Marvel Hired Its First Black Women Writers To Pen A ‘Black Panther’ Spin-Off

Wakanda is one of the most advanced nations on (the main) Earth in Marvel‘s universe. Who wouldn’t want to play around in that sandbox? Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay and University of Pittsburgh professor Yona Harvey are going to get the chance in the Black Panther spin-off series World of Wakanda. Gay and Harvey will be the comic publishing giant’s first female black writers in its history.

Wakanda will follow two former members of the Black Panther’s all-female guard, Ayo and Aneka.

“The opportunity to write black women and queer black women into the Marvel universe, there’s no saying no to that,” Gay said in an interview with the New York Times.

Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the current run of Black Panther deals with the nation of Wakanda growing a tired of their ruler. T’Challa’s superheroics as the Black Panther have had negative effects on the country he rules. The idea of violent revolt is on the mind of many of the kingdom’s citizens, including Ayo and Aneka.

“[Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther] is just always exploring tensions and alliances and disagreements and insights that are happening across the African diaspora,” Harvey told Pitt News. “That’s always been infinitely appealing to me, so I love being able to think about that more and apply it to Wakanda. I mean that just totally geeks me out.”

The announcement of the series comes in the wake of criticism when fans found out that black, female Iron Man RiRi Williams would be written by a white male.

×