The MCU is filled with kickass women, none more so than the Dora Milaje, the royal guard of the King of Wakanda who were first introduced in Captain America: Civil War. Actress and stuntwoman Janeshia Adams-Ginyard has appeared as a Dora Milaje warrior in several MCU projects, most recently The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In an interview with TheDirect, Adams-Ginyard revealed that she almost turned down the role because it required her to shave her head.

"I think the cat's out of the bag, everyone knows that the Dora Milaje have to shave their heads. And that was almost a challenge for me in the beginning because I almost didn't take the role because I had to shave my head. Like, I consulted my pastor, I called my friend, I was crying to her on the phone because I'm so attached to my hair, I had this thing like 'Oh my God, if I shave my hair I'm gonna be ugly, I'm gonna look like a boy,' all these different things. And [it was] just like 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, okay? Hair does not make you. Hair does not define you. Hair does not determine if you're beautiful, if you're cute; that's all within [your heart], right?'"

The Dora Milaje are an important part of the security forces of Wakanda. Not only are they entrusted with the well-being of the royal family, but they are also occasionally required to go to other countries to carry out secret missions. That is how they came to be a part of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. According to Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, it was during the filming of 2018's Black Panther that she came to accept the strength and power of the character she was playing, regardless of the fact that she had to shave her head to do so.

"I think through my time on [Black] Panther, I really got a chance to embrace that and understand 'Hey, your hair does not make you.' First of all, it grows back, okay? Let's talk about that. Hair grows back! But two, the beauty is not defined from all that extra stuff, it's in [your heart]; like, your core values, your morals, [all of] that. So I think Black Panther really showed women who were not only fierce and confident, but beautiful, with no hair. That is so powerful in itself, especially for African American women, because culturally, we're so attached to our hair, we're so attached to it. But to see these melanated women on screen, bald-headed, fierce, and strong and powerful, I mean, all of that was beauty. That was beautiful."

Created by Malcolm Spellman and directed by Kari Skogland, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier features a lead cast consisting of Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Noah Mills, Carl Lumbly, and Daniel Brühl. New episodes debut on Fridays on Disney+. This news originated at The Direct.