The sixth episode of Marvel's What If...? reminded fans just how compelling of a character Killmonger can be. Since his first appearance in 1973's Jungle Action #6, by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, the Wakandan ex-patriot has been one of Black Panther's most fascinating adversaries. But, before he was an infamous supervillain, Erik Killmonger worked as a mercenary for Marvel's most menacing mobster: the Kingpin.

Bryan Hill, Juan Ferreyra and VC's Joe Sabino's 2018 Killmonger miniseries follows Erik shortly after his graduation from MIT. Rather than accepting one of the numerous prestigious job offers he's received, he heads to New York looking for revenge. He's tracking down Klaw, the ruthless criminal who killed Erik's father and raised him to be a killer. Killmonger waits for his nemesis on a rooftop with a sniper rifle, but when his chance to kill Klaw finally arrives, he is interrupted by a woman named Knight. She and her fellow mercenaries, Rook and King, knock Killmonger out and take him to meet their boss, Wilson Fisk.

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Kingpin asks Killmonger what services he can provide

At first, the Kingpin is unimpressed with Erik. He sees an angry young man who interrupted one of his business deals by attempting to kill Klaw. He orders King to kill him, but the mercenary sees potential in Killmonger and recruits him to join his team instead. Erik is initially uninterested in working with Kingpin's guns for hire, but King explains that this might be his only way to get close to Klaw, so Killmonger eventually becomes the fourth member of the team.

When Kingpin hires the mercenaries to kill four of his competitors on the same night, King, Knight and Rook struggle to hatch a plan to assassinate all four targets without alerting them and their security teams. Despite his lack of experience, Killmonger proves to be a master strategist and suggests that they lure all four targets to the same place so that they can kill them all in one fell swoop. The other mercenaries have some reservations about carrying out the Kingpin's orders in such a blunt way, but - in lieu of other options - they decide to follow Erik's suggestion, and the operation's success earns Killmonger the respect of his teammates. Despite some initial tension, the four mercenaries work together like a well-oiled machine, and Erik appears to be just what they needed to take their enterprise to the next level.

Related: Kingpin Spills the Marvel Universe's Darkest Secrets in Daredevil Event

Killmonger, King, Knight and Rook kill for the Kingpin

Given Killmonger's numerous accomplishments, it is easy to imagine him rising through the ranks of Kingpin's operation and becoming one of Fisk's most dangerous assets. However, the Kingpin had something else in mind for Erik and his killer companions. It is unclear whether Fisk was intimidated by Killmonger or whether he was angry at King for letting him live - but for whatever reason - he decided that he no longer wanted to work with the mercenaries, and sent Bullseye to kill them.

The assassin successfully murdered Rook, but the other three mercenaries escaped. The close call inspired both King and Knight to give up their lives of crime, but this is just the beginning for Killmonger. His experience working as a gun-for-hire cemented his stubborn commitment to pursuing independence and freedom at all costs, and added another layer to his already deep character.

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