Marvel Studios films are known for bringing some of the most complex and thought-provoking villains to the big screen. Love them or hate them, audiences have a fascination with characters like Thanos, Red Skull, and Vulture. But few have come close to continuously enchanting audiences as quickly as Black Panther's Killmonger did and Michael B. Jordan has thoughts on why the character became so popular.
Unfortunately, (spoiler alert) Killmonger was killed in the first Black Panther film, so fans are prepared to face the fact that the character won't appear in the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Even so, it's hard to move on from Jordan's compelling performance and it's even harder to imagine how his villain will be topped in the sequel.
Killmonger is not only a great villain because of Jordan's acting, but the drive behind the character was something that audiences both understood and connected with. He wasn't just a run-of-the-mill bad guy who wanted to hurt people. Audiences could understand his motives, he was empathetic, and, frankly, he wasn't completely wrong. His methods were too extreme but it was difficult to consider him a clear-cut villain. Make no mistake, Killmonger is definitely a villain in Black Panther, but his storyline lends an understanding to how he became who he is. During an interview on the Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, Jordan recently spoke on why he thinks the character struck so many fans so memorably.
First, Jordan gives credit to Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, who he says was only interested in making the story as grounded and real as possible. He also pointed out how Killmonger and T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) both loved their people and were willing to do whatever it took to protect them. The contentious difference between the two was their different viewpoints on how to do that. "I think it was a strong conversation, dialogue we hadn't really seen on camera that way. I think a lot of people felt how Killmonger felt at times and a lot of people have felt like T'Challa felt at times," he said. Jordan believes that the complicated conversation that happens between the two throughout the film was told in an innovative, fresh way. This is probably why audiences latched onto it.
While Jordan has openly said he would return for Black Panther 2, it's still unclear if audiences will get to watch Killmonger on the big screen again. So far, the actor has not been linked to production on the sequel, which is has been filming since late June. Another character who will surely be missed is T'Challa himself. Chadwick Boseman's sudden death following a private battle with colon cancer in August 2020 shocked and saddened fans around the world.
It also left a cloud of uncertainty on the future of the Black Panther franchise. Disney and Marvel Studios confirmed they would not be recasting the role out of respect for the beloved actor, nor would a digital version of Boseman appear in the film. Instead, Black Panther 2's script was changed to honor the late actor and will focus on the world of Wakanda and the characters fans met in the first film, as well as a few new ones.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will release in theatres on July 8, 2022.
Source: Jemele Hill is Unbothered