other continents such askrav maga andmuay thai.[12]
Wakanda has its own intelligence system known as the N'Charu Silema; a spy network that worked across the globe to maintain the nation's secrecy.[55][56] It was considered as good as theMossad and certainly better than theCIA andMI6.[57] Later, P.R.I.D.E. (Princess Regent Intelligence Division Executives) was developed as the nation's protection agency.[58] The nation has asecret police called Hatut Zeraze (War Dogs in the Wakandan language).[59] Wakanda is one of the fewEarth-616 civilizations who havecontingency plans for dealing withGalactus, "The Devourer of Worlds".[60]
Wakanda contains a number of religious sects originating from various places in Africa, the Pantheon of Wakanda is known asThe Orisha.[15][16]Orisha is aYoruba word meaning spirit or deity.[61]Bast the Panther Goddess,Thoth, god of the moon and wisdom, andPtah, the Shaper, areHeliopolitan deities, who leftancient Egypt at the time of thepharaohs.[62]Kokou is a warrior orisha fromBenin.[63][64]Mujaji is a rain goddess of theLobedu people ofSouth Africa.[65] Other deities are worshiped in Wakanda, such asSekhmet[66] andSobek,[62] other Helipolitan deities, and the gorilla gods Ghekre[62] and Ngi, worshiped by the Jabari tribe.[67][68] The mutantOroro Munroe (aka Storm), ex-wife of T'Challa and former queen of Wakanda, is called Hadari-Yao ("Walker of Clouds" in ancient Alkamite), a goddess who preserves the balance of natural things.[69] Other little-known gods of Wakanda are enemies of Bast: K'Liluna, Bast's sister, considered a betrayer,[70][71] and Magba.[72]
Bast the Panther Goddess, based onBast theancient Egyptian deity, is the primary deity of Wakanda.[62][73] After the vibranium meteor fell, a number of Wakandans were painfully mutated into "demon spirits" and began attacking their fellow Wakandans.
T'Challa's ancestor Olumo Bashenga began to close the vibranium mound to outsiders. He formed a religious order that guarded the mound and fought to keep the "demon spirits" from spreading across the kingdom. As the ceremonial and religious role, he took the title of Black Panther as chief of the Panther Tribe. As part of the cult's ceremonies, a Black Panther is entitled to the use of a heart-shaped herb. The herb enhances the physical attributes of the person who consumes it to near-superhuman levels, in a similar manner to the super-soldier serum.[74]
The tribe that would become the Jabari worshiped Ngi, who was responsible for creatingGorilla-Man.[67] Ngi was based on theYaounde deity of the same name.[75] Currently, the Jabari tribe worship the gorilla god Ghekre, based on theBaoulé deity of the same name.[62] Wakanda evolved from a hunter-warrior society, and was traditionally ruled by its greatest warrior. The dominant Black Panther Cult outlawed the rival White Gorilla Cult's worship in Wakanda. M'Baku (Man-Ape) of the Jabari tribe is one of Wakanda's greatest warriors, second only to T'Challa, the Black Panther himself. While T'Challa, king of Wakanda, is on a several-month leave of absence from Wakanda, the ambitious M'Baku plots to usurp the throne. M'Baku flouts T'Challa's edicts and revives the White Gorilla Cult, killing one of the rare white gorillas living in the jungles near Wakanda. M'Baku bathes in the gorilla's blood and eats its flesh which "mystically" confers the gorilla's great strength upon M'Baku. He tries to defeat T'Challa in combat, hoping to take over the country, but is beaten and banished from Wakanda.[76] According to the 2018 film, the White Gorilla cult, known in the film as the Jabari (or the Mountain Tribe), revere the (Hindu) monkey god,Hanuman.[77]
Sekhmet the Lion Goddess, based on the deityof the same name,[66] could possess the form of any human worshipers or the bodies of those sanctified and sacrificed by her worshipers, she transformed these subjects into human avatars of herself. She has a number of other powers, some of which she has demonstrated. Sekhmet could grow in size, move at rapid speeds, teleport herself and others, and alter her specific density. The Lion goddess possessed superhuman strength and durability, and she was immortal. She can manipulate the minds of the weak-willed.
Little is known of the history of the Lion Goddess. She had apparently lost many worshipers over the years to the Cult of the Panther God, despite the fact that Sekhmet physically manifested before its followers, and the Panther God only appears to its priests.[66]
Sobek the Crocodile God, based on the deityof the same name, appears to be an ancient and somewhat neglected Wakandan deity.[62][78][79]
Wakanda appears in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmsCaptain America: Civil War,Black Panther,Avengers: Infinity War,Avengers: Endgame,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and in theDisney+ TV seriesWhat If...?.
TwoLittle Golden Books were published.[102]
Text in this article was copied fromWakanda at the Marvel Database, which is released under aCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.
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