TAKU
Real Name: Taku
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Rigellian);
Occupation: Chief Intelligence officer
Group Membership: "Intergalactic" Empire of Wakanda;
formerly the Maroons, Nameless, part of an unidentified group of Rigellian traders
Affiliations: Achebe of the Empire of Wakanda,
Akili, Black Panther (T'Challa), Asira Davin (formerly Queen Divine Justice), Farouk, Hodari, M'Baku of the Maroons,
Manifold (Eden Fesi), Nakia Cabral of the Maroons, N'Yami of the
Teku-Mazi, Okoye, Ramonda;
indirectly Bast, Daoud, all of the heroes, etc. that
joined the fight against the Askari and Imperial forces, including
Asha, Luke Cage,Cloak
(Tyrone Johnson), Doctor Voodoo (Jericho Drumm), Dora Milage, Falcon
(Sam Wilson), Gentle (Nezhno Abidemi), Ironheart (Riri Williams), Misty
Knight, Midnight Angels (notably Aneka and Ayo), Originators (notably
Ebeji, Simbi & Vanyans), Patriot (Eli Bradley), Patriot (Rayshaun
Lucas), Power Man (Victor Alvarez), Photon/Spectrum (Monica Rambeau),
Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Thunderball (Elliot Franklin), Vibraxas
(N'Kano), War Machine (Jim Rhodes), White Tiger (Kevin Cole),
Enemies: Pride of Ghekre (Alpha/L'Krah, others);
formerly ("Intergalactic") Empire of Wakanda (notably N'Jadaka, Kofi, and the Askari);
indirectly Erik Killmonger;
formerly Manifold
Known Relatives: Unidentified husband and two daughters (fates unrevealed)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The starship Mackandal, mobile throughout space;
presumably formerly the planet or region of space subsequently named T'Chaka's Reach by the Empire of Wakanda
First Appearance: Black Panther VII#1 (July, 2018)
Powers/Abilities: Taku was highly
knowledgeable about the Empire of Wakanda and experienced with
operating Maroon spaceships and other technology.
As a Rigellian, Taku may or may not be able to project a "mind-thrust" of psychic
energy to incapacitate another living being (even superhuman ones).
Similarly, she may
or may not have been able to control minds, communicate via telepathy
and/or mentally alter her physical density to increase her strength.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'6")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 100 lbs.)
Eyes: Green?
Hair: Unrevealed (if any; not seen without headgear)
History:
(Marvel Legacy#1 / Black Panther VII#1 (fb) - BTS / Black Panther VII#12 (fb) - BTS / Black Panther VII#18 (fb) / Shuri#1 (fb) -
BTS) - Sent on a mission by the Black Panther (T'Challa) to discover
the place of origin of Vibranium, a team of Wakandan/Alpha Flight
astronauts encountered a space-time anomaly and were stranded two
millennia in the past.
From there, the astronauts eventually
established the Empire of Wakanda (see comments).
(Black Panther VII#4 (fb) - BTS / Black Panther VII#7 (fb) - BTS) - A Rigellian Empire sprung up in a region of space, disconnected from the "known Rigellian people." The This
prosperous empire was the first to fall to the Wakandan Empire, who "made short work" of the
Rigellians and presumably renamed this region "T'Chaka's Reach."
Planetary ruins subsequently dotted the systems, and the
Rigellians were now nomads in their former region.
(Black Panther VII#7 (fb)) - The Wakandan Empire used
their memory-plundering technology to acquire vast knowledge of the
stars from captured Rigellians into their Archive.
(Black Panther VII#7 (fb) - BTS) - More recently Rigellians could be found throughout the Empire and are overrepresented
among the "lower classes," including the Slaves and the Nameless.
(Black Panther VII#22 (fb) - BTS) - Taku and
her husband were farmers and had two girls, but when the war came, her
memories and her family were stolen from her.
(Black Panther VII#2 (fb) - BTS) - Following the
Rigellians being driven to near extinction by the Empire of Wakanda,
Taku lived for decades among a band of Rigellian traders who roamed the
five <systems; galaxies in original text> hawking their wares.
(Black Panther VII#2 (fb) - BTS) - Eventually
recruited into the Maroons (a group rebelling against the Empire of
Wakanda), the knowledge Taku gained from through her time voyaging
across the Empire proved indispensable to the Maroons, and she achieved
the position of Chief Intelligence Officer.
(Black Panther VII#21 (fb)) - Aboard the
Mackandal, Taku advised Commander N'Yami that the ramjets were done,
which N'Yami appreciated meant that they were dead in space. With
M'Baku manning the last of their fighters, Taku noted that two more
Askari flights were arriving, and that they had surrounded the
Mackandal and were charging their weapons. Both Taku and N'Yami were
astounded when a group of the Askari fighters instead fired on and
destroyed a number of the others, after which they were contacted by
Nakia Cabral, daughter of the Imperial House of Cabral who proposed to
defect to the Maroons.
(Black Panther VII#12 (fb) - BTS / Shuri#1 (fb) -
BTS) - When the Wakandan astronauts failed to return, the Black
Panther and Manifold (Eden Fesi) went after them and found the Empire after going
through a wormhole.
(Black Panther VII#18 (fb)) - After T'Challa arrived
on (presumably the planet Bast), he was served by an unidentified
Rigellian slave. Excited by this extension of Wakanda, T'Challa
somewhat closed his eyes to the slavery that supported this empire.
(Black Panther VII#12 (fb) - BTS / Black Panther VII#18 (fb) - BTS / Shuri#1 (fb) -
BTS) - T'Challa somehow lost his memory and became a slave
(part of a group referred to as the Nameless).
(Black Panther VII#1) - Aboard the starship
Mackandal, Taku shared an information report on the
colony world Goree (a major Vibranium node for the Empire) with Maroon chief
N'Yami, noting that Goree's security complement
was currently severely lacking. The Captain replied that they knew that
the empire would one day overreach and that the Shi'ar war appeared to
have done; she further suggested, "This may be our moment." Taku
agreed, adding that they were not alone in that assessment as they had
just last week received the report of another uprising on Goree, this
time by a single man (T'Challa).
The Mackandal's crew, including M'Baku and Nakia,
subsequently arrived and took T'Challa, Daoud and other Nameless
off-planet in hopes of expanding their warrior force.
(Black Panther VII#2 - BTS) - The Maroons acquired the M'kraan shard.
(Black Panther VII#4) - As the Askari (the Wakandan
Empire's police force) assaulted the Maroon base, Taku remotely advised
Nakia, the Maroon's chief tactical officer, that the shuttles could not
wait long and that they needed to get back to the Mackandal
immediately, as their situation was rapidly deteriorating.
As N'Yami advised Taku that the
first shuttle was headed their way, Taku told her that the Askari's
second wave, a flight of Massai fighters, had arrived. Taku advised
N'Yami that they could hold off them off for a bit, but was not sure
how long.
The shuttles eventually returned
to the Mackandal, but N'Yami's shuttle was shot down by Manifold (a
brainwashed(?) Eden Fesi). Taku informed the arriving Lt. M'Baku of
this, noting that he now had the bridge, and she advised an immediate
space-fold to escape the Askari. Reluctantly accepting this role,
M'Baku approved the fold, and they escaped to...
(Black Panther VII#5 - BTS) - ...a Maroon hideout in
Nehanda's Lattice for five years until T'Challa and M'Baku resolved to
restart their rebellion against the Empire.
(Black Panther VII#7) - Aboard the Mackandal
(cloaked via a piece of the M'kraan Shard), Taku monitored the
pleasure-ship Oshun within the Ptah region of the Banhazin System, in
which a disguised Nakia was meeting with the Empire's chief
technologist, Kofi. After she confirmed Kofi's identity, the Mackandal
fired on the Oshun, leading Kofi to lead Nakia to an escape shuttle (as
monitored by Taku), after which Nakia incapacitated Kofi and brought
him aboard the Mackandal. Taku congratulated Nakia after she announced
her success. The Maroons subsequently plundered Kofi's mind to use his
memories and intelligence to neutralize the Empire's Archive.
(Black Panther VII#10) - Aboard the Mackandal,
above the planet Agwe (home planet of the Teku-Maza) in Nehanda's
Lattice, Taku reported to Commander M'Baku that the Empire's forces
were not letting up and while their shields were holding, their engines
were gone, and they were dead in space. With no word from T'Challa and
Nakia who were still planetside, seeking to recover the Jengu's scale
to restore the Maroons' memories, M'Baku ordered Taku to scramble the
Zulu ships to buy some time.
M'Baku and Taku subsequently stood in shock as
N'Jadaka's counselor Achebe destroyed several Askari, restored the
mind/will of Manifold, who transported T'Challa and Nakia back to
Mackandal, after which the Imperials ship detonated, all apparently a
result of the Bast-possessed Zenzi (N'Jadaka's daughter).
(Black Panther VII#11) - Taku was present aboard
the Mackandal as the Bast-possessed Zenzi commanded the Askari guarding
the Jengu to commit suicide.When Nakia and T'Challa attacked Eden Fesi,
he defended himself, called T'Challa his king and teleported them to
the fighter bay to defuse the situation; Taku assured M'Baku that they
would return within minutes.
(Black Panther VII#12 - BTS) - Aboard the
Mackandal, the Teku-Maza Farouk convinced M'Baku to destroy the planet
Agwe in order to slay Emperor N'Jadaka who would go there personally in
order to recover Zenzi.
Meanwhile, with the aid of the Jengu, Bast sent T'Challa to the spirit plane Djalia to recover his memories. 
(Black Panther VII#13 - BTS) - Although it
drained the Mackandal's energies, T'Challa established a connection to
Wakanda Prime on Earth.
(Black Panther VII#14) - While T'Challa, Nakia
and M'Baku communicated with Wakanda Prime, Taku was forced to sever
contact to maintain power to hold off an attack by the Wakandan Empire.
As Maroons showed up in support, Taku reported that the Empire
outnumbered the Teku-Maza's fighters two-to-one, while a fifth of the
Teku-Maza's population still remained on Agwe, as yet to be transported
off by Manifold. Bast commanded a number of Askari fighters to perform
suicide strikes against N'Jadaka's flagship.
After Farouk activated the core-weapon on Agwe,
M'Baku ordered Taku to recall all Zulu flights to the Mackandal and to
tell any of Farouk's men still engaged with the Imperial Fleet that
they had room.
Seeking to recover Zenzi, N'Jadaka had his ship
brought down to Agwe just as the planet-killer weapon exploded.
(Black Panther VII#15 (fb) - BTS) - T'Challa worked on a galactic bridge to Wakanda prime
(Black Panther VII#15) - At M'Baku's query, Taku
explained that while she did not know how he did it, his math checked
out, and that he had nearly completed his galactic bridge. She
confirmed to princess Shuri of Wakanda Prime that they would emerge in
the outer solar system and then travel to Earth.
(Black Panther VII#15 - BTS) - Taku accompanied
the Mackandal as it made the transport and ultimately arrived in
Wakanda prime. Unbeknownst to them, the symbiote that had bonded to
N'Jadaka survived the explosion on Agwe and carried his mind with it as
it piggybacked on the Mackandal.
Taku discovered a bio-anomaly during the transport,
but it only registered for a moment, and she was unable to track it
further. She informed Eden, who subsequently contacted T'Challa and
advised that he look into the matter on his side, and T'Challa
instructed him to send a note to General Okoye to look into it.
(Black Panther VII#16) - Taku was present
alongside Okoye and Ramonda during an intergalactic communication with
Nakia and Eden, which was disrupted when Askari attacked the Maroon
base planetside (somewhere within the Zanj region). Taku explained that
the Maroons' defenses were compromised, as they had poured all of their
energy into opening the gate. At Okoye's query, Taku confirmed that
they could make another jump back through the gate, but that the
Mackandal was down, and she answered Ramonda that they could send
fighters from Wakanda prime through, and that they had already started
to upgrade those fighters' tech, but that right now they did not have
the guns to match the Imperial arsenal. Okoye replied that they needed
a different gun.
Wakanda prime sent a single small ship carrying
Storm (Ororo Munrie) through the gate, and she used lightning to take
out the Imperial ships.
(Black Panther VII#18 - BTS) - T'Challa recruited Akili
of the Hatut Zeraze, the light-manipulating Asha, the Midnight Angels
Aneka and Ayo, Thunderbolt, Vibraxis, White
Tiger and the mystic Zawavari to aid the battle against
the invading alien Empire of Wakanda.
(Black Panther VII#17 - BTS) - M'Baku joined
T'Challa, Okoye and Shuri in ambushing N'Jadaka and his allies Tetsu
and Zenzi in Serpent Valley by the Resurrection Alatar as they prepared
to resurrect Erik Killmonger, at which point the intergalactic gate
opened, and Askari forces poured through.
(Black Panther VII#19 - BTS) - Joined by the
Midnight Angels and Dora Milage, the Askari were fought off, but
ultimately N'Jadaka's symbiote merged with the resurrected body of Erik
Killmonger and returned to Imperial space.
(Black Panther VII#20) - Taku was present on the
Maroon base, presumably in the Zanj region, as Shuri lost contact with
M'Baku, indicating that Manifold had lost control of the gate. Shuri
ordered Taku to alert all Maroons, telling them they had lost control
of the gate and that they must go stop N'Jadaka before he could reach
it, and to ready the armada.
(Black Panther VII#21) - Aboard the Mackandal-1,
Taku advised Shuri that only one flight of Zulu fighters remained, that
they didn't have guns for much longer, and that without Zulus to cover
them, the Massai would easily disarm them.
Taku subsequently announced as N'Jadaka's forces
neared the gate, after which they were contacted by Nakia and made a
plan against N'Jadaka's forces, with Nakia using the T.H.O.T.H.
(Targeting Helm Operational and Tactical Helix) system to
coordinate/control multiple Mackandal ships, and Ororo then disabling
life support aboard the Imperial Ships.
(Black Panther VII#21 - BTS) - N'Jadaka's symbiote saved Killmonger, and he subsequently summoned ten flights of Massai.
(Black Panther VII#21) - Taku watched as Nakia
sacrificed herself, using the collector device to turn her whole ship
into a gun barrel and launched it <into the gate? or something else
that delayed the passage of N'Jadaka's forces>.
(Black Panther VII#22) - After T'Challa convinced his predecessors in
the Djalia spirit realm to restore the memories of the Nameless in the
Empire of Wakanda, Taku cried, recalling her family and what the empire
had taken from her.
(Black Panther VII#23-25) - T'Challa led the
forces of Wakanda, joined my numerous African-American heroes as well
as by the Originator gods, to ultimately sever the union of Killmonger
and the Imperial N'Jadaka/symbiote and to take control of the Empire of
Wakanda.
.
(Wakanda
I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Based on an idea of M'Baku, Taku worked with Vibraxis
(N'Kano) of Wakanda Prime to design a phase platform such that when
N'Kano's vibrational powers matched the encrypted frequency, anything
inside the dome was phased instantly to another platform on another
world.
(Wakanda I#2) - Alongside N'Kano, Taku stood
with M'Baku on planet Bast to greet the arriving Monica Rambeau and
Asira Davin, after which Vibraxis demonstrated the phase platform
transportation system, instantly transporting the group off-planet to
the Vibranium mining facility that was rededicated as "Mosi's Miracle"
to signify the liberation of the former slaves and their ability to
work for money to share in the empire's wealth.
The celebration was interrupted by an attack by the
Pride of Ghekre, a group who had turned from Bast and instead
worshipped the Gorilla God and who sought to prevent the sharing of the
wealth of the mines with the former slaves.
The Pride ultimately blew up a galactic gate,
seeking to cut off the "empowered" (former laborers turning old mines
into worker-owned co-ops) from trade (presumably with other worlds).
After Monica located the source from which the
Pride's messages were being transmitted as being in the proximity of
the Turkana's Triumph co-op that was being set up to open, Taku
instructed all hands to prepare for hyperspace jump, and they arrived
in that location.
(Wakanda I#2 - BTS) - Monica and the other Imperial forces took down the bulk of the Pride, while M'Baku captured L'Krah, the Pride's leader. '
(Wakanda I#2) - Nonetheless,
Taku advised M'Baku that L'Krah's defeat was sent to his acolytes,
stewards and Ghekres, inspiring them to target the empowered throughout
the Empire.
.
.
Comments: Created by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuna.
As the story
was centered around Wakanda, many characters and places shared names
from Earth's Wakandan nation (aka Wakanda Prime). See clarifications
for Taku's namesake.
I don't recall
seeing Taku after #22. It remains to be seen (or maybe I just missed
it) whether she survived the battle against the Imperials or not.
Some relevant, progressively modified, history of the "Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda"
- Black Panther VII#1, the
"Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda" spanned five galaxies and had set
their sites on "our own" (the Milky Way Galaxy).
- Black Panther VII#2, the Rigellians were largely not enslaved but driven to near extinction by the Empire
- Black Panther VII#4, the
Rigellians had a great interplanetary empire in the "galaxy" that was
presumably renamed by the Wakandans as T'Chaka's Reach after they "made
short work" of the Rigellians, and the star system was dotted with
planetary ruins. The Rigellians were now nomads of their home "galaxy."
Although the five "galaxies" of the Empire were
described thusly, the image made it clear that these were star systems
and/or local groups of star systems
- Black Panther VII#7, A Rigellian
Empire sprung up in T'Chaka's Reach, disconnected from the "known
Rigellian people." This prosperous empire was the first to fall to the
Wakandan Empire. Rigellians can be found throughout the Empire and are
overrepresented among the "lower classes," including the Slaves and the
Nameless.
- Ultimately, the story was
revised / was toned down slightly to make it for believable in the
context of the Marvel Universe/"Reality-616." Rather than spanning five
galaxies, as the text continued to state, it was a sector of space that
included five local systems (I believe more than just star systems, but
some groups of associated star systems).
But still, one of the latter stories referenced
millions of worlds under the Empire's domain, and the "five galaxies"
and the "intergalactic nature" of the Empire continued to be stated.
How many Wakandans went on the initial trip? I don't
think we know, but probably a dozen or less, but maybe like a 100 or
more. Even so, the idea that 100 hundred people could form an Empire
spanning millions of worlds in 2000 years does not seem particularly
likely, but who knows?
So, I did not come across any full body images of Taku...almost exclusively head + thorax. The rough pencil sketch is the only thing I saw.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Taku should be distinguished from:
- TAKU of the pre-Cataclysmic era - Pict leader--Kull the Conqueror II#1
- TAKU - Wakandan communications advisor--Avengers I#68
- TAKUI - jungle guide, ran away from giant gorilla Agu--Lorna the Jungle Queen#3/2
- other "Taku" characters, groups, items, events, races, or places...
Taku's husband and children
(Black Panther VII#22 (fb) - BTS) - Taku and her husband were farmers
and had two girls, but when the war came, her memories and her family
were stolen from her.
(Black Panther VII#22) - After T'Challa convinced his
predecessors in the Djalia spirit realm to restore the memories of the
Nameless in the Empire of Wakanda, Taku cried, recalling her family and
what the empire had taken from her.
--Black Panther VI#22 (mentioned)
Note: To the best of my knowledge, Taku's husband and daughters' fate remains unrevealed.
|
| --Black Panther VI#2 (mentioned) |
images: (without ads)
Black Panther VII#1, pg. 8, panel 6 (Taku face);
#2, last page (design sketch of
Taku)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
#4, pg. 18, panel 3 (face);
#15, story pg. 4, panel 2 (upper, with image of Shuri);
panel 3 (face);
#16, pg. 11, panel 4 (face; best lighting);
#22, pg. 15, panel 2 (at console);
panel 7 (crying);
Wakanda I#2, story pg. 1, panel 2 (full body; face partially blocked by M'Baku's arm);
Appearances:
Black Panther VII#1-2 (July-August, 2018) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Daniel Acuna (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#4-5 (November-December, 2018) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Daniel Acuna (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#6 (February, 2019) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Daniel Acuna (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#7 (February, 2019) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Kev Walker (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#10 (May, 2019) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Kev Walker (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#11 (June, 2019) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Kev Walker (penciler), Marc Deering (inker), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#14-16 (September-November, 2019) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Daniel Acuna (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#18 (January, 2020) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Daniel Acuna (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#19 (February, 2020) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Ryan Bodenheim (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#20 (March, 2020) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Ryan Bodenheim & Daniel Acuna (artists), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor)
Black Panther VII#21 (April, 2020) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Ryan Bodenheim (artist), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor), Tom Brevoort (executive editor)
Black Panther VII#22 (May, 2020) - Ta-Nehisi Coates
(writer), Daniel Acuna & Ryan Bodenheim (artists), Sarah
Brunstad (associate editor), Will Moss (editor)
Wakanda I#2 (January, 2023) - "Reverberations" story - Evan Narcisse,
Adam Serwer (writers), Ibraim Roberson (art), Michelle Marchese, Wil Moss (editor)
First posted: 06/01/2025
Last updated: 06/13/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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