Erik Killmonger - Blog Posts

My Beef with Killmonger - An MCU Rant

I think people struggle to understand that not ALL villains are misunderstood—they’re choosing to be evil and that's it. 

Take Killmonger for example (I’m doing the MCU specifically because I haven’t read the comics—cry about it). 

Besides committing the atrocity of making those half dreads the Frank’s Red Hot for every media with black characters lately, there's aspects I don’t hear people touch on when it comes to Killmonger as a character. And if there are, I sure haven’t heard it yet---so I really hope there's some info on this man I'm missing here. But if no one's gonna call out this man’s BS, I will.

I definitely comprehend that Erik losing his dad was extremely traumatic for him to experience as a child. But Killmonger was only focused on revenge and power alone. Because of the fact that T’Chaka was dead, Erik couldn’t take it out on him and instead decided to channel his anger towards the entirety of the Wakandan royalty—even towards T’CHALLA (even though T’Challa had NOTHING to do with it). 

Even then, T’Challa was MORE than kind enough to let Erik see a Wakandan sunset BEFORE he died. 

“I’m sorry my father was a POS. Here’s a sunset, bro.” 

I get he's played by the oh-so handsome Michael B. Jordan, but let's remove the rose-colored lenses and consider something here.

On top of being a complete narcissist (who killed his GIRLFRIEND by the way), the guy also was just never EVER fit to hold power in ANY capacity to begin with. When the guy did kill (or believe he killed) T’Challa, what was the first thing he wanted to do? 

Did he try to help other poor children in the neighborhood he grew up in?

Did he make a memorial for his dead father?

Did he start a program for fatherless children (like HE was)?

Did he even TRY to do ANYTHING of value that would’ve been beneficial to others in ANY way shape or form?

Newsflash: The answer to all of that is NO.

The FIRST thing this man does as KING is start a WAR between Wakanda and the United States.

Literally his FIRST act as king is to begin an event that could very well have left so many of his people to DIE and cause mass amounts of generational trauma. Meaning there'd potentially be a bunch of children in Wakanda that ALSO won't have their fathers should they die in the war. Is that NOT a major red flag? 

The guy didn’t even DRESS like a king, he just walked around shirtless with a jacket like he was an NYC pimp. 

Even pre-kingship, he already killed LOADS of people before he got to that point. Sure, you could argue that it was in order for him to reach Wakanda or what he planned to do. But does that not raise MORE red flags about his original intent, then? 

Killmonger has a scar on his body for every person that he’s ever killed. The man’s torso is covered top to bottom in scars, meaning he has a major body count. So you’re telling me that this dude's okay with murdering innocent people just to get to a goal that was gonna lead him to kill more people ANYWAY?

Yes, I understand his trauma. Yes, I understand why he's angry at the world. Yes, I do think he's a great villain because every good story needs a good villain. But one thing I'll NOT do is act like this man's actions are justified when they're not. His conquest to create conflict highlights a SEVERE lack of genuine care for the very people he CLAIMS to wanna help.

He's a grown man who had every chance and choice to become better and he never took it because he chose to take his anger out on everyone else since the one who ACTUALLY committed sin against him had already DIED.

And when the “What If” series came out, Killmonger turned on EVERYONE he worked with, took the gauntlets for himself, and tried to reset reality.

Sure, you could say that Killmonger is a representation of black rage and on some level, I'd agree with you in terms of a story telling perspective. But storytelling dynamics don't change the fact this man is a piece of crap.

Don't EVEN try lying to me. The only reason this man has simps on Tumblr is because he's played by someone who's attractive. I bet if he was played by Steve Harvey, you'd all change your tune. 

Trauma never is/will be an excuse to do horrible stuff. Once again, trauma can make a good villain and good villains are necessary. My ONLY issue with Killmonger is that he has a railroad of fans that try to justify his actions.

It's one thing to like a horrible character. And it's another thing to say a horrible character is justified in what they do. The reason why I think it's so dangerous to do that is because it CAN (not that it always does, but CAN) translate into real life instances where people defend ACTUAL human-shaped monsters for things they do as well (ie they're traumatized and/or attractive). That's why we have hybristophilic fangirls slobbering over Wade Wilson (if you know, you know).

But at the end of the day, everyone has choices. Killmonger made his.

Even Killmonger's FATHER was saddened by what his son became while speaking to him on the ancestral plane.

N’Jobu: No tears for me? Killmonger: Everyone dies. It's just life around here. N’Jobu: Well, look at what I have done.

DAWG, WHAT MORE PROOF DO YOU NEED—

So I just watched The Batman Question from the YouTube channel Movies with Mickey and... Michael B Jordan as Jason Todd aka Red hood. Omg ajdjdjdhdbdndn. I just can't it would sooo good. The thought Haunts me. He would be so badass but so relatable and loveable and intelligent and run and sad and vengeful and sympathetic and just perfect.

"Is this your king?! ah?, is this your king?!. Nah, i'm your king!" ― Erik Killmonger  Yus. Finally watchin this movie. It was puurfect!

“what if…? killmonger rescued tony stark” is so sad cuz tony lowkey thought he just met his best bro

This is probably like the best MCU quote ever.

Was Bucky just chillin’ in Shuri’s freezer next to the hot pockets when N’Jadaka invaded Wakanda or did he just hear all the explosions from his little farm with the goats and go “Huh...better not” and just bake a cake or something?

Because the Royal Family of Wakanda was the only thing keeping him safe and without Shuri, or T’Challa, or their mother in charge, it’s more than likely that he would’ve been forced to flee and go back into hiding or Killmonger would’ve tried to kill him. Emphasis on try, because even with one arm I’m pretty sure Bucky could kick some serious ass...just a thought...

Or better yet, did Killmonger know about Bucky and send a team or something to kill him while he and T’Challa were essentially acting out the plot of the Lion King? Since Bucky has a lingering reputation for taking out politicians JFK and likely royalty anyway?

*UPDATE*

I finally saw the film, and I thought it was great. It's clear that Michael loves his part, especially playing as a twin. As a black girl, I grew up with a southern family and an Arkansas-born grandfather. I adore the blues acknowledgement; it truly touched my soul. However, as an horror movie fan, I would really like the film to be a bit more edgy in general. The vampires already resemble the ones from 30 Days of Night, so honestly, I was kinda hoping for more gruesome scenes a lot less of the musical tropes. Overall I would rate this 4 popcorns out of 5.

🍿🍿🍿🍿

I love my Michael B. Jordan community, but can y’all please stop posting the spoilers ✋🏽😭😭

I love my Michael B. Jordan community, but can y’all please stop posting the spoilers ✋🏽😭😭

She's got it alphabetized too.

Black Panther (2018) dir. Ryan Coogler

I hate this cat!

Also

Jon Snow, Gendry, Erik Killmonger, Kirito and Lance

There was already: Hakuryuu Ren, Arutha conDoin, Zuko, Lancelot and Mordred from the Mists of Avalon, Keith Kogane and Edmund and Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia

feel free to tag more dark haired troumatized dudes I'll apreciate it very much thanks

My type? Dark haired edgy guys with swords.

Illustration for Marvel Crisis Protocol by Dan Mora

i am fucking DONE.

I’ve never said this to anyone but-

Feel free to choke me, kumkani...

Why I still find Killmonger fascinating after THREE years of the movie being out is that-

He had all the tropes given to heroes, while still being a full-on psychopathic villain.

1) His parents had a forbidden love story: N’Jobu was sent to Oakland as a spy. Starting a family was definitely out of question because fraternizing with and having attachments to a foreigner would have been against the War Dog code.

2) He only heard stories about Wakanda: This might not be exactly a hero trope, but this was what actually made me think that he was the hero in this story. Being disconnected from their homeland/ family is one major point that heroes usually have.

3) He saw his father die... at the hands of a powerful guy: Well, not exactly, but finding the dead body of your parent is a popular scene in hero movies. Either that, or hearing about your parent’s death. And he knew who did it.

4) Wait- He’s an orphan: This actually broke my heart, considering how his mom was killed too, through systemic oppression. They don’t talk about it, but all the implications show that this wasn’t even like having you mother die of something you can’t control (disease, accidents). He knew about Wakanda’s wealth and prosperity and had to helplessly watch his mother suffer because his country didn’t even bother to do anything. At this point, you can’t blame him for wanting the throne.

5) He grew up in a harsh environment, but got to the top anyway: “Graduated Annapolis, age 19, MIT for grad school” is no small thing for anyone let alone a literal kid thrown out into world without anyone to be there for him. He was the best, no doubt, securing top ranks in the military and earning himself a name. All those unseen training montages usually belong in heroes’ stories.

6) He has an heirloom from his (dead) father: That Ring was just a Hero Trope™. (Think- invisibility cloak, lightsaber, sword, mithril shirt, etc...)

7) He Returned To His Home™ to unseat his counterpart: ... who is usually the undeserving one, and let’s face it - T’Challa is technically the Prince Who Had Everything growing up, and N’Jadaka is the one who struggled more. Though eventually, he proved to be a monster and a neat product of his environment and experiences, it’s hard to not see his side.

8) He got a few rebels on his side: In most stories, you find that all the Rebels and the Resistances make up the allies of the hero, (*cough* starwars,harrypotter,hungergames *cough*) But in Black Panther, we see the villain playing the most justified part in a dethroning. To fit into that trope better, he specifically got W’Kabi, a man avenging his family, on his side. 

9) His death was emotional: Most villains don’t get that while still on their villainous arc. Killmonger did not necessarily go back on what he was shown to believe in, but rather caused his opponent to change for the better. Plus, his defeat was shot as if it was centered around him rather than T’Challa, putting more weight into his recurring hero tropes.

10) People’s lives became better because of him: You can’t see that at first glance, but think about it- Wakanda was finally forced to hold itself morally accountable; People started receiving aid all around the globe; Because of that, Nakia was able to pursue her aspiration of helping the underprivileged while reconciling with the man she loved. It’s sad that he didn’t actually get to see the Outreach Centers or live the life he deserved, and that sounds a lot like people living their life oblivious to an unsung hero. Though his intentions were far from that, it’s safe to say that he was a necessary evil in the story.