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N'Jadaka, also better known by his legal name Erik Stevens and his nickname Killmonger, is the main antagonist of the 2018 Marvel film Black Panther.
He was an African-American black-ops operative-turned-opportunistic revolutionary and the son of N'Jobu who planned to overthrow his cousin T'Challa just so that he could take over the Wakandan kingdom and distribute vibranium weaponry worldwide to avenge the death and goals of his father.
He was portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in his first villainous role, and Seth Carr as his young self.
Why He Rocks[]
- Okay, let's get the cat out of the bag. He's one of the most well-written MCU villains ever.
- He's also the first MCU baddie to be black.
- Despite being the main villain, he's surprisingly very relatable. As a child, he found out his father was killed by T'Chaka -- the hero's father, and his mother was sent to prison for life and died during prison time. He was orphaned and left alone on the streets having to deal with racism. Most of his evil plan was about getting revenge on T'Challa for being partially responsible for his father's death and none of the Wakandans coming to his -- or any of his people's -- aid.
- Killmonger also made some valid points about how Wakanda had advanced technology which they didn't use to help any black people outside of their land. Even T'Challa (the film's hero) agrees with him, although he tells Erik he was wrong in his methods and execution, and thus begins a program of creating outreach centers in African minority communities, so that they can start using their technology to peacefully help them.
- A brief moment which proves he has a caring side, occurs when he asks T'Challa he asks to see the Wakandan sunset like his father promised he would show him and to be buried at sea with the Africans who chose death over bondage, after he mortally wounds him.
- Plus T'Challa stated he may be able to cure him, but Erik was so ashamed in what he had done, he actually wanted to die for his crimes. When was the last time you saw a Marvel villain with that level of honor?
- Even though Black Panther defeated him, he still technically succeeded in his plan. As T'Challa addressed his points and actually decided to use Wakanda's secrets to the people.
Bad Qualities[]
- Despite being a complex villain, he still manages to be one of those "evil clone of the hero" villains as his supervillain outfit is literally an orange version of T'Challa's Black Panther outfit.
- Also, some people might argue the his backstory (tragic or not) may not justify his countless murders.