It’s crazy the amount of rich history we have as Nigerians, and just doing a little bit of research recently about Nigerian gods and legends, these kickass deities could eat up any of your Marvel or DC faves in a full-on fight scene.
Let me introduce you to the real superheroes:
Sango
We all know how the last Thor movie was divisive AF! Some people hated that Thor had moved from powerful god to a comedian at Night of a Thousand Laughs, while others welcomed the less serious direction the franchise took. My solution? Marvel needs to kill the Thor idea completely and make a film about Sango.
Just like Thor, Sango is also a god of thunder and lightning. He was a Yoruba king who ascended to god status after seeking powers to destroy his enemies. While there’s already a 1997 Sango film, I’m down to see a new take on this iconic figure.
Ogun
Ogun is the very popular god of iron and war. He is known for his creativity, destructive nature and quick temper, which often gets him misunderstood. Am I the only one who sees a lot of similarities between Ogun and a famous fictional billionaire tech guru who also had a thing for iron?
An action thriller that details Ogun’s role as the reclusive and brooding god who invents a lot of cool stuff would slap harder than firewood Jollof.
Agwu Nsi
Agwu Nsi is the god of divination, poets, healing and — wait for it — divine madness. Considering we’re currently exploring the Multiverse of Madness, Agwu Nsi fits into phase four of Marvel. Imagine a superhero based on this god that can make people mad at will or, better still, turn his enemies into romantic poets. Sign me up!
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Oya
Oya is the goddess who controls the weather. She can control lightning, tornadoes, storms, and even earthquakes with her powers. Another power she has outside of her weather abilities is the ability to talk to the dead, or make them come alive if she feels they have unfinished business on earth.
Who is Storm from X-Men again? I don’t know her because Oya is definitely eating up the other girlies up in the weather department.
Amadioha
You can’t be Nigerian and claim not to have heard Amadioha’s name; honestly, it’s Nollywood‘s fault. Just like Sango, Amadioha is the Igbo god of thunder and lightning. He is also the god of justice, and that’s why people tend to say, “May Amadioha strike whoever did this shit dead.”
Fun fact, while most gods have powerful symbols and weapons like Sango, who uses an axe, Amadioha’s symbol is a white ram. Yes, a white ram. So the next time you see a white ram, think twice before doing something bad.
Aja
Aja is first and foremost the goddess of healing who resides deep in the forest — not sure which forest, to be honest. Outside of being able to heal people at the snap of her fingers, Aja has this cool power of being able to shapeshift into any animal she chooses. Imagine fighting a superhero like that? One minute you’re fighting what looks like a woman, and the next thing, you’re wrestling an elephant. Omo!
Nigerian witches
Not sure how effective this bunch are, considering that Nigeria is sinking and they haven’t made a move to save it. But from those who Nigerian covens have afflicted at some point, the pain they inflict do usually result in hot tears.
If we can watch Harry Potter and his gang go back to Hogwarts year after year, despite the fact that Voldemort always manages to attack them, then why can’t we have a badass film about Nigerian witches kicking ass and causing chaos?
