Black Panther: Killmonger is the best villain in the MCU. Period

Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger is being debated as one of the best villains in the MCU to this point, and rightfully so. Killmonger is a character who we don’t just understand, but also relate to.

Black Panther has been in theaters for two weeks now and the think pieces and debates have not stopped since day one. There are many aspects of the film that are worthy of discussion, and chief among them is the main villain.

Spoiler Alert: Major Black Panther spoilers beyond this point.

Erik Killmonger is one of three foes that T’Challa faces over the course of the film but he is the only one that is able to break T’Challa. He doesn’t just accomplish this physically, but also psychologically. Besides being able to affect the hero in this way, it is Killmonger’s background that is the key. His story is one that we can not only understand but actually relate to, and this is what makes him number one.

His childhood

By the end of the film we know a lot about the way Erik Wright aka Killmonger was brought up. He was born and raised in early 90’s Oakland, CA to a Wakandan father and American mother. As a child his father would tell him stories about Wakanda, which he jokingly mentions to T’Challa with the line: “Imagine a black kid from Oakland growing up believing in fairy tales.” In the film we get a glimpse of a young Erik, wide-eyed, on the basketball court playing with his friends. We don’t see much but we can get that he’s an innocent child, still figuring out the world.

That’s when the traumatic event occurred. After seeing a strange craft hovering above his building, Erik runs into his apartment to find his father, dead. We see young Erik holding his father and crying. His life changed from that point on. When Erik arrives in the council room he mentions seeing the panther claws in his dad’s chest. In that moment, we felt his pain. His father made him grow up dreaming to be among these people, and they were the ones that took his father away. This was his only real experience with the nation of Wakanda as a child, and this event planted the seed of anger in his mind.

We don’t know what happened after his father died. We never really see his mother and the story jumps straight to his time after high school. One would imagine he grew up in the system. This would be difficult for any child, but especially for one knowing he is meant for greater things.

His intellect

When we meet Killmonger he is at a museum. Yes, he is there to steal artifacts but we don’t see him plotting or taking out surveillance cameras. Our first image of him onscreen is that of an intellectual. He actually educates the expert on the artifacts that she’s showcasing, making sure she knows he knows more than she does. Not only does he show he knows more than the expert, but he does so in a way that makes you think: “this guy is cool!” In that first scene we don’t see him do anything overtly villainous besides take a mask. But this is after he establishes that these artifacts were stolen anyway. (Some will argue that he poisoned the expert but that was clearly his girlfriend who was at the drink table.)

We later learn that Erik Wright studied at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). This is fitting given his Wakandan roots and their technological advancements. He also went to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Both schools are considered to be in the top 8 most difficult schools to get into based on admissions rates.

A smart villain is not a new concept and definitely is not one that is new in the MCU but his name isn’t Quizmonger, it’s Killmonger, and he got that name somewhere else.

Military prowess

After school, Erik becomes a Navy Seal. Considering only 1% of sailors make it through BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training alone, this puts Erik in elite company. From there Erik went on to join a JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) Unit which made him the elite of the elite. Carrying out several missions, he developed the name Killmonger because of his abilities as a weapon of the U.S. Government. Everett Ross proudly proclaims him as “one of our best” when describing his accomplishments in the field.

As Americans, we are trained to worship the military so of course we are immediately  impressed by his achievements. Having risen to the top in his intellectual pursuits and militarily, he’s simply an elite human being. If you tie that back to the fact that he grew up fatherless in a bad area you start to wonder, what can’t he do?

Killmonger vs. T’Challa

Rich Cousin, Poor Cousin

When you look at Erik’s life in comparison to T’Challa’s you start to understand and appreciate his anger. The simplest comparison I can make comes from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Carlton grew up rich, privileged, expected to do great things and knowing the world was at his feet. Carlton had his father there to help him become a man as well. Will grew up in the streets of Philadelphia and his father (infamously) had abandoned him as a child. He essentially began the process of becoming a man on his own.

T’Challa is Carlton in this analogy of course. He grew up being groomed for the throne. He knew that he could do and go anywhere he wanted to. T’Chaka was there to guide his son along the path to becoming a man and, if he ever slipped, the entire country had his back.

Killmonger, meanwhile, is Will having never been sent to live with his auntie and uncle in Bel Air. In America, growing up without your father in the home is common and breeds its own form of resentment. Combine that with knowing that you have powerful family in another part of the world. He grows up knowing that they are the ones that left him without a father and went back to their utopia. You may even start to side with him at this point.

Bonus: Both found their fathers just after they were killed and held their lifeless bodies while crying. Afterward, both set out to complete their fathers’ missions. More on this later.

Wakanda vs. America

Besides the familial aspect, you have to look at the world around them as well. T’Challa grew up in Wakanda. This is a country that is untouched by the western world and uninfluenced by colonization. T’Challa grew up in a country more advanced than the rest of the world and where black was the norm. Meanwhile, Erik grew up in a world where almost all of the images of blackness were portrayed in a negative light. T’Challa grew up in a country that was 100% black while Erik grew up in a country that is only 13% black. In America, blacks were, legally, property only 120 years before his birth. They also only gained equality under the law about 20 years before his birth.

Besides being outnumbered and undervalued on a macro scale, when it came to his academics Erik faced these issues daily. Growing up in Oakland, Erik would have been seen as the exception as a smart black kid. This means walking into advanced classes on the first day and having people look at you like you’re in the wrong place. It would mean people telling you things like “you’re not like the rest of them” or being surprised when they hear you speak intelligently. This alone is enough to build his resentment of the outside world. This, combined with his knowledge of Wakanda, merged to create a monster.

Their goals

T’Challa

Black Panther is a film about T’Challa learning to be the king he is meant to be. He initially sets out with the goal of picking up where his father left off and completing the goals his father couldn’t. This begins with his pursuit of Klaue, and eventually leads to Klaue slipping through his fingers. His father also influences his initial decision at the council to maintain the status quo. It was the traditional belief that they must remain hidden to maintain their way of life. Following this tradition is what initially caused Nakia to break up with him. T’Challa grew up idolizing his father as many young men do. It is not until the perfect image of his father is broken, that is he able to become his own man.

Erik

Meanwhile, though his time with him was limited, Killmonger’s worldview was also motivated by his father. In the flashbacks showing T’Chaka’s discussion with N’Jobu before he ends up killing him we learn some things. N’Jobu had been sent to America as a spy but he saw things that changed him. When he pleads with T’Chaka he says that the black Americans are lost. He mentions that their leaders have been assassinated and their movements have been criminalized. He addresses drugs and gang violence as well. N’Jobu helps Klaue steal vibranium because he wants to arm black people around the world, so they can see their potential and rise up. Erik essentially gives this same speech when he arrives to claim the throne. He mentions that every time black people tried to rise up in the past, their movements were squashed because they didn’t have the tools. Meanwhile, Wakanda did nothing.

These statements hit home because, though this movie was fictional, this history is not. In the theater I couldn’t help but think back to Nate Parker’s Birth of a Nation. This was a film about Nat Turner, who led one of the most successful slave revolts in U.S. history. A revolt that was ended when the slaves arrived at the armory with the goal of seizing the weapons. They arrived to find that the militia had beaten them there and was waiting. You may have seen the hashtag #KillmongerWasRight and you can expect to see t-shirts and hoodies with the same sentiment because on this point, he was.

Killmonger’s death

When T’Challa fought Killmonger, he didn’t have the same passion that he did when he fought Bucky. He knew what Erik had gone through and that his own father had caused his pain. He allows this weakness to almost get him killed in their first fight. When they fight the second time he delivers a lethal blow, but still offered to heal Erik afterward. If it weren’t for Erik showing up, T’Challa never learns the sins of his father. It is because of this that T’Challa is able to change his stance and begin to reach out to the rest of the world at the end of the film.

However, no matter how much merit his arguments had Killmonger was still a villain. He had every right to feel the way he did but his goals were still horrific. Killmonger wanted to use the Wakandan technology to inflict the horrors on the rest of the world that were inflicted on his ancestors. He mentions slaughtering children and there is no way this can be seen as honorable. With that said, Killmonger is still given an honorable death. When T’Challa offers to heal him, he rejects the offer and delivers the most quoted line from the film.

“Bury me with my ancestors who jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.”

There are those who did not factor any of the above into their decision to love Kilmonger. To (somewhat) steal a line from the character, I’m sure some people just think he’s dope.

Potential future role

The two strongest candidates for best villain besides Killmonger are both still alive. Loki, will play a pivotal role in Avengers: Infinity War, as he is shown giving one of the Infinity Stones to Thanos in the trailer. The Vulture is in prison, but very much alive and we have to expect he’ll be back in the next Spider-Man movie. However, with Killmonger dead, he won’t be able to return to further cement his legacy as the king (no pun intended) of MCU villains. Or will he?

Next: Ryan Coogler knew Killmonger's fate from day one

In the comics, Killmonger has been revived many times. In the MCU it may make the most sense to have him revived by the Mandarin with the power of the 10 rings. There was a fake Mandarin in Iron Man 3, but the fact that he was mentioned means the Marvel heads may have plans for him in the future.

When the Mandarin brings Killmonger back, he teams up with Madam Slay to restore Wakanda to its old ways (before T’Challa began his outreach to the world.) With Madam Slay being a top pick to be the major villain in the inevitable Black Panther sequel, having her team up with Killmonger would play well on the big screen. We’ll wait for the official word on a sequel first, and cross our fingers for his return later.

Black Panther is currently still selling out theaters. Be sure to grab a ticket and get back out to see it when you can!