Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Favorite Characters: Erik Stevens a.k.a. Killmonger (Black Panther)


Marvel has stepped up their villain game quite a bit in the last year, after having mostly so-so baddies with a few strong exceptions (i.e., Loki, the Winter Soldier.)  The past year, though, they’ve been pretty on point (i.e., Hela, Vulture) none more so than Killmonger.  Definite Black Panther spoilers ahead.

One of the first things you notice about Killmonger is how highly capable he is.  His big plan in the movie is very multifaceted, a chain of interconnecting events with each step leading him closer to his goal.  His black ops training taught him how to strategize, with a particular emphasis on toppling governments.  As such, he knows how to find weaknesses to exploit, how to play different sides against each other, and how to come at a problem in both large and small ways, eroding it down until he gets what he wants.

Another important aspect of Killmonger is his determination.  His father was radicalized by what he saw in America, and that’s a philosophy Killmonger inherited, especially when his father was killed.  As a result of that radicalization, Killmonger became single-minded on his goal, and he spent most of his life building up to the events of the movie.  This is demonstrated most starkly in his hundreds of ritual scars, each representing a kill from his military or mercenary work, all in anticipation of challenging Wakanda’s hero for the throne.  But this determination and drive carries into every aspect of what he does.  Any other desire Killmonger has, everything else in his life, gets washed away in the wake of that obsession.  When Klaue tries to stop Killmonger by threatening the life of his girlfriend/accomplice, Killmonger shoots her himself rather than let that stop him.  Nothing gets in the way of the cause he’s given his life to.

It’s a cause that’s both deeply personal and much larger than himself.  Back when he was still just Erik, he was raised by a secret Wakandan prince working as a spy in the U.S.  Erik’s father told him stories of the beautiful, shining Wakanda while at the same time growing increasingly incensed at the oppression he witnessed around him.  When Erik’s father stole vibranium with the aim of bankrooling a Black American revolution, he was killed by Wakanda’s then-king, Erik’s uncle and T’Challa’s father, and Erik was left in America so Wakanda would never have to find out how their prince betrayed them.

So, Killmonger’s quest is personal, avenging his father’s death by seizing the throne and taking up the mantle of the Black Panther that killed him, as well as gaining power over that glorious country that turned its back on him as a child.  But there’s so much more to it.  In Killmonger’s view, Wakanda abandoned, not just him, but Black people across the diaspora.  Wakanda has so much technology and power, but in hiding itself from the world, it’s shut its eyes to the suffering in neighboring African countries, in America, and all over the globe.  When he becomes king, Killmonger plans to ship vibranium weapons across the world, enabling all Black people to overthrow their oppressors.

The important thing here is that Killmonger isn’t wrong about the problem; Wakanda is amazing, but given the ravaging effects of systemic racism around the world, it’s also awful to think of all the help Wakanda could offer but chooses not to.  By the end of the movie, T’Challa recognizes the truth of this and opens Wakanda’s technology and resources to the world.  So Killmonger’s point is spot-on – it’s his plan, to establish a new Wakandan empire that crushes all former colonizers underfoot, that’s off.  He can’t rebuild by coopting a cruel and broken system and simply changing the names of the oppressors.  That’s what T’Challa realizes and Killmonger doesn’t.  Killmonger is so fueled by his anger, by his desire to burn everything down, that he can’t see any path to healing.

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