Black Panther Director Reveals What Happened to Killmonger's Mother

Erik Killmonger has grown to be one of the most beloved villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but there is something a bit iffy about his origin. We know that it's his father who is killed in the beginning of the film, and this lead to him growing up on his own hating Wakanda, but the movie never answered this question—how about his mother?

Talking to THR, director Ryan Coogler revealed that Killmonger's mother actually died in prison, adding an extra layer of tragedy to Killmonger's backstory. He explains:

"The idea was when you see those guys talking over the paperwork in the beginning of the film, they're talking about a way to break her out of jail. The idea was they never got her out, and she passed away in prison, so Killmonger didn't come up with a mom either."

Despite the name, Killmonger has become one of the most layered villains in the MCU, and the fans couldn't help but celebrate him. With a decade of the franchise, it's funny that the MCU's more interesting villains are coming out in the last two years. Killmonger is just one of a list that includes, Vulture, Hela, and of course, Thanos.

We probably won't be seeing anymore of Killmonger in the future, but with Avengers 4 seemingly going to play with time travel, we don't know what we should expect from the MCU in Phase 4. Let's hope the have someone else interesting planned for Black Panther 2.

Black Panther is now available on digital and hits Blu-Ray on May 15.

See Also: The Writers For Avengers: Infinity War Wouldn't Mind Killing (Spoiler) Again