The Black Panther had some prolific women running the show, and in the Marvel comics, these women also have really interesting backstories.
Nakia, for instance, has been trained as a spy and an assassin and could possibly have outdone T’Challa in combat, at least before he became Black Panther. Shuri, on the other hand, is a technological and scientific marvel, often considered to be smarter than Tony Stark or Bruce Banner. But is Nakia or Shuri the stronger one, in the Black Panther universe? Let’s explore this further:
Nakia Is Stronger: Expert In Ritualistic Martial Arts
Nakia was a champion in several different forms of martial arts, often proving to be even faster than T’Challa. Though hand-to-hand combat is her specialty there are several distinct ritualistic defense techniques she is skilled in, which makes her such a coveted soldier.
She is also a top-ranking warrior in the River Tribe as she was standing next to the Tribe Elder holding her weapons during the coronation of T'Challa and was also the first one to utter the tribe's warrior chant. The reason why the fandom has often advocated Nakia as the next Blak Panther is because she has held her own in battle with Killmonger and has helped out T’Challa in battle.
Shuri Is Stronger: Scientific Intellect
Shuri’s astonishing scientific prowess may have been somewhat downplayed in Black Panther or maybe she was having just too much fun, because, in the Marvel universe, Shuri’s scientific prowess is rather overwhelming, especially for someone her age.
She’s responsible for some of the most outstanding inventions in Wakanda, a land considered to be the most advanced in technology; she’s in charge of the Wakandan Design Group that is the main unit behind most of the technological upgrades and advanced communication devices.
Nakia Is Strongest: Excellent Espionage Skills
Nakia’s credentials as a first-class spy were a bit underutilized in the first Black Panther movie. She was one of the most established of the War Dogs, which is the elite, central intelligence service of Wakanda.
This would explain how she was able to infiltrate a kidnapping so efficiently at the beginning of the movie. A crucial part of her job is keeping Wakanda safe with the help of intel that she collected from over the world, be it military logistics or political developments.
Shuri Is Stronger: Prolific Innovator
Shuri is a master innovator which makes her such an asset to the Avengers. She was the one overseeing all the recent upgrades in Wakanda’s weaponry, transportations, communication devices, and defense systems, and is definitely one of the few people responsible for Wakanda’s relevance as a superpower.
She is responsible for Black Panther’s astoundingly astute and efficient costume which preceded Tony Stark’s most advanced armor, she also developed the powerful kinetic energy blast gauntlets that have been a primary weapon of combat during the Endgame wars, and she also made Bucky Barnes' vibranium arm.
Nakia Is Stronger: Her Mastery With Chakrams
Nakia’s primary weapon of choice is the lethal ring blades of Chakrams, which can be useful in several different types of weapon-based military combat routines. Broadly speaking, these weapons are some of the functional military equipment, which makes Nakia’s prowess over it so useful to her profile. The ring blades are so efficient because they are lighter than most vibranium-made weapons and extremely resistant but they can absorb vibrations and can cut through almost any metal.
The ring blades can also be used as throwing weapons because they return to its owner after they’ve been thrown or as close-quarter combat weapons. They are also very versatile in of design because as seen in the Black Panther movie, the first time Nakia uses single ring blades with a handle, but later on she uses a pair of double-ring weapons, with rings being connected with a blue energy field, that can emit energy blasts.
Shuri Is Stronger: She’s An Expert In Medicine
Shuri has an edge over Nakia because she’s an exceptional medic as well, which makes her so useful to Avengers. Interestingly, her mastery in physics and engineer comes in handy in this aspect as well, since so many of the Avengers have scientifically engineered body parts and they can't really be treated by regular doctors.
She was able to mend Bucky’s programming and fix him up with a vibranium arm, which also needed her to be quite well-versed in human anatomy, she saved Everett Ross from an injury that could have left him terribly wounded, she also proved more useful than Bruce Banner when she came up with a way to safely remove the Mind Stone from Vision.
Nakia Is Stronger: Adept At Military Strategy
In the comics, Nakia is a former Dora Milaje, but in the films, Nakia only dons the Dora uniform for battle, but it’s obvious that Nakia is quite accomplished in military planning and can adapt to new strategies quite fast on the battlefield.
One reason for that is of course, her superhuman strength that has been well established in the comics and the movies, but Nakia has also received elite grooming to become a super spy. In the film, she can use complicated weapons to her advantage without having used them before be it a full-sized service pistol, a battle rifle, or something new.
Shuri Is Stronger: She’s A Necromancer
In the comics, Shuri has raised an army of deceased Wakandan warriors to assist her in battle, although it took a toll on her body and completely drained her of energy.
In the comics, Shuri gains most of her training and power from her time with the mythical Griot spirits of Djalia, from who she also learns the art of necromancy. Although this aspect of her power has not been explored in the MCU, chances are that it could be a major part of the Black Panther installments if Shuri’s narrative gets more attention.
Nakia Is Stronger: Political Acumen
The reason Nakia becomes a confidante for King T’Challa is, of course, her unquestionable political acuity. This makes sense because Nakia was part of the elite force Hatut Zeraze or War Dogs, which has often been called the Wakandan CIA. Nakia was trained to be an assassin and a spy, and a major part of her job profile was collecting data about global upheavals.
This obviously made her an astute political commentator and she was able to weigh in on Killmonger’s motivations. Her knowledge of global politics makes her a lot wiser than Shuri, who has spent most of her life in Wakanda and has invested her time only in the land’s welfare.
Shuri Is Stronger: Superhuman Senses
In the comics, of course, Shuri consumes the heart-shaped herb that gives each Black Panther their power, and that leads to her augmented abilities. But in the movies too, Shuri has excellent sensory clarity that helps her in her scientific innovation and also gives her a heads up about certain dangers.
Her vision extends into the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which lets her see in total darkness, and she can even detect sounds that others cannot and she can memorize individual musks and certain scents.
