Should Avengers: Endgame Bring Back Erik Killmonger?

With a few exceptions, the MCU isn’t generally known for its memorable villains, so when a big bad like Black Panther’s Erik Killmonger comes along and leaves a profound impression on audiences, the question is raised of whether Marvel Studios should capitalize on the character’s strong reception and make him more than just another one-movie antagonist. Sure enough, in a new piece from CinemaBlend, the pros and cons are weighed on the idea of Avengers: Endgame bringing Michael B. Jordan back for another round.

On the pro side, the most obvious point is surely that audiences liked Killmonger, and would therefore appreciate seeing more of him. After all, it’s rare for the Marvel universe to bring us a villain who earns this much viewer sympathy, and if the likes of Thanos and Loki can live through multiple projects – and in the case of the latter, multiple supposed deaths – then why not Erik? And with Endgame already set to reverse some deaths, perhaps the Russo Brothers can find a way of resurrecting this fan favorite.

Nonetheless, the CinemaBlend piece makes a strong case for why it might be best to leave Killmonger’s story as is. For one thing, though Loki’s various fake deaths seem consistent with his mischievous nature, bringing back N’Jadaka may come across as a betrayal of the character and his choice of death over imprisonment, while also reducing the emotional impact of his arc’s conclusion.

What’s more, now that Wakanda has opened itself up to the world and started helping underprivileged children and families around the planet, it’s argued that Erik would have less reason to continue his vendetta against T’Challa, since the leader has essentially incorporated some of Killmonger’s ideas into the way he governs the nation. With that in mind, to bring the character back as a villain would possibly require changing his motivations, potentially losing that sympathetic element that once made him s0 popular in the process.

Of course, regardless of which side of the debate you lie on, the matter is all very hypothetical for the time being, but we’ll find out if Marvel Studios has such a retcon in mind when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.