This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever already making its mark with its record-breaking theatrical debut, the time leading up to the film had audiences anticipating what would come from the film. Following the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa in the first installment of the Black Panther franchise, Ryan Coogler the writer of the film was faced with the task of crafting a whole new story without Boseman.
Coogler has shared the challenges and roadblocks he faced during the writing process and even thoughts of leaving the entertainment industry entirely after the loss of his dear friend and muse. However, Coogler managed to fight through these emotions and craft a film that tells a beautiful tale of loss, grief, anger, and triumph, and one of the most shocking cameos in the film brings all these emotions full circle.
Killmonger played by Michael B Jordan, was the antagonist in the first Black Panther film, where he battled T’Challa for the throne and won, taking the throne as king of Wakanda and the armor of Wakanda’s protector the Black Panther. Killmonger's true identity is revealed to be N'Jadaka, the child of N'Jobu (played by Sterling K. Brown), T'Challa's father (played by John Kani/Atandwa Kani) T'Chaka's brother.
N'Jadaka aspires to a world revolution as well as vengeance for the passing of his father. He chooses to do this by using the vibranium weapons that Wakanda has on hand as well as the Wardog espionage team. His ambitions were foiled when T'Challa, who had survived his death, carried on with his struggle for control of Wakanda. The two eventually engaged in another fight, but this time T'Challa emerged triumphant. At last, he made the choice to be merciful to his cousin, taking him to watch the sunset and promising to treat his injuries. Killmonger, however, decided that death was preferable to captivity and killed himself by removing the spear that had stabbed him. T'Challa ultimately felt the effects of Killmonger's passing, as he decided to open Wakanda's borders and resources to the outside world.
Killmonger makes an epic return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Wakanda Forever after Shuri takes a synthetic version of the herb that equips the Black Panther with its powers. Although no longer alive after taking the herb Shuri is met by Killmonger in the Ancestral Plane, to her surprise, after expecting to be met by T’Challa and her mother (Angela Bassett). When she’s met by Killmonger he smears her father by calling him a hypocrite for killing his father and labels T’Challa as too noble for his own good. He goes on to praise her mother for giving her life to save Riri Williams/Ironheart (played by Dominique Thorne) after Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta Mejia) attempted to kill her. He leaves her with a question, asking her how far is she willing to go, to protect her country after all the loss it has faced.
After this encounter, Shuri faces a true turning point, after all the anger the audience has watched build up inside her in the film. As she takes on the armor of the Black Panther she is still consumed by this rage and feels that the only way to avenge her mother's death is to kill Namor herself. An eye for an eye, a life for a life. However, in the film's final battle Wakanda battles the Talokan on a ship, while Namor and Shuri who is now the Black Panther battle in an offshore desert.
After being stabbed by Namor, in what seems like it could be a fatal wound, Shuri finds the strength to rise again and conquers Namor, leaving him at her mercy. At this moment she has all the power and as T’Challa did in his battle with Killmonger, shows him mercy. If it wasn't for her encounter with Killmonger it's fair to assume that Shuri would've killed Namor, which would've marked war with the Talokan for many centuries to follow. Talking with Killmonger showed Shuri what type of Black Panther she wants to be and what wielding that sort of power means to her, in that final battle she showed her power and showed Namor that if she wanted to kill him she could. But the Black Panther doesn’t need to kill to win and that's what sets her apart from her father, who killed his own brother while in the armor.
Nonetheless, although Killmonger has passed on it's clear that his impact on the legacy of the Black Panther and the future of Wakanda will continue to live on in the wake of all the catastrophic damage that has made its way through Wakanda. As the future of the Black Panther lives on in the upcoming Avengers films and the rest of the Multiverse Saga, so will the lessons N'Jadaka’s story taught audiences all over the world.
