Why is it Nakias face? Shouldn't it be T'Challa?
Thing is, despite whatever Coates says after the fact,
Coates killed that relationship before it could even begin thanks to that one cargo ship issue. And her reason given to Storm isn't even true, They didn't progress the relationship because she wanted him to sort out his feelings and then that ooc moment happened. Not because they were at war
But that makes zero sense. Why kill the old Nakia who was just fine and had lots of development already for a new version just to do the same thing? What's the difference? Age? By now the old version Nakia is probably around 20 or so. Making NuNakia malice is just dumb. May as well get away from that and let the malice moniker die.
Trying to make sense of Coates convoluted nonsense, is nothing more than an exercise in futility.
It's rather shameful that Marvel has no problem changing or assigning solid writers and creative with proven track records to every other book other than the Black Panther solo.
There's no justifiable reason for Coates to have been given the leeway to thoroughly subvert the BP mythos in the way in which he has done with the able assistance of a somewhat lackadaisical editorial team who seem not to give a damn about the damage that this writer has done this far to T'Challa and his unique mythos.
The fact that practically all of T'Challa's strongest characterisations and feats have occurred outside of his actual solo book, says more about Coates steadfast agenda to run the character down and destroy the mythos in the process, than anything else, whilst illustrating just how uninterested Marvel editorial seem to be in harnessing the good will that the hugely successful Black Panther movie generated.
Go read any other prominent Marvel superheroes books especially during big events like Thor's War Of The Realms event to see how both Thor and other Marvel characters such as the Punisher in particular, were portrayed when facing off against insurmountable odds and conditions outside of their particular wheelhouse, wherein Frank Castle was taking out all manner of Norse mythology based threats without breaking a sweat.
That's why I just shake my head when some readers/posters seek to foist their ideas as to what consists as "reality" onto the fictional worldof T'Challa and his mythos whilst refusing to apply the same "logic" to other Marvel intellectual properties.
It definitely looks like Nakia and it looks like the symbiote/NuKillmonger will finally make use of Bast's powers that they stole back in issue 6 or it has something to do with the goddess from Killmonger. It does look like its using Killmonger as a hist with the scars over its body.
Coates is clearly leveraging his national recognition and comics are rarely assigned with regards to much thought. Rob Liefeild (sp), for example, may have created Deadpool but it was the writers who developed him. Yet who gets the credit? Who was able to keep coming back around?
Yeah I've given up on trying to figure it out. It's just business as usual, I mean from the get go he said he didn't want to write T'Challa as "awesome awesome awesome" he really stuck to those guns and has from day one, wrote him as chump chump chump. Im counting down the days until we can get a new creative team in. Someone like redjack, who understands the importance of BP would be a good fit. He's already proven he can write T'Challa both in comic's and in the cartoon, and the fact that he would also separate T'Challa and Storm for good also is a good thing I believe. Or if Hudlin found the time to get back in the game and write WWW that'd be badass too.
If they want a new Cat Womsn, Coates Nakia actually works better in a lot of ways. Firstly the age thing. But secondly Tchalla actually did have romantic feelings for her, unlike the previous version. That actually makes for better sexual tension, which is ideally what you want in a cat woman.
I'm assuming Killnonger gets the symbiote over Nakia, but playing devils advocate if they were to make new Nakia a villain she needs it more.
Killomger is okay without it. I still think he needs a power boost, but even as is he's proven a match for Tchalla. Nakia conversely shouldn't last 3 seconds.