Image: Digital Trends

And after the blockbuster Black Panther was released, a villain appeared with the potential to overthrow Loki’s “throne”, which is the character Erik Killmonger. Played by actor Michael B. Jordan, Killmonger is T’Challa’s distant cousin – the Black Panther and king of the powerhouse Wakanda.

1. Killmonger is a character with a multi-dimensional personality

From their first meeting, Black Panther saw Killmonger as an eternal enemy but with the qualities of a hero. In fact, part of Killmonger’s personality is due to the death of his father who was killed by Black Panther’s father. Viewers can see Killmonger as another hero with an interesting mission of his own.

Image: Elite Daily

It’s not wrong to say that Killmonger is a man with a multi-dimensional personality. Before meeting T’Challa, we all knew Killmonger was a notoriously dangerous villain. Killmonger is cruel enough to kill his girlfriend instead of ruining the mission, or steal a mask in the process of robbing Vibranium just because he likes it. Killmonger’s time in Wakanda opened up the character’s multidimensional personality to the audience. Viewers learn more about Killmonger’s relationship with his father and his hometown of Oakland, which shows that Killmonger is a pitiful villain.

Taken together, these details form a complete character arc. This is not some “stereotypical” villain in his evil quest for profit but a real man on a dark journey.

2. Killmonger represents forgotten people of color

Killmonger wants both power and revenge, he has a long back story that led to the end of his actions today. Killmonger’s father was killed by King T’Chaka when he was a boy. Killmonger himself was banished from his hometown of Wakanda and survived on his own in Oakland. After many years of training in the fire of hatred, he became the most elite mercenary. Killmonger is determined to return to Wakanda to avenge his father and take the throne from T’Challa (Black Panther) – T’Chaka’s son.

From past resentment, Killmonger was raised to an ideal. Although it is a twisted ideal, this is also the foundation for a motivation that few Marvel villains have. Angry with King T’Chaka, he also turned angry with Wakanda’s ideology. In Killmonger’s mind, an orphan struggling alone in a foreign land like him is a clear representative of abandoned people of African descent.

Image: MARVEL STUDIOS

Killmonger wants to take the throne not only for revenge, but also to change Wakanda’s separatist policy. According to him, Wakanda is partly responsible for being indifferent to racism against black people globally. Killmonger’s thinking and vision are not only limited to the childish theories of most Marvel villains in particular or superhero movies in general, but also have a political color. Killmonger’s perspective is born of rage and sadness along with being an unwelcome citizen in his homeland.

That political rift is echoed in the family relationship with T’Challa. Killmonger is not only a ethnic brother of the Wakandan people, but also a nephew of King T’Chaka and cousin of King T’Challa. And he was abandoned in Oakland with secrets to protect Wakanda, in an echo of Wakanda turning its back on the outside world and turning its back on both Killmonger and his father.

3. A person wishes to return to his homeland but also hates that homeland

The difference between the character Killmonger and other Marvel villains is that: Even though he has committed many crimes, there is still a legitimate reason behind his motive. The nation of Wakanda has indeed been conservative in hiding the precious vibranium material for hundreds of years even though outside its borders need this metal to serve their country for good purposes. He has fueled real political conflict in the people of Wakanda and held them responsible for suffering beyond their borders.

T’Challa always had to try his best to hide his ethnic background while Killmonger did not, he described himself as “a kid from Oakland running around believing in fairy tales”. Through his father’s story about his people, Killmonger with a strong soul returned home, his true home, but his father’s death from his own blood relatives made him become a wild animal waiting for the day. return for revenge.

Image: Shadow and Act

All of these complications and conflicts are wrapped up in his final conversation with T’Challa, one of the most emotional moments in the film. He remembered that his father said that in Wakanda, the sunset was the most beautiful in the world, and in a moment of tenderness, T’Challa took him to see the only and last sunset of his life.

T’Challa also offered to save Killmonger’s life, but the man remained consistent in his goal until the end. Killmonger refused, “ burying me in the ocean with my ancestors when they jumped off the ship, because they knew death was better than slavery” . His death ended as a Wakanda son would – his hands clasped across his chest where his father’s death did not.

4. Killmonger is not completely wrong

Perhaps most of us are impressed with Killmonger in the first moment because this is a villain with a very beautiful appearance, but the more we watch, the more we sympathize and like this character more because of his tragic childhood. miserable and full of hatred, in reality he has enough basis to become such a person. Brutal, crazy, murderous and culminating in killing his girlfriend. However, his basic view – that Wakanda should take a more active role in helping their brothers and sisters around the world rather than staying hidden is the vision of good leadership. This is also echoed when Nakia tells T’Challa that the country should do more to provide, aid, and share their knowledge resources not only within Wakanda but also outside the country.

Image: MARVEL STUDIOS

Their arguments sway T’Challa. His final scene shows him promising the UN that Wakanda will no longer stand in the shadows.

Maybe the thinking is right but the method of implementation is not. Maybe Killmonger is disappointed in T’Challa – the king of a powerful country who only chooses safe steps for his country, but T’Challa knows understand what is best for Wakanda. However, Killmonger deserves to be in the ranks of the best villains, they are those who demonstrate heroism in a villainous guise, like the Joker or Magneto.