Written by Jim Zub with art by Lan Medina, the new ongoing series brings a squad first seen in the pages of Jason Aaron’s AVENGERS (2018) into the spotlight—or, more appropriately, into the shadows.

An under-the-radar task force spearheaded by the King of Wakanda with the help of General Okoye, the Agents of Wakanda introduce their very own brand of covert operations as the Wasp, Ka-Zar, and Gorilla-Man come together to take on threats across realities...

We caught up with Mr. Zub to find out more about how this team is going to take on vampires, aliens, angry fish kings, and more.

Can you tell us a little bit about the vibe you’re going for with BLACK PANTHER AND THE AGENTS OF WAKANDA?

BLACK PANTHER AND THE AGENTS OF WAKANDA is Kirby-fueled Mission: Impossible in the Marvel Universe. It's over-the-top action and unexpected twists with a cast of characters pulled from strange places in the Marvel Comics canon. This is a strike force of misfits and monsters tasked with defending humanity and that gives me the freedom to tell a huge range of stories—serious and sadistic, epic and emotional.

Did you pick up any tips or tricks from Jason Aaron’s take on this team in AVENGERS?

Jason assembled a really bold group of weird and wonderful heroes. I'm using that as the foundation for the series and building up from there. Black Panther is at the forefront, of course, but each story will also rotate in or out other agents as needed, mixing up our character dynamics to keep it fresh and fun. The Agents of Wakanda are part of the broader Avengers support structure, but also operate independent of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, dealing with a staggering array of dangers, big and small. That's what Jason started with, and I'm pushing that out even further.

Expanding from that, what makes the Agents of Wakanda different from other teams we’ve seen before?

Black Panther is Chairman of the Avengers and also leader of the nation of Wakanda and that's a mix of super heroics and politics that puts foreign governments in an uneasy position. The global support the Avengers took for granted no longer exists, so T’Challa realized he needed to assemble a “ground crew” to handle intelligence gathering and ops that used to be dealt with by S.H.I.E.L.D. and other espionage agencies around the world. That's where the Agents of Wakanda come in. Under Okoye’s supervision, this cadre is tasked with dangerous quick response missions on Earth or even in other realities, gathering information about and defending the planet from threats both known and unknown.

The Avengers handle big front line foes around the world. The Agents of Wakanda take care of everything else. Under the radar of other Super Heroes is where we find some of the strangest and most sinister enemies in the Marvel Universe.



Will T’Challa have trouble juggling the throne and this team?

Absolutely. T'Challa is trying to be everything to everyone: a peacemaker and a warrior, a thoughtful leader and an imposing King. He needs to be mindful of everything, but there's no way he can be everywhere at once. That's why Okoye's team of agents is so crucial to his long term plans.