Zenzi & the Power of Emotional Manipulation

Zenzi is a powerful metahuman who can read and control emotions on a singular and large scale level. She can bring a person’s true self to the surface, can push people beyond their perceived limits (like convincing them that they aren’t tired/in pain), and she can turn people into mindless drones. Created by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze, she was introduced in Black Panther Vol. 6 #1 (April 2016).

Zenzi was a woman from Niganda who saved herself from being executed by Killmonger’s troops by manipulating them into killing each other. She became the leader of the Nigandan Army and an ally of the Wakandan rebel movement leader Tetu.

The first time she met Black Panther was in the Nigandan Border Region, and she used her abilities to evade the hero. Later, Black Panther and the Hatut Zeraze tracked down Zenzi, Tetu, and their forces when they were in the southern area of Wakanda. Black Panther knocked Zenzi out during the fight to keep her from using her powers, but Tetu was able to retrieve her unconscious body and get to safety.

Zenzi and Tetu led the Nigandan army and the Wakandan rebel group known as the People to the Golden City to overthrow Black Panther. T’Challa enlisted Changamire to speak out against what Tetu was doing, and his speech was so impassioned that some in the People army were freed from Zenzi’s influence. She retaliated by having soldiers still under her influence kill the ones that were defecting.

Pushing even harder, Zenzi turned the army into mindless soldiers to break into the city. Rather than leading the charge, she remained behind the forces, which proved to be a smart move. When Tetu and the soldiers were stopped by Black Panther and his allies, she remained safely outside of their grasp.

Later she allied with Doctor Faustus and Baron Zemo to control Wakanda’s soldiers so that Hydra could take the Cosmic Cube from Black Panther.