10 Greatest “I’m Dead And I Know It" MCU Moments
2. Erik Killmonger - Black Panther
Say what you want about the CGI-stuffed finale of Ryan Coogler's ground-breaking 2018 Black Panther feature, but the outstanding handling of Eric Killmonger's final moments made for an emotional sledgehammer to the soul as T'Challa watched his rival determine his own fate.
After being mortally bested by T'Challa in Wakanda's vibranium mine, Killmonger is given the chance to take in the place his father had often promised to show him one day. It's in this moment that, when given the chance to accept T'Challa's offer of medical assistance, the boy from Oakland decides that he'd rather die than be imprisoned, defiantly stating:
“Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.”
And with this, Killmonger slowly pulls the blade that is keeping him from death's door, allowing himself to bleed out atop a cliff facing the world he dreamed of seeing his entire life.
A moment this powerful quickly washed away the thought of an overly animated battle of the Black Panthers and clunky rhinos riding into war, leaving us only with food for thought and a conclusion fitting such a riveting character.