Fresh off battling each other in the ring in Creed III, Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors joined forces at this past weekend’s Oscars ceremony in order to share the love for Angela Bassett after she controversially lost the Best Supporting Actress gong to Jamie Lee Curtis. Jordan hasn’t let go of his upset, either, as he’s since doubled down on supporting his on-screen auntie on social media, proving he might be a villain in the MCU, but he’s a real-life hero.
So Marvel fans turning against the oft-beloved Killmonger in the wake of Jordan’s gentlemanly conduct is coming across as an instance of extremely poor timing. In a Reddit thread (apparently so shocking that it’s since been removed by moderators), MCU diehards are questioning whether T’Challa’s war-hungry cousin — who first appeared in Black Panther, before making a supernatural return in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — is really deserving of his lofty reputation.
In what may shock those who remain card-carrying Killmonger loyalists, several replies concurred that talk of Erik Stevens as one of the best MCU bad guys is overblown.
Others think the more heroic Black Panther supporting players outrank Killmonger.
Was Jordan shortchanged in the dialogue department? Discuss.
For some, it’s not as simple as calling Killmonger “overrated,” but perhaps fans overestimate how much he truly believes in what he preaches.
Of course, not everyone is betraying Killmonger, with one comment offering a spirited and eloquent defense of why he remains a real highlight of the MCU’s rogues’ gallery.
The Marvel fandom overall isn’t about to throw Killmonger under the bus, then, but it’s still galling that a small subsection would move against Michael B. Jordan like this after all he’s done to avenge the Oscar the MCU really should’ve won.
