At first glance, it would appear that the only thing Black Panther and Venom share is the color of their costume, and the release year of their movies. Though both characters undeniably rank among Marvel's most popular, they exist in two very different spaces within the Marvel Universe. One thing both characters share is that each has a legacy. Between Shuri's time as Black Panther and Flash Thompson's time as Venom, multiple characters have inherited the titles of Black Panther and Venom. Still, it's rare for one character to inherit the mantle of two heroes. In Venomverse: War Stories Marvel's first Nigerian superheroine does just that... by gaining the powers of Black Panther and Venom.
Venomverse: War Stories is a collection of tales from across Marvel's multiverse about various characters becoming infected with the Venom symbiote. The issue's second story Blessing in Disguise introduces Ngozi, a young woman from Lagos Nigeria who became paralyzed from the waist down after a bus accident. An avid bug collector, Ngozi leaves her room to track down a grasshopper only to find herself in the middle of a battle between T'Challa and the Rhino. After being tackled by T'Challa, the Rhino drops a canister containing the Venom symbiote, which rolls towards Ngozi and bonds with her. After witnessing the Rhino kill T'Challa, Ngozi sprouts wings and manages to defeat the villain. Black Panther's guards mourn the loss of their king but encourage Ngozi to come with them to Wakanda. It doesn't take long for the Wakandans to see her nobility and strength. The issue ends with Ngozi being given the heart-shaped herb and becoming the interim Black Panther.
Related: The REAL Reason Spider-Man’s Bully Is Named “FLASH” Thompson
Ngozi would appear once more, this time in the last issue of Black Panther: Long Live the King. This story shows Ngozi arriving back in Lagos for her aunt's wedding. Before Ngozi has a chance to settle back in her home city, the wedding's food is stollen by Ngozi's ex-boyfriend, a mutant named Olu with the power to control electricity. Ngozi lets the symbiote take control as she finds the slum her boyfriend and his band of mutants hide in. The exhaustion of her duties as Black Panther combined with her old feelings for Olu fuel the symbiote's rage and turn her into a dragon. Right as the Symbiote prepares to kill the thieves, Ngozi realizes the true reason they stole the food was to feed the slum's children. The new Black Panther is heartbroken to find the slum bulldozed in the morning, a victim of anti-mutant prejudice. Wakanda ends up paying to replace the wedding's food. At the wedding, a power surge and blooming rose tell her all is forgiven between her and Olu.
Ngozi was a personal character for her creator Nnedi Okorafor, who is also Nigerian and a person with limited mobility. Okorafor is an acclaimed science fiction writer who has also written multiple characters for Marvel. Ngozi is not just Marvel's first Nigerian superheroine, she is also one of Marvel's few mobility-impaired heroes. The character was met with acclaim from disability advocates who saw Ngozi's short journey as a positive move for representation.
Seeing a character like Ngozi be given superpowers is another example of Marvel's forward-thinking approach to heroes. Long before representation was a common topic of discussion in comics, Marvel created a blind hero with Daredevil and even gave Hawkeye a hearing impairment after a young fan wrote to them that he was scared to wear his hearing aid. Having the powers of both Black Panther and Venom might seem odd at first glance, but those two power sets reflect the character perfectly given Black Panther's strong ties to Africa and the Venom Symbiote's role in giving mobility to Flash Thomspon after he lost his legs.
Venomverse: War Stories shows Marvel's commitment to the idea that there is no barrier to being a hero. Ngozi is a first for Marvel in many ways, and readers can only hope she won't be a last.
Next: Marvel Shows Why Black Panther Is The Most Powerful Avenger