Erik Killmonger could be the future of the Black Panther

Could Erik Killmonger return for a redemption arc that would pay tribute to T’Challa’s influence in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?

People all over the world are all still reeling from the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman. After turning heads as T’Challa/Black Panther in the eponymous 2018 film where he took on Erik Killmonger, Boseman was launched into superstardom. His tragic death in 2020 shocked the world as his battle with colon cancer had understandably been kept out of the public eye.

But as people processed what had happened, questions about the future of Black Panther started to appear. The possibilities of recasting or CGI have been firmly denounced by Kevin Feige, and thankfully so. But the answer might be the return of Erik Killmonger.

Black Panther takes center stage

For years, comic book fans had been hoping for a movie version of the Black Panther. That was before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was even remotely a concept. Back in the ’90s there were reputedly discussions of making a movie with Wesley Snipes, which probably would have been good.

In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman made his debut as T’Challa, the prince of Wakanda and its protector under the guise of Black Panther. The death of T’Challa’s father in that same movie would make him the king.

Black Panther would continue to be a prominent member of the MCU, particularly in his celebrated 2018 solo film. In that movie, he would face off against Erik KIllmonger, a lost son of Wakanda with claim to the throne and a really good point about the country’s place in the world.

T’Challa came out on on top of that fight after the apparent death of Killmonger. Black Panther would then return in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, helping close out the first major arc of the MCU in style.

The loss of an Avenger

Boseman’s tragic death meant that the future of an integral character in the MCU was now uncertain. With the next solo movie on the way, which fans now know is called Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, there has understandably been no conversation about how the MCU will cope with this loss.

Fans immediately thought that the part might be recast. Another option on the speculative table was creating a CGI version of Boseman to perform on screen. Kevin Feige, the mastermind of the MCU, has been adamant that neither of those things will happen.

This means that fans know what the MCU isn’t going to do, but not what they are going to do. That being said, there is one option out there that has not been discounted, yet, and it could potentially be the most engaging one of all.

Erik Killmonger as Black Panther

The problem that T’Challa faced with Erik Killmonger was that his cousin wasn’t wrong in his assessment in how Wakanda had failed in its responsibility to Black people living outside of its borders. His way of rectifying that situation wasn’t exactly great, though.

That doesn’t change the fact that T’Challa learned from Erik, and turned Wakanda into a real world leader on a number of levels. If Killmonger had survived his battle with T’Challa, he may have learned to temper his rage from T’Challa and become a partner in that journey.

But who is to say that Killmonger didn’t survive their encounter? Fans didn’t see a funeral or the body disposed of. Wakandan technology could have easily saved and revived him, then helped him heal his mental wounds like they did with Bucky Barnes.

Simply put, installing Erik Killmonger as the new Black Panther is the ultimate tale of redemption and growth. That being said, he probably shouldn’t be the new leader of the country. That responsibility should fall to someone a bit more reasonable like Shuri. In all honesty, she could also fill the role of Black Panther admirably, and would certainly be welcomed in it by most fans.

But the most compelling arc would be seeing Killmonger learn from his cousin’s example, and fight to make the world a better place in a new way. And that would be the ultimate tribute to Boseman and his beloved character and the positive influence that they were.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is released on July 8, 2022.