In these past few months, Marvel fans have endured seeing some of their favorite MCU heroes and villains perish before their very eyes. But one particular death that felt a little too soon to some viewers and comic book readers was that of the malevolent Ulysses “Klaw” Klaue in Black Panther.
Well, if it’s any consolation, director Ryan Coogler was a bit upset himself about the decision to kill off the gleefully anarchic South African arms dealer. Speaking to the Toronto Sun in a recent interview, he explained the following:
“I like Klaw. I was really bugged by having to do that. It’s tough when you have to kill characters off and I really did love that character.”
A villain who first emerged as a foe to the Fantastic Four in 1966, Ulysses Klaue had just one big screen outing prior to Black Panther when he sold stolen vibranium to the titular A.I. of Avengers: Age of Ultron. With a spirited portrayal by Andy Serkis, however, Claue’s two fairly brief appearances in the MCU left a strong impression on viewers.
“I love Andy, he’s a lovely person,” Coogler says. “But again, it’s one of those things where when you’ve got so many people in a movie, some of them have to go. Klaw in this movie, he’s just having a good time. Every scene he’s in, he’s walking in like it’s the best day of his life. He’s got a swagger to him that’s interesting and for me it was cool to see Andy act like that. It was a real pleasure.”
While there are surely worse ways for a character to go out than halfway through the second-highest grossing film of the year, it’s strange to think that Serkis has gone from playing two major franchise villains to none in mere months. If one thing’s for certain, it’s that after how things worked out for his characters in Black Panther and The Last Jedi, Baloo in the upcoming Mowgli better watch his back.
