Nakia

Nakia made her entrance in the very first issue of Christopher Priest's landmark 1998 Black Panther run — one of the most celebrated relaunches in Marvel's modern era — and her debut issue itself carries key-issue status among collectors. Over roughly seventeen years, she wove through the world of Wakanda alongside T'Challa, the enigmatic Everett K. Ross, and the warrior elder Zuri, becoming a recurring presence in a series that redefined what a Black Panther story could be. Priest's run is the stuff of legend, and Nakia is part of its original fabric — making her a character whose significance is inseparable from one of Marvel's most critically beloved comics of the Copper/Modern Age. If you're diving into Black Panther: The Client or the Complete Collection, you'll find her right there at the beginning of something special.