The Best Moment Of Every MCU Film - Ranked
5. Killmonger Is Defeated – Black Panther
Though the early MCU struggled somewhat with creating compelling villains to match its heroes, Phase Three went a long way toward rectifying this. Introduced in Black Panther, Erik Killmonger is among the greatest antagonists the MCU franchise has ever put on screen.
This is in no small part thanks to the principles he lived by, and the motivation for why he wanted to overthrow his cousin as the King of Wakanda. This wasn't a shallow hunger for power or glory, instead N'Jadaka disagreed with the nation's policy of keeping their vast wealth and technological advancements to themselves and out of the hands of his downtrodden and oppressed brothers and sisters across the globe.
The man who had seen his own father killed by his King fought hard to sit atop the throne, and even succeeded for a while before ultimately falling to defeat at the hands of T'Challa. His death scene is one of the most heartfelt in the entire MCU franchise, as he is taken atop a mountain to see his country properly before he dies.
The King offered to save his life, but standing by his principles Killmonger made the conscious decision to die, taking the lead from his ancestors who chose death over bondage. A simply beautiful, aesthetically stunning, thought provoking scene that was the pinnacle of a wonderful movie.