WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel's Black Panther, in theaters now.
If you've seen any of the trailers for Black Panther then you know Michael B. Jordan stars as T'Challa's longtime nemesis Erik Killmonger. However, Marvel Studios has a history of changing key characteristics of its main players so they fit seamlessly into its cinematic universe. Needless to say, Killmonger is subject to plenty of alterations in director Ryan Coogler's film.
In Marvel comic books, Killmonger is one of the primary foes of T'Challa, acting as a constant threat and recurring challenge to his rule of Wakanda. That aspect doesn't change from page to screen, but his motivations and experiences do.
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The Killmonger of the comics has the same destination as the live-action version, but his journey is very different. His father, N'Jobu, is coerced into working for Ulysses Klaue, which results in his family's exile from Wakanda. Ending up in Harlem, New York, Killmonger (who's actually called N'Jadaka at this point) developed a hatred for both Klaue and T'Challa that festered for years.
In the film he's still the son of N'Jobu, but his family wasn't banished from Wakanda. Instead, N'Jobu is depicted as a Wakandan spy -- otherwise known as a War Dog -- who's sent to Oakland, California, in the 1990s to keep an eye on the outside world. Meeting an American woman, N'Jobu ends up having a child named Erik Stevens and promises to one day show him Wakanda. T'Chaka, N'Jobu's brother and Wakanda's king at the time, tragically kills his own brother upon finding out he had helped Klaue, so he could never fulfill that promise to his son. Killmonger pledges to fulfill his father's mission: Use Wakanda's technology and resources to help oppressed minorities flourish.
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With N'Jobu portrayed as T'Chaka's brother in Black Panther, Killmonger is actually T'Challa's cousin and has royal blood. That means he has a claim to the throne, but still has to earn the mantle of Black Panther and ruler of Wakanda. In the comics, Killmonger returns to Wakanda and pretends to resolve his problems with T'Challa, and ultimately settles in a small village. As expected, he spends a lot of his time trying to ruin T'Challa's government to exact his revenge. He does actually become the king of Wakanda at one point by challenging and defeating T'Challa, but when he consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb, his body reacted poorly and he was left in a coma.
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In the film, Killmonger is able to match, and actually best, T'Challa in battle. He's a former Navy SEAL and mercenary means who's unafraid to shed blood; he displays the number of kills on his torso using traditional crocodile scarring. He claims to have slain countless people in Afghanistan, Iraq and the United States, and demonstrates how far he's willing to go when he kills his lover to continue his mission. In the comics, Killmonger studies engineering, and is awarded an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but this was never mentioned in the movie. Instead of pursuing an education, he opts to train to fulfill his birthright as king.
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Killmonger consumers the Heart-Shaped Herb in the film just as he did in the comics, but suffers no negative consequences, as he's portrayed as a member of the royal family. That change completely reinvents the dynamic between T'Challa and Killmonger, and allows the latter to put up a solid fight when they're both suited up. Instead of Killmonger only wanting revenge, like in countless comic book stories, he has a true motivation in changing the world to fit his vision.
In terms of appearance, the character isn't all that dissimilar. While the Killmonger of the comics didn't have the crocodile scarring, he was in peak physical condition and had long hair. That, of course, matches up with Jordan's take on the character. The villain actually becomes the Black Panther in the comics and dons the iconic costume, while in the film he wears a slight variation, dubbed the Golden Jaguar suit.
All in all, Killmonger underwent some significant changes in his journey from comics to film, but one thing remains the same: He's a great adversary for Black Panther.
Directed by Ryan Coogler from a script he wrote with Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Forest Whitaker as Zuri. The film is open in theaters now.