The Antagonists of Black Panther: An Analysis

Whether you’re a Marvel fan or not, there is something to analyze regarding the success of superhero movies in the last 10-20 years. While I have my issues with the superhero craze, 2018’s Black Panther is definitely one of the better options from this era.

While the film is remembered for its groundbreaking cultural significance and box office impact, it also features a fascinating, layered portrayal of antagonism within the narrative. Unlike many superhero films, where the villain is a mere foil for the protagonist (boring), I argue that the movie constructs a tapestry of opposition, creating antagonists who embody ideological conflict, personal history, and political critique.

Still from 'Black Panther (2018)'. Photo credit: Marvel / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Everett

Killmonger as the Central Antagonist

You can’t talk about antagonists without bringing up Killmonger. N’Jadaka (Killmonger) was a former US Navy SEAL and the son of Prince N’Jobu of Wakanda. As a child, he witnessed the loss of his father, who was his own brother, King T’Chaka, after N’Jobu attempted to murder Zuri for exposing his role in helping Ulysses Klaue steal vibranium.

This event set N’Jadaka on a lifelong path of vengeance. He resolved to overthrow his cousin, T’Challa, and fulfill his father’s vision: to harness Wakanda’s vibranium technology as a means of ending the global oppression of people of African descent, even if it meant seizing power by force.

What fascinates me with Killmonger is that, despite his noble intentions, he has a hypocrisy that defines him as a villain. His grievances are valid and his anger justified, yet the way he acts on them contradicts everything he claims to stand for.

He speaks passionately about liberating oppressed Africans worldwide. Still, he feels no remorse in exploiting them for his own ends, as seen when he steals the mask from the museum after condemning its curator for colonial theft, or in violently dismantling Wakandan traditions when he seizes power.

His hatred of colonizers, born of legitimate suffering, is laced with the very same hypocrisy: he mirrors their cruelty, even turning his oppression outward against other non-white groups if it serves his mission to transform Wakanda into a dominating power.

Ordinarily, this inconsistency might weaken a character, reducing him to a hypocrite or a fool. But in Killmonger’s case, it enriches him. His contradictions make him a layered, complex, and tragically human figure.

Consider the parallel with Thanos, a character many consider the best in the Marvel franchise. Thanos too pursued a plan riddled with flaws and hypocrisy, yet he remains one of Marvel’s most celebrated villains. Like Thanos, Killmonger isn’t meant to be “right.” Instead, his fury and contradictions reveal who he is at his core: a broken man, scarred by abandonment, systemic racism, and lifelong violence.

Wakanda turned its back on him, America failed him, and he responded with rage. In that context, his anger is almost inevitable. Even as he commits atrocities and perpetuates the very cycles of oppression he despises, it’s difficult not to feel pity for him–a man whose potential was consumed by hatred, when it might have been channeled into something far greater.

Klaue as the Conventional Villain

If Killmonger is the antagonist of ideas, Klaue is the antagonist of impulse. Ulysses Klaue is a more traditional comic-book villain: greedy, sadistic, and chaotic. He is introduced as a black-market arms dealer with deep knowledge of vibranium and a willingness to exploit it for profit. He also has a history with Wakanda, having stolen vibranium decades earlier and killed King T’Chaka’s friend in the process.

Klaue is not subtle–he relishes destruction and chaos, laughing maniacally as he unleashes sonic blasts from his prosthetic arm. His characterization plays into familiar tropes of the unhinged arms dealer, but his role in the narrative is more functional than thematic. Klaue provides the film with its action-driven antagonism, a character that Wakanda, and by extension the audience, can easily despise without complication.

M’Baku as a Complex Challenger

Although not an antagonist in the traditional sense, M’Baku of the Jabari tribe plays a role in shaping the challenges T’Challa faces. At first, M’Baku challenges T’Challa in ritual combat for the throne, asserting his belief that Wakanda’s leadership has grown weak and complacent. His antagonism is rooted in cultural pride.

The character highlights the fractures within Wakanda itself. While the rest of the nation celebrates technological progress, M’Baku insists on the value of tradition, strength, and self-sufficiency. His challenge to T’Challa is therefore less about personal ambition than about asserting the legitimacy of his tribe’s worldview.

Wakanda’s Tradition as an Antagonist

Beyond individual characters, Black Panther introduces an abstract antagonist: the weight of Wakandan tradition. The nation’s long-standing isolationism, its rigid adherence to ancestral practices, and its fear of exposing itself to the outside world all serve as obstacles for T’Challa. Tradition in this sense functions as an antagonist because it restrains Wakanda from evolving, leaving it vulnerable to critiques like Killmonger’s.

Look at T’Challa’s conversations with the ancestors in the spirit realm. When he confronts T’Chaka about the decision to kill N’Jobu and abandon young Erik, T’Challa rejects the wisdom of his forebears. He declares that they were wrong, that the sins of the past cannot be perpetuated. Here, the antagonist is not a physical opponent but the inertia of inherited values.

Broader Implications of Antagonism in Black Panther

The film’s handling of antagonists reflects its broader themes of identity, diaspora, and justice. By constructing antagonists who are not merely evil but ideologically rich, Coogler challenges the superhero genre to move beyond simplistic morality. The film acknowledges that antagonism can arise from legitimate grievances, from cultural differences, and from the weight of history.

In this sense, Black Panther is not a story about defeating villains but about negotiating conflict. T’Challa’s journey is less about physical triumph and more about ideological evolution. He must recognize the validity of M’Baku’s independence, the danger of tradition’s rigidity, the menace of exploitation embodied by Klaue, and the moral urgency of Killmonger’s call for justice. Only by integrating these lessons can he chart a new path for Wakanda.