MCU: 5 Best & 5 Worst Villains So Far

2. Erik Killmonger

Black Panther Erik Killmonger
Marvel Studios

Given how good Black Panther is, it is easy to overlook just how brilliant Michael B Jordon’s Erik Killmonger is. With a swagger that no other MCU villain is yet to possess, he brutally returns to Wakanda years after his father’s death and challenges T’Challa’s throne, nearly succeeding in ruling the country and offering vibranium up to the rest of the planet in the process.

What makes him so brilliant is that Killmonger is not your run of the mill, let's destroy the world sort of character. In fact, he is arguably the most relatable villain in the entire MCU. Furious at the death of his father by T’Chaka’s hand, he returns to get what he feels he deserves. It is impossible to look past the truth in his words as he blasts Wakandans for hiding their technology while black people around the globe have suffered in silence, nor his point that they have the power to rise up and fight back.

Ultimately, however, his aggressive nature proves his undoing. However, his legacy will live on in the MCU after Black Panther ended with T’Challa primed to disclose their assets to the world. Erik Killmonger was a rare example of a Marvel villain who, not only did audiences want to live on, but who will have a genuinely huge impact even in death.

Advertisement
In this post: 
MCU
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Sport and Film. I love them both. And I'm extremely lucky to write about two of my biggest passions in life. Most of the time, I'm at the Daily Express newspaper writing about football, tennis and F1. But, when I'm out of there, I let my imagination run wild and pen down my thoughts on the film series' I love. WhatCulture gives me the chance to write about the movie industry - an industry I really care about. And for that, I'm extremely grateful. And hope you, if you're reading this, enjoy what I think about stuff.