Michael B. Jordan just made his MCU return on Disney+ in Eyes of Wakanda, giving a newfound importance to his Black Panther villain, Killmonger. After working together on the Rocky spin-off Creed, director Ryan Coogler reteamed with Michael B. Jordan for Black Panther. The A-lister boarded the MCU hype train as Kilmonger, the franchise's first big villain, who sought to reclaim the Wakandan throne from Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa.
Eric Stevens, aka N'Jadaka, had his father taken away at a young age when he was killed by T'Challa's father and the former Black Panther, T'Chaka. This started a lifelong mission to take the Wakandan throne, which he succeeded in after beating T'Challa in combat, until the Avenger returned to successfully reclaim his post, killing Kilmonger in the process in the 2018 blockbuster.
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for Eyes of Wakanda.
Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger briefly returned in Eyes of Wakanda with an animated recreation of his debut scene in Black Panther. Episode 4, "The Last Panther," retroactively made Kilmonger even more important in ensuring the MCU and Wakanda's future through its crazy, time-travel storyline.
In the Eyes of Wakanda finale, a future Black Panther returned to the past after two warriors, Tafari and Kuda, recovered a Wakandan axe from Ethiopia in 1896.
The axe just so happens to be the same one that Kilmonger and Andy Serkis' Ulysses Klaue stole from the Museum of Great Britain in Black Panther. The duo planned to sell the vibranium axe off to the highest bidder after Kilmonger explained the Wakandan axe had been taken by the British Army by force in Benin.
When Tafari and Kuda recovered the axe in Ethiopia and planned to return the artifact to Wakanda, they unknowingly changed history for the worse.
The future Black Panther revealed that Killmonger stealing this axe was vital in kickstarting the events that led Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa to opening up Wakanda to the rest of the world in his 2018 solo outing.
Centuries in the future, Wakanda would be attacked by an insect-like alien race called the Horde. As, in this timeline, the axe was recovered and couldn't kickstart the events of Black Panther, Wakanda wasn't aided by the outside world and was defeated by the Horde, leaving this future queen as the last Black Panther.
As such, she travelled back to the past to ensure Tafari and Kuda return the axe to where they found it. Thus, it could be taken by the British Army and eventually stolen by Kilmonger, setting in motion a chain of events that would lead Wakanda to integrate with the outside world, which would aid them against the Horde.
Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger appears as "The Last Panther" closes out with a flash of him gazing at the artifacts in the Museum of Great Britain, confirming the timeline had been restored and Wakanda's future was secure.
Unfortunately, as Killmonger never speaks, the Black Panther star doesn't reprise his role for Eyes of Wakanda. The four-episode animated anthology was filled with surprises, including another surprise cameo from The Watcher in the finale.
Eyes of Wakanda, which is streaming now on Disney+, brings together many stars to voice the African nation's historical warriors, such as Steve Toussaint, Cress Williams, Winnie Harlow, Zeke Alton, and many more.
Will Michael B. Jordan Ever Return to the MCU?
Michael B. Jordan delivered one of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's most shocking moments as he came to Shuri from beyond the grave on the Ancestral Plane to persuade Shuri to embrace vengeance after her mother's death.
Unless Black Panther 3 finds room for another Ancestral Plane cameo, Kilmonger's time in the MCU is probably over. Then again, with the next Avengers movies expected to embrace the Multiverse's chaotic potential, Jordan could return to play a Killmonger Variant, perhaps one who became Black Panther.
The Black Panther star once had his sights on DC and a Val-Zod Superman project, but following the blue brand's recent reboot, those hopes appear to be left in the dust as all focus is on David Corenswet's Man of Steel.
Jordan appears to be done with the superhero game for now, but perhaps, with his MCU tenure complete, he could find another role in James Gunn's DCU.
That said, after he and Ryan Coogler found great success with Sinners, Jordan might want to embrace more original, higher-caliber projects. Among the A-lister's upcoming projects are Creed 4, I Am Legend 2, Rainbow Six, and The Thomas Crown Affair, some of which he may also direct.
