After watching Black Panther, the audience is seen coming out howling and screaming in applause for yet another of Marvel Studios’ master stroke in the Box Office. Black Panther is going to become one of the highest grossing movies of the MCU ever. That much is a given. The storyline, the lead and the CGI is top notch. But what has garnered even more unanimous acclaim is Michael B. Jordan’s terrific portrayal of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. After watching the movie, fans have come to a surprising conclusion – Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger could be Marvel’s greatest villain yet. Even better than Loki, some would say. Is this true?!?! Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert: MASSIVE Black Panther spoilers incoming. Enter at your own risk…
The movie Black Panther was, in many ways, more about Erik Killmonger than T’Challa. Right from the opening scene, we are shown the rise of a small child as the villainous Erik Killmonger. Erik is off royal blood. Yet he was raised in a world without the safety that Wakanda provides to its citizens. From childhood, he has been acquainted with the racial injustice and cultural oppression that exists in the walls outside Wakanda and he knows his homeland is oblivious to that effect.
His original objective of using Vibranium weapons and selling them to third world countries where such injustices exist, so that the oppressed will finally have the resources to fight back corrupt authorities, may sound like a dick move but in reality, is as relatable and noble as it gets. Believe it or not, Killmonger is trying to save lives. If that involves spilling some blood, so be it.
His portrayal of Erik Killmonger is made even stronger by his sheer popularity and the amount of dedication he pours into his MCU role. The Creed star is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. He has turned his body into one giant mass of muscle just for the sake of playing the baddie on screen in Black Panther. Hi willingness to do amazing stunts in the action scenes is a sight for sore eyes. After Phase 3, Erik Killmonger could do some serious damage to the Avengers, if given the right tools and the perfect amount of spotlight. Jordan’s Killmonger is unlike any other Marvel villain we have ever seen in the Big Screen.
Until now, Marvel struggles to have a compelling villainous presence in its movies. Until now, that is. Loki and Vulture are the only ones that did make a difference. But the world’s most profitable franchise, with 18 movies under its belt already, cannot produce a good enough villain?? Sounds laughable, isn’t it? It is laughable. Loki and Vulture are good but they still lack Jordan’s youth and much needed firepower. Loki’s a schemer, not a fighter. Keaton’s Vulture is a relatable guy but too old to become a viable threat to Earth’s mightiest heroes. Killmonger doesn’t have that problem. He is a schemer, fighter and is also weirdly relatable. In a three way fight between Loki, Vulture and Killmonger, my money’s on Erik.
Loki had the fortune of being featured in multiple MCU movies. So, naturally people know him and love him. Killmonger was just introduced into the MCU. People are fairly unaware that a guy called Erik Killmonger even exists in the comic books. Coming to the Vulture, the guy became so famous in Spiderman: Homecoming only because he was played by the Michael Keaton. He is fucking Hollywood royalty. That and the fact that Homecoming made Adrian Toomes into a family man! He was relatable and the fans found themselves cheering for him, even though he was the actual villain of the story. Killmonger has an agenda similar to Vulture’s. But while Vulture just wanted to take care of his own family and crew, Killmonger wants to help the entire world.
The only crime Killmonger has unwittingly committed is that he has had much less screen time than his competitors. While Loki and (hopefully) The Vulture will be seen again and again within the MCU, Killmonger will probably be lost to the ages after Black Panther. That is a crime he will have to live with for quite a long time within the MCU. For folks, scratching their heads as to why – Killmonger is dead. T’Challa has agreed to bury his body at sea.
What do you think of our assessment of Erik Killmonger?? Is he better than Loki??
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