Who are the Dora Milaje? Here’s what we know about Wakanda’s all-female Secret Service

From every glimpse we had at Black Panther ahead of its release, it was clear we’d be getting no shortage of strong, empowered, kickass ladies — from Lupita Nyong’o’s Wakandan spy, Nakia, to Letitia Wright’s tech wiz, Suri, to, of course, Danai Gurira’s leader of Wakanda’s all-female security force, Okoye.

Okoye — who we’ve been geeking out over since Black Panther footage of Okoye taking down a bunch of baddies (and throwing her wig off in the process) was screened at Comic-Con — is the head of a group called the Dora Milaje:

They're "the cadre of strong fierce women who serve as the personal security force to the King and royal family," a press release describes. "These tall, statuesque baldheaded warrior women who move as one and command attention wherever they go are a powerful part of the original comic series and play a prominent role in the theatrical version."

You can say that last part again.

No major spoilers, but Okoye — who is described as one of the best fighters in Wakanda, second only to Black Panther, which is a pretty huge deal — and her team are pretty important throughout the film. Okoye, for one thing, comes to T’Challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) defense a number of times. And the Secret Service-like group as a whole is fierce, fearless, and loyal. They’ll *definitely* remind you of the Amazon warriors in Wonder Woman. (Hey, Hollywood, let’s get an Amazons-Dora Milaje crossover movie, k?)

What’s also amazing to see — as Gurira (The Walking Dead‘s Michonne) puts it, and we definitely agree — is the way the Dora Milaje work together: “It was really beautiful the way the Dora Milaje have a way of fighting that was supposed to be inspired a little bit by moving as one, almost sometimes in a way that is almost dancer-like. There were a lot of very interesting formations that we created for when the Dora work together to take down somebody.”

So yeah, you’re totally about to become obsessed with Black Panther‘s Dora Milaje. Like, there’s no doubt about it.

Black Panther is now in theaters.