Killmonger
is perhaps the most brilliantly complex character of any movie I have ever
seen. By now, Black Panther has been out for months, and the rave has died
down. Yet, aspects of the movie have remained engrained in my head. My
appreciation for Black movies increased even more after witnessing the dynamic
of the character “Killmonger.” Killmonger represents the villain in the film.
Obviously, villains are not usually respected among the audience, and their
demise typically brings relief to the viewers. However, Killmonger’s demise not
only left me speechless, but it left me in tears. Before he dies, Killmonger
requests, “Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from the ships,
because they knew death was better than bondage.”[1]
The reason that this quote is so memorable and significant specifically to his
character, is because of what Killmonger is supposed to represent for the Black
community. The motive behind his villainous aspect, is for the sheer power and
justice of Black people. He represents, for Black people, a literal “Black
Pantheresque” ideology of self-defense in the name of freedom and Black power.
He believes that in order to overthrow oppression and injustice, he must fight not
only whites, but Black people who are not struggling (the Wakandians). His
motives as a villain are not the typical, “kill off good people and take over the
world with evil,” motives. Instead, he fights for the Black people who have
never been given a voice. Thus, when Killmonger makes this statement before his
ultimate demise, he requests that he (in death) be placed alongside the
Africans who chose death over captivity. They chose death over ever being
stripped of their humanity. As a Black woman, I identify with what Killmonger
fights for. I can quite literally respect what he believes, regardless of the
fact that he is at odds with the protagonist of the film, T’Challa. This type
of character is vital for a film directed at Black people.
We
did not need another film with another
Black male being portrayed as a trigger-happy psychopath. If we want those, we
can look at any action-packed film, featuring a Black man. Killmonger defeats
the stereotypical hypersexual, dangerous, and criminal Black body. Instead, he
represents the battle between the oppressed and the oppressor, while expressing
his own internal battle of hatred and forgiveness. His character not only attempts
to serve justice to Blacks, but he succeeds in forcing the audience to grapple
with this confusing and heart wrenching identification.
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