Stan Lee’s Cameo
This is a Marvel movie so, of course, Stan Lee has to have a cameo. And he deserves this one more than most, as Lee co-created T’Challa with his frequent collaborator Jack Kirby in 1966. He’s also been a vocal champion of the often underrated character over the years, citing him as his favourite to get his own movie.
Lee’s Black Panther cameo, then, showcases his usual tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and cheeky charm. At the Korean casino, Lee appears as an old gambler who gallantly looks after T’Challa’s winnings “for safe keeping.” It’s a little less scene stealing than some of his other recent cameos have been, but it’s still good fun nonetheless.
And remember, thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we now know that all of Lee’s cameos see him playing the same guy. No doubt he’s going to recount the tale of the time he stole Black Panther’s chips to the Watchers at some point.
Killmonger
The role of the big bad of Black Panther is filled admirably by Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, definitely one of the most layered antagonists the MCU has ever produced. We have writer/director Ryan Coogler to thank for much of that texture as the original comic book character, while still cool, is very different.
In the source material, Erik Killmonger was exiled by T’Challa for his thirst to take Wakanda back to its traditional roots. This is completely inverted in the film, as Jordan’s Killmonger wants to bring the country into the modern era and wage war on the rest of the world.
Despite the differences, though, there are nods to the comics version. In his first scene, Killmonger pilfers an ancient African mask from the fictional Museum of Great Britain, which he later wears when busting Klaue out of jail. This is a close match for the mask the character dons in the source material.
The golden necklace he wears during his stint as king, meanwhile, is also borrowed from the comics, though it doesn’t usually belong to Erik. It looks a lot like that which is worn by Black Panther in most versions.
