Black Panther Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

8. Erik Killmonger Is A Surprisingly Excellent Villain

WKabi Black Panther
Marvel Studios

The marketing sadly didn't do a great job selling Michael B. Jordan's antagonist Erik Killmonger as anything more than another generic Marvel baddie who functions as a cliched mirror-image of the hero, but in reality, that's not the case at all.

Though Jordan's screen time is more scant than you might be expecting, the second half of the film in particular does a marvelous job digging into his past and providing some extremely compelling, plausible motivations for his actions.

Jordan's physical intensity speaks for itself, helping create a righteously angry character who is far more ambiguous and sympathetic than you might initially expect.

While Killmonger doesn't quite reach the deliciously entertaining heights of Loki's cheeky villainy, he arguably does one better by becoming a more relatable and grounded baddie, if still misguided in his deeds.

Advertisement
In this post: 
Black Panther
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.