Malice

Nakia Shauku was born among the Q’Noma Valley Marsh Tribe of Wakanda. Tribal elders selected her for the Dora Milaje and she spent years training before entering the service of King T’Challa. She became close to fellow Dora Milaje Okoye but developed an intense romantic fixation on T’Challa. He viewed her position as ceremonial and did not return her feelings.

Mephisto later created an illusion that caused T’Challa to kiss Nakia. She interpreted the event as proof that he desired her and became hostile toward Monica Lynne. Nakia attempted to kill Monica before T’Challa intervened and banished her from Wakanda. Achebe later captured and tortured Nakia until Erik Killmonger freed her. Killmonger restored her through the Altar of Resurrection and granted her enhanced physical abilities. He gave her the name Malice and directed her anger against T’Challa.

Malice attacked T’Challa and several women connected to him. She later joined forces with Man-Ape and poisoned several of his allies. T’Challa defeated her plan but she gave him the antidote before escaping. Nakia later rescued Everett Ross from the Hatut Zeraze despite remaining an exile. Years of using the jufeiro herb left her gravely ill. She stole the adaptive weapon Mimic-27 and sent it against Storm in an effort to draw T’Challa to her.

Appearance: Malice has deep umber brown skin and a tall heavily athletic build with broad shoulders powerful arms a narrow waist defined hips and muscular thighs. Her dark brown eyes sit beneath sharply angled brows. Her black hair is thick and swept backward in broad windblown layers with several narrow braids extending from the crown. Gold beads secure sections of the braids near their ends.

She wears a sleeveless deep blue wrap garment that crosses tightly around her chest and torso. The fabric leaves much of her shoulders upper chest waist hips and upper thighs uncovered. A long blue panel descends from the waist between her legs with heavy folds along its length. Matching blue thigh high coverings fit closely around her legs and are bordered by narrow silver bands.

Several pale silver cords wrap around her waist and hips. A strand of large round gold beads hangs low across the front of her pelvis. Thick gold bands circle her wrists and forearms with raised angular sections and polished surfaces. Additional gold pieces frame the upper arms with broad pointed shapes.

White cords wrap around her lower legs in dense layered bands. Long loose strips extend from the bindings with narrow pointed ends.

Personality: Nakia begins as a committed Wakandan warrior who wants her service to T’Challa to become a genuine marriage. Her unreturned love develops into possessiveness and jealousy. After her exile she builds her identity around punishing T’Challa and removing women whom she views as rivals. She remains capable of helping former allies when their survival depends on her actions.

T’Challa is the central figure in Nakia’s life. She initially serves him as a bodyguard and potential ceremonial bride. His rejection and decision to banish her transform her devotion into resentment. Monica Lynne becomes her earliest target because Nakia believes Monica stands between her and T’Challa. She later directs the same jealousy toward Dakota North and Storm.

Okoye was Nakia’s friend and fellow Dora Milaje before her fall. Okoye accepted that T’Challa viewed them as guards while Nakia continued expecting a romantic relationship. Erik Killmonger exploited Nakia’s humiliation and gave her the power to become Malice. The Dora Milaje later opposed her actions but still sought her help when Mimic-27 threatened Wakanda and New York.

Nakia received extensive Dora Milaje training in armed combat and unarmed fighting. She is skilled in infiltration and assassination. She can operate Wakandan aircraft and fight effectively with blades or firearms. Her preferred weapons have included a barbed knife and a launcher that fires bladed projectiles.

The Altar of Resurrection granted Malice superhuman strength and speed. It also enhanced her agility and accuracy. She developed poisons and used jufeiro spores to weaken inhibitions and manipulate male targets through heightened desire.