Michael B. Jordan Believes 'Black Panther's Killmonger Was Not a Villain

Erik Killmonger is arguably one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most beloved antagonists, but the Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan has now spoken about his belief that the exiled Wakandan was never a villain at all.

Sitting down with Bleacher Report, the actor was asked by Taylor Rooks whether Killmonger was a villain, to which he adamantly replied "No." The two established that he was simply just an antagonist to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa: "I think he was a necessary part of the conversation," Jordan explained. "He cared about his people just as much as T'Challa. He just had a different way about getting it done. I think he was a historian that studied the history of government and oppression. Erik is a really smart guy, an MIT graduate."

"Erik saw there was really only one way to change things, so he went about that," he continued. "I don't think his argument was completely wrong. I don't think T'Challa's argument was completely wrong. I think it was a necessary conversation that needed to be had."

While Killmonger made a return in the recent animated What If...? series, unfortunately for now it seems his official MCU arc has concluded, so it'd take a pretty big twist to see where the mercenary's story could've led. Then again, with the Multiverse now in full force, fans will just have to wait to find out when the Black Panther sequel arrives on November 11, 2022.

Elsewhere in entertainment, Spider-Man: No Way Home has obtained a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.