10 Times The MCU Was Right To Forget The Source Material
3. Erik Killmonger's Heritage - Black Panther
Thanos may be the best villain in the MCU to date, but Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger is in a close race with Loki for second. The Wakandan, cousin of T'Challa, questioned the King's rule, and believed the great nation's resources would be better used shared with the millions of oppressed people across the planet.
He may have gone about it in the wrong way, but the theory behind Killmonger's motivation was something that every single audience member could understand and sympathise with. The character was made even better in the MCU by his relation to the King.
In the comics, N'Jadaka was exiled after his father helped Ulysses Klaue attack Wakanda, and became obsessed with vengeance against T'Challa. This ultimately brought him toe to toe with the King, but their relationship and the character's altered history in the MCU lent Killmonger a far more compelling story.
Family has been a key theme throughout much of the MCU, and Black Panther was no different. Instead of being exiled, N'Jadaka saw his father killed by T'Challa's father, and made sure the need for revenge lived on for his cousin. The villain's story and overall arc were certainly bettered with his closer relationship to the King.