15 greatest Marvel Cinematic Universe rivalries
By Mark Lynch
9. Black Panther and Erik Killmonger
T’Challa was handed the keys to the kingdom of Wakanda after his father was killed in Captain America: Civil War. He may not have been ready, but it was happening. After a ceremony and ritual open challenge for the crown, T’Challa was king. What he didn’t know was that there was someone else out there who had the right to challenge for the title: His cousin Erik “Killmonger” Stevens.
T’Chaka (T’Challa’s father) killed his brother N’Jobu for betraying Wakanda. After T’Chaka killed him, he left for Wakanda leaving N’Jobu’s son Erik behind. Erik grew up despising the royal family and T’Challa inherited that hatred.
Killmonger wanted to arm the disenfranchised people of the world with weapons. He could have done that without attempting to kill T’Challa and causing a war within Wakanda. Unfortunately, Killmonger’s heart was full of anger that was built up for years which led to his demise.
8. Wakanda and Ulysses Klaue
Part of the reason for the rivalry between T’Challa and Killmonger was because of Ulysses Klaue. When Klaue tried to steal vibranium from Wakanda, he killed a ton of Wakandan workers and he wouldn’t have gotten into Wakanda if it wasn’t for Killmonger’s father N’Jobu.
Klaue is the only person to invade Wakanda, kill its people, and leave with his life. While he left with his life, he did leave with a Wakandan brand on his neck. Since then, the people of Wakanda had been searching for him to make him pay for his crimes.
Ulysses Klaue became a priority for Wakanda. When T’Challa came back to Wakanda without Klaue, his people doubted him. Especially his friend W’Kabi whose parents were killed during Klause’s raid. It also didn’t help that T’Challa returned with an injured American and not their enemy.
Ultimately, it was Killmonger who got the kill. Bringing him to W’Kabi was a smart move as Killmonger got the revenge W’Kabi was looking for.
Klaue is always going to be looked at as the guy who came to Wakanda and killed its citizens. Even in death, his name will still be spoken with disdain. It’s disappointing that he was another villain killed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe too soon… and before he gave everyone the SoundCloud link to his mixtape.
7. Gamora and Nebula
Nebula has hated Gamora for an untold amount of time. Mostly because of their father Thanos.
Thanos constantly forced the two of them to fight each other. Whoever lost would have their body enhanced. Gamora continuously beat Nebula which meant that Nebula was constantly taken painfully apart and rebuilt. She may be more machine than flesh and blood and blames Gamora for this. On the flip side, Gamora never hated Nebula. Gamora was just doing what she had to do.
It wasn’t until Guardians of the Galaxy 2 that Nebula got over her hatred for Gamora and focused it on Thanos.
This rivalry may not have lasted long in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it lasted years in their time. The psychological damage caused by the torment led Nebula to constantly seek the approval of the monster who was ruining her body and tearing her soul apart. Seeing how much she needed Thanos’ love and acceptance in Avengers: Endgame was sad. It didn’t matter how much Gamora tried to help her, all Nebula saw Gamora as was an enemy.