Erik Killmonger (né N'Jadaka) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, he first appeared in Jungle Action #6 (September 1973). The character is commonly depicted as a skilled hunter and mercenary born in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, who holds a grudge against the country and its people after his biological parents were killed when he was young. Raised outside of Wakanda, he eventually returns as a revolutionary leader and terrorist to exact his revenge, and repeatedly challenges the nation's king and protector, Black Panther, who becomes his most prominent adversary.
The character has been adapted from the comics into several other forms of media, such as television series and video games. Michael B. Jordan portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and later voiced an alternate reality version in the animated series What If...? (2021).
Publication history
Erik Killmonger first appeared in the "Panther's Rage" storyline, initially in Jungle Action #6-8 (September 1973 - January 1974), and was created by writer Don McGregor and penciler Rich Buckler.
Fictional character biography
Native born of Wakanda, Erik was born under the name "N'Jadaka." His parents were killed by raiders led by a traitorous citizen of the Golden Realm who sold out secrets of his home nation to Ulysses Klaue.
He was taken and raised abroad by his hateful caretakers, and given a new name and identity by those who had robbed him of paradise. N'Jadaka was a gifted intellectual from an early age. This trait was exploited by his surrogate father M'Demwe, the very same who murdered his family before taking him into the outside world, all while boasting of national superiority as they trekked foreign lands.
All the while, N'Jadaka fostered a deep resentment towards everyone and everything for all the horrible events that befell him, while his future nemesis T'Challa would be crowned king after the death of his father.
Eventually, the youth tired of his life in servitude and his childhood of hardship, and executed M'Demwe, brutally shooting, then stabbing the traitor to death, before striving to find his own path. He later changed his name to Erik Killmonger, and studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, still desperate to avenge his father's death.
While studying in Harlem, New York, Erik attempted multiple times to murder the source of his woes, but was confounded by supervillainous power players working under the likes of Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
That mercenary outfit of mutants took Killmonger on as a temporary member within their crew of hired guns. Eventually he fell in love with a teammate, Knight, and found temporary solace in her company, while taking odd jobs under the lord of crime in New York. All of that eventually fell apart when their employer sold them out to his top operator Bullseye. His love interest, Knight, subsequently cut a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. behind the backs of what remained of the team so she could get an easy out from her life of crime.
Killmonger would eventually embrace his chosen name, as well as a new goddess named K'liluna, fallen sister of Mother Bast, when he exacted revenge upon his scorned lover before disappearing into obscurity for a time.
Return Home
Killmonger returned to Wakanda after king T'Challa brought their homeland to the attentions of the outside world. The two would converse about Wakandan theology while asking about the deity whom Erik was secretly living with, all whilst plotting his revenge against his liege, and the nation he blamed for his abandonment to the corruption beyond it. While re-acquainting himself with the land that left him behind, N'Jadaka would discover plans for a WMD called Project: Koukou, a deadly vibranium shock bomb meant to act as a colonizer deterrent. He then set about systematically killing other Wakandan refugees as an effective misdirection ploy so as to foment his plans for global conflict.
Killmonger's ultimate aim was to drop Koukou on a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier coming in for diplomatic treaties, framing the hidden nation as aggressors on the world stage, and forcing them to go to war with everyone else, thus; allowing Killmonger to overthrow T'Challa and lead his people to storm over the world in a genocidal crusade. When Shuri trapped him in an invention, instead of being arrested, he jumped from a plane into a lake, where he was believed to have survived.
