Black Panther Review: 10 Best Moments
7. Erik Defeats T'Challa, Becomes The New King
After Killmonger arrives in Wakanda and is brought before T'Challa, he reveals himself to be T'Challa's cousin and immediately challenges him for Wakanda's throne.
An over-eager T'Challa accepts, and the fight kicks off. Even with T'Challa having the clear physical advantage by consuming Wakanda's herbs, he ultimately gets destroyed by Killmonger, who also kills his spiritual advisor Zuri (Forest Whitaker) for good measure, for being somewhat responsible for his father's death.
Killmonger ends the fight by hurling T'Challa over the waterfall to his apparent demise, causing Erik to be crowned the new King of Wakanda.
Thanks to Michael B. Jordan's intense physicality, this is a thrilling fight that benefits from the wealth of character development laid before it, ensuring the audience is uncommonly invested.