Erik Killmonger

Erik Killmonger
Erik Killmonger (right). Black Panther #37 (Aug. 2008). Cover art by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Jungle Action #6 (Sept. 1973)
Created by	Don McGregor Rich Buckler
In-story information
Full name	N'Jadaka
Notable aliases	Erik Killmonger
Abilities	Skilled hand-to-hand combatant Expert tactician

Erik Killmonger is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, the character first appeared in Jungle Action vol. 2, #6 (Sept. 1973). Killmonger, whose birth name is N'Jadaka, is the nemesis of Black Panther.

Michael B. Jordan portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe 2018 film Black Panther.

Publication history

Erik Killmonger first appeared in the "Panther's Rage" storyline, initially in Jungle Action vol. 2, #6-8 (Sept. 1973 - Jan. 1974), and was created by writer Don McGregor and penciler Rich Buckler.

The character subsequently appeared in Jungle Action vol. 2, #12-18 (Nov. 1974-Nov. 1975), Iron Man Annual #5 (1982), Over the Edge #6 (April 1996), Black Panther vol. 3, #13 (Dec. 1999), #15-16 (Feb.-March 2000), #18-21 (May-Aug. 2000), Deadpool #44 (Sept. 2000), Black Panther vol. 3, #23-25 (Oct.-Dec. 2000), #60 (July 2003), and Black Panther vol. 4, #35-38 (May-Sept. 2008).

Erik Killmonger appeared in an entry in the 2006 reference book All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #6.

Fictional character biography

A native of Wakanda, he was born under the name N'Jadaka. When Ulysses Klaue and his mercenaries attacked Wakanda, they press-ganged N'Jadaka's father into helping them; when Klaue was defeated, his father died and his family was exiled. N'Jadaka ended up in Harlem, New York, nursing a hatred against the supervillain and T'Challa, the king who'd exiled him. He changed his name to Erik Killmonger and studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, desperate to avenge his father's death.

He eventually contacted King T'Challa and was repatriated back to Wakanda, settling in a village that would later change its name to N'Jadaka Village in his honour. He became a subversive, with dreams of ridding Wakanda of what he termed "white colonialist" cultural influences and return it entirely to its ancient ways. He then took advantage of the Black Panther's frequent absences in America with the Avengers to stage a coup d'état, along with Baron Macabre. He was defeated and killed, until the Mandarin claimed his body.

Resurrection

Using his rings, the Mandarin was able to amplify the Resurrection Altar and restore Killmonger to life. Killmonger returned to his lover and ally, Madam Slay and the two plotted to kill the Black Panther and return Wakanda to its ancient ways.

While Tony Stark visited Wakanda, Madam Slay drugged Jim Rhodes and took him prisoner. Killmonger appeared to have killed the Black Panther, and blamed Rhodes and Stark, convincing the Wakandans that he could lead them to vengeance. The Black Panther returned, revealing that he had faked his death using an LMD. The Black Panther defeated Killmonger. The Mandarin recalled his ring, and Killmonger reverted to an inanimate skeleton. Killmonger's followers resurrected him again and he would clash with T'Challa on several other occasions.

Wakanda takeover

In the wake of the sorcerer Reverend Achebe's attempted takeover of Wakanda, with T'Challa absent and control of the country left with his regent Everett Ross, Killmonger tried to gain control of the country via its economy, forcing T'Challa to stop him by nationalizing all foreign companies in Wakanda and cause a run on the stock market. The two foes fought in a vicious ritual combat over the right to rule the country, and Killmonger was finally able to defeat his foe and gain the status of Black Panther for his own. He maintained control of Wakanda for a while and even attempted to inherit T'Challa's Avengers status, but when he underwent the ascension rite needed to cement his position, his body had a severe reaction to the heart-shaped herb that he was required to consume - it was poisonous to all but the royal bloodline. Although it would have been convenient to allow him to die, and be unquestionably entitled to the position of the Black Panther, T'Challa preserved his rival's life.

Killmonger eventually came out of his coma, thus reclaiming his position as chieftain over Wakanda. He went to New York and contacted Kasper Cole, an inner-city police officer masquerading as the Black Panther to help him with cases, and attempted to gain him as an ally (and one-up T'Challa) by offering him a buffered version of the Panther's heart-shaped herb and help finding his supervisor's kidnapped son. In exchange, he had to drop the Panther identity and take up that of a White Tiger acolyte of the Panther cult, and would owe Killmonger a favor. While Kasper agreed to this, he then used his new herb-enhanced abilities to track down the boy on his own to avoid owing Killmonger an unpayable debt.

T'Challa is then once again the sole ruler of Wakanda when Killmonger resurfaces and takes control of the neighboring country of Niganda. During a subsequent duel with T'Challa, Killmonger is killed by Monica Rambeau, who he had previously captured and imprisoned. Killmonger's young son is last seen swearing vengeance against the Black Panther, much like N'Jadaka had done years earlier after the death of his own father.

Powers and abilities

Erik Killmonger is an expert martial artist with peak-level strength and a genius-level intellect. He is also an expert tactician.

In other media

Film

File:Michael B Jordan as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.png

Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger in the film Black Panther (2018)

• Erik Killmonger appears in Black Panther, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan. This version is an American black-ops soldier named Erik Stevens who earned the nickname "Killmonger". Born N'Jadaka, he is the son of N'Jobu, brother of Wakandan ruler T'Chaka. He lived with his father in Oakland, California, in the United States, until finding his father dead from a confrontation with T'Chaka about stolen vibranium. He plots to take the throne from T'Challa and continue his father's plan of providing people of African descent worldwide with Wakandan weaponry, so they may fight back their oppressors. To do so, he gains entry to Wakanda by presenting the body of the loathed Ulysses Klaue whom he murdered to the Border Tribe to gain their support to approach King T'Challa to challenge him to personal combat for the throne. Although Killmonger appears to kill to T'Challa in that duel, T'Challa manages to survive and regain the power of the Black Panther to later continue the challenge, which officially never concluded. When Killmonger refuses to cooperate, he thus immediately invalidates his claim to the throne and the Royal bodyguard turns against him. In the resulting insurrection, Killmonger's allied Border tribe is defeated and Killmonger himself is mortally wounded by T'Challa. Declining medical aid, Killmonger's last request is to see the sunset in Wakanda, which T'Challa grants.

Video games

• Erik Killmonger appears as a playable character in the Black Panther DLC pack for Lego Marvel's Avengers.
• Erik Killmonger appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, voiced by Damian Lynch.
• Erik Killmonger, as seen in the film Black Panther, appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight.
• Erik Killmonger, as seen in the film Black Panther, appears as a playable character in Marvel: Contest of Champions.

Music

• Erik Killmonger is referenced in the song "King's Dead" by rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Future, from the 2018 film's soundtrack.

External links

• Erik Killmonger at Marvel Wiki
• World of Black Heroes: Killmonger Biography
• Digital Priest: Killmonger