By: Nathan Chen

Most villains in stories embody chaos and bad intentions, but some of those viewpoints contain the truth. Erik Killmonger, a villain in the Black Panther franchise, in Black Panther is a very relevant example. Killmonger grew up in poverty in the United States after his father was killed by his uncle. His father’s vision was that the advanced technology Wakanda developed should aid people worldwide.

Killmonger challenges Wakanda’s policies with moral essentials: a country so rich and technologically advanced must help the poor and oppressed people worldwide. Wakanda is, in this case, complicit in propagating poverty, racism, and colonialism by standing by and doing nothing. It is his critique that forces T’Challa, the Black Panther, and the audience to confront uncomfortable truths about privilege and responsibility.

Though extreme, Killmonger’s methods do have an inherent message that resonates with justice for marginalized people and a vision of a world where the oppressed can take back what is rightfully theirs. His tragic past lends weight to his moral ideology.

Killmonger’s story reveals that villains do not always have to be so bad.