KUALA LUMPUR , April 24 — The ‘battle’ to become Malaysia’s top warrior is underway, as two rival politicians took to Instagram today to channel their inner "Black Panther” a character from the popular Marvel superhero box office hit.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin uploaded a campaign poster, alongside the words ‘Ghombau selamo lamo eh’ (Negri Sembilan dialect for ‘Rembau forever’), while doing the iconic ‘X’ pose from the movie Black Panther.

The incumbent Rembau MP also unleashed his witty side by captioning the poster with a wordplay on the name of the movie’s protagonist.

It read: ‘Step aside, T’Challa. Because it’s time for T’Calon (the candidate). Rembau forever.’

Khairy is set to defend his two-term Rembau parliamentary seat this May 9, as announced by Negri Sembilan Barisan Nasional yesterday.

Within hours, Khairy’s post received over 27,000 likes.

Just an hour later, PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar, who has over 160,000 followers on Instagram, posted a fan art of herself as a Wakandan spy and T’challa’s love interest, Nakia.

Nurul Izzah’s Instagram post garnered over 12,000 likes. — Picture via Instagram/Nurul Izzah

Nurul Izzah thanked the artist who made the illustration and called the post "an ode to sisterhood.”

She also said: "As we prepare for battle, and soldier on in the intensity of campaigning, I can’t help but post this wonderful ode to sisterhood, made with much love, affection and support — by none other than @nadiakaera. Nothing quite like women coming together in supporting each other 🙌🏼 Love you back. Make #MasaDepanMilikKita”

Nurul Izzah’s post garnered over 12,000 likes, less than half of what Khairy received although the gap between their posts was merely an hour apart.

Many users pointed out the coincidental timing of both posts, with some jokingly alluding that the duo are each other’s ‘jodoh’ (soulmates).

@muhammad.aidil.39 called Izzah ‘Wadinda’, a wordplay on the setting of the Black Panther movie, Wakanda, to match the Malay pairings of ‘dinda-kanda’, which is a polite pronoun typically used by a younger sibling to address an older one.

Meanwhile, another Instagram user, @theavicenna said the posts paint a perception that Izzah and Khairy are in the same ‘gang’.