MCU: 12 Things You Learn Rewatching Black Panther

By Jack Pooley /

11. The Museum Sequence Is Timely & Thought-Provoking

Marvel Studios

Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) makes his first appearance at a British museum containing countless artefacts lifted from African cultures.

Advertisement

Moments before he and Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) "liberate" a Wakandan, vibranium-laced weapon from its display case, he chides a museum employee for claiming it to be British property, asking her, "How do you think your ancestors got these?"

It's a surprisingly provocative scene for an MCU movie (or really, a superhero film in general), but it's all the more trenchant when you consider that these conversations over artefact ownership are still going on today, especially with the British Empire's storied history of colonial atrocities.

Advertisement

Just this past week Ethiopa pleaded with the British to unconditionally return Ethiopian treasures plundered in the late 19th century, and with this scene also serving as Killmonger's introduction, it's certainly a potent statement of intent for the character.