11. Michael B. Jordan - Killmonger (Black Panther)
Marvel Studios
Ryan Coogler's Black Panther continues to garner box office receipts, plaudits and praise from, well, pretty much everyone. A lot of that comes down to the film's own salience, but another reason why it's resonated in quite the way it has is because of the talents of the cast itself, with Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger in particular a key standout.
There's a real intensity that Jordan brings to the role, the kind that also makes his villain - or rather anti-villain - stand head and shoulders above Marvel's other rogues. There's real tragedy to the character, a compelling conviction, and a fantastic presence spurred on by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole's script. What's more, however, is that while Jordan undoubtedly draws strength from the talents of his costars and the script itself, the success of his performance lies squarely with the actor himself - it's difficult to imagine someone else taking on the role.
And that's not to say that Black Panther lacks intensity on the whole. Rather, the nature of Jordan's character - and the fact he's a stellar actor in his own right - makes Killmonger the villain he is. He's definitely the best antagonist the MCU has seen thus far, and to impart that impression in just one film is uniquely impressive.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
