20 Best Movie Performances Of 2018
12. Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther)
2018 decisively saw the Marvel Cinematic Universe confronting their much-discussed "villain problem" head-on, and not only did Michael B. Jordan forge one of the franchise's best villains to date with Erik Killmonger, he also delivered one of the very best performances of the year.
Jordan's physical intensity speaks for itself, but what really takes Killmonger to the next level is the seething, righteous anger stemming from both a troubled upbringing and the state of modern America.
He's an inherently sympathetic "villain" - his methods notwithstanding - and by presenting us with an antagonist who isn't afraid to cry angry tears or lament what's lost, he ends up far more than just a mirror image of T'Challa.
It was reasonable to be worried that Jordan would be yet another world-class talent wasted as a forgettable Marvel baddie, but his affecting turn made the most of an uncommonly humanistic and thoughtful script.