N'Yami (Earth-616)

N'Yami
Name	N'Yami
Aliases	Smarty Yam, Orphan Queen
Affiliation and Relationships
Relatives	Spouses: T'Chaka (husband, deceased) Children: T'Challa (son); Hunter (adopted son)
Marital Status	Married
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Female
Eyes	Irises: Brown
Hair	Black
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human
Living Status	Deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Wakanda
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Citizenship	Wakandan
Occupation	Queen of Wakanda, Chief Scientist of Wakanda
Base of Operations	Royal Palace of Wakanda, Birnin Zana, Wakanda
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Christopher Priest, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Chris Sprouse
First	Black Panther (Vol. 6) #7 (October, 2016)
First	Black Panther (Vol. 6) #7 (October, 2016)
Death	Black Panther (Vol. 3) #27 (December, 2000) (Mentioned)
Death	Black Panther (Vol. 3) #27 (December, 2000) (Mentioned)

 No Wakandan is common, T'Chaka. We used to fight one another with terrifying ferocity. Now our strengths combine and multiply. Your love has done the same for me. 

—N'Yami

History

Following the death of her entire family during one of the many tribal wars that engulfed Wakanda before it was unified, N'Yami left the country to study abroad in hopes to alleviate her grief. She was drawn back to her home land not long afterwards, and began to study the properties of the sacred Vibranium. She used to get scraps of ore and molding lessons from miners who knew her parents. Her use of Vibranium rings and anklets for medical uses caught the attention of Wakanda's king T'Chaka.

N'Yami and T'Chaka fell in love, but N'Yami was reluctant to become his queen since she was uncertain of the future their children would inherit. She eventually moved to the Royal Palace of Wakanda in Birnin Zana, where she would spend hours into the night working to help Wakanda's technological advancement. Her humble origins caused a stir on the palace regulars, and rumors floated about her. However, it was also N'Yami's humble nature what continued to draw T'Chaka to her.

With Bast's approval, N'Yami and T'Chaka became engaged, and married in a spectacular ceremony. A few years went by, and N'Yami finally became pregnant with T'Chaka's child. Unfortunately, N'Yami later fell ill to a rare autoimmune disease with no known treatment. T'Chaka sought help from American inventor Howard Stark, offering him a pound of Vibranium in exchange for his bio-nanite enhancement infusion. The package never made it to Wakanda since the transport was attacked by Wakandan insurgents allied with Hydra. N'Yami's condition aggravated, but she held on to life long enough to give birth to her son, T'Challa. A week after the baby's birth, N'Yami passed away.

Notes

• N'Yami was originally a footnote, introduced not in the comics but mentioned for the first time in Black Panther's entry from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2. Don McGregor either ignored or overlooked this fact when he created T'Challa's long-lost South African mother Ramonda in Marvel Comics Presents #14. Christopher Priest reconciled the two accounts by acknowledging Ramonda was T'Challa's stepmother in Black Panther (Vol. 3) #1. However, N'Yami did not receive a true speaking role and appearance as a character until flashbacks from Rise of the Black Panther #1.

See Also

• 4 appearance(s) of N'Yami (Earth-616)
• 5 minor appearance(s) of N'Yami (Earth-616)
• 6 mention(s) of N'Yami (Earth-616)
• 4 image(s) of N'Yami (Earth-616)
• 2 quotation(s) by or about N'Yami (Earth-616)

Links and References

• N'Yami on Marvel.com