The role of Killmonger took a serious toll
on star Michael B. Jordan.
After gaining mainstream attention through
films like the heart-wrenching 2013 biographical
drama Fruitvale Station, the 2015 sports drama
Creed, and the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four,
Jordan joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actor reunited with his Fruitvale Station
and Creed director Ryan Coogler for 2018's
super smash-hit Black Panther, in which Jordan
played Erik Killmonger Stevens, aka Killmonger.
In Black Panther, Killmonger is more than
just a run-of-the-mill baddie who wants to
take down the hero.
He has a connection to Chadwick Boseman's
King T'Challa, and an emotionally driven purpose
for wanting to overthrow him as the leader
of Wakanda.
The film reveals that Killmonger's birth name
is N'Jadaka and that he's the cousin of King
T'Challa.
After T'Challa's father, the then-King of
Wakanda T'Chaka, and the Wakandan statesman
Zuri confront Killmonger's father N'Jobu about
his plans to reveal Wakanda's technology to
the rest of the world, T'Chaka kills N'Jobu.
In order to perpetuate a lie that N'Jobu simply
disappeared while undercover, T'Chaka and
Zuri leave N'Jobu's son behind and fly back
to Wakanda.
That child grows up to be Killmonger, who
eventually becomes a black ops soldier for
the U.S. military before partnering with Ulysses
Klaue, a black-market arms dealer with access
to Wakandan technology.
It's a long way to the throne, but Killmonger's
plan finally ends with a battle against T'Challa
that mirrors the one between their fathers.
After his defeat, Killmonger chooses to die
as a free man rather than be held as a prisoner
for the rest of his life.
"Just bury me in the ocean where my ancestors
jumped from the ships cause they knew that
death was better than bondage."
Certainly, Killmonger is a character whose
roots are planted in pain and trauma.
For Jordan, it was difficult to remain in
that headspace for an extended period of time.
In a November 2018 interview on The Bill Simmons
Podcast, Jordan opened up to the radio host
about the mental weight he was left with after
portraying Killmonger.
"It was one of those things that I didn't
know what was going on.
I never was in a character for that long of
a period of time and [never] was, I guess,
that dark, that lonely, that painful.
So coming out of it, I thought, 'Oh yeah,
business as usual.
I can just go back home, I'll cut my hair
off, and everything will be back to normal.'"
However, that plan didn't exactly pan out.
Jordan found it more difficult than he had
anticipated to fully step away from Killmonger;
according to ComicBook.com, the actor needed
a month of time and therapy sessions to fully
close the door on the Black Panther villain.
Jordan explained,
"I found myself kind of in the routine of
being isolated and went out of my way to make
sure I was by myself and didn't say too much
more than the usual.
Once I got finished wrapping the movie, it
took me some time to talk through how I was
feeling and why I was feeling so sad and like
a little bit depressed."
Ultimately, Jordan said that reconnecting
with friends and loved ones and talking things
out helped him get back to normal.
Killmonger might have been a difficult role
for Jordan, but it also further helped skyrocket
him to superstardom.
The same year Black Panther hit the big screen,
Jordan booked two starring roles in an adaptation
of Fahrenheit 451 and in Creed II.
In 2019, he headlined Just Mercy, a true story
about systemic problems in the criminal justice
system.
Jordan is also moving behind the camera and
producing new shows, including Netflix's superhero
origin story Raising Dion, in which he co-stars
as a scientist named Mark Warren.
While the movie industry remains more or less
on hold as of the making of this video, Jordan
has some exciting projects lined up nonetheless.
Beyond his late 2020 release Without Remorse,
he's set to team up with Coogler once again
for Wrong Answer, a film about cheating scandals
in Atlanta's public schools.
Additionally, Jordan is set to star in a new
remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, among other,
more secretive projects.
If you want to relive Jordan's journey as
Killmonger, Black Panther is streaming on
Disney+ now.
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