15 Best Performances In MCU Movies (So Far)
11. Michael B Jordan - Erik Stevens
Black Panther is a distinctive entry in Marvel’s canon, somewhat of a standalone film with a brilliantly realised world, Wakanda, which celebrates a culture the other movies tend not to feature. Fittingly, its villain is uncommonly nuanced, as well as superbly portrayed by one of Hollywood’s best young actors.
Erik Stevens, a.k.a Killmonger, has the lust for power typical of a supervillain, but there’s a level of depth here which is often missing. His aim is to make Wakanda stand up and fight for the rights of oppressed people around the world, to strike a blow for racial equality.
Jordan studied incendiary figures like real life Black Panther Huey Newton and Malcolm X for the role, and that intensity shines through in his performance. Killmonger is violent and vicious, but his goals and his rage are righteous, and Jordan perfectly captures that ambiguity through his charismatic turn.
Jordan told Oprah Winfrey that he needed to decompress after filming finished. Killmonger is killed off (in one of the MCU’s most impactful deaths) at the end of Black Panther - while the character will be missed, Jordan may well be relieved he doesn’t have to revisit it.