Back when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was still shooting, a rumor that the sequel would see the return of Eric Stevens, aka Killmonger, did the rounds. Of course, the character was killed-off in the first movie, so there was understandably a lot of scepticism - but, surprisingly enough, Michael B. Jordan does indeed reprise the role for a single scene.
At the time, it was theorized that the villain may have actually survived his final encounter with T'Challa at the end of Black Panther, and there was even speculation that he might be the one to take up the mantle in the wake of the king's death.
While this would have been an undeniably interesting path to take the story in, there are no resurrections for Killmonger - at least, not in the physical sense!
Towards the end of the film, Shuri successfully manages to replicate the heart-shaped herb that gave her late brother his abilities, and hopes to see both T'Challa and Ramonda when she ingests the herb and pays a visit to the Ancestral Plane. Instead, she's dismayed to find her ruthless cousin waiting to give her advice.
Killmonger tells Shuri that the rage she felt after the death of her family members and willingness to "burn the world" is what summoned him, and the only way to defeat Namor is to accept his worldview and put her enemy down for good. Shuri does almost allow vengeance to consume her by taking the Submariner's life after defeating him in combat, but right before she lands the killing stroke, she hears her mother urging her to show mercy by showing her foe and his people "who you are."
This was a brief, but very effective cameo from Jordan, and, just like the mid-credits scene, enhanced the main character's arc without feeling tacked-on or out of place.
What did you make of Killmonger's return? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section (you can check out our review here).
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Introducing Tenoch Huerta as Namor, king of a hidden undersea nation, the film also stars Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livanalli.