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== Erik Killmonger - By Any Means Story ==

Publication Information
Killmonger – By Any Means is a five-issue miniseries published by Marvel Comics. The series provides an in depth look at the fictional back-story of Black Panther supervillain Erik Killmonger. The miniseries is the antagonist’s first solo comic series. The series was created due to the positive response the villain received from his first motion picture debut in Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther. The five issues were subsequently released from December 2018 to March 2019. Bryan Edward Hill writes the series with Juan Ferreyra drawing the art. Hill explains that Killmonger’s story is tragic full of difficult trials and mistakes.

Plot
Both Black Panther and Erik Killmonger fight each other on a mountain overlooking a waterfall in Wakanda. The fight ends with Killmonger preparing to throw Black Panther off the edge of the waterfall. Flashing back to years earlier, Erik a young graduate form Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a discussion about his future with his guidance counselor. Erik refuses the job offers present by his guidance counselor and is motivated to do something different. Erik goes to the guidance counselor home and the two have sex. During this moment, Erik thinks about how M’ Demwe a Wakandan man that helped him while he was working for Ulysses Klaue. Erik flies to Harlem, New York City living in a hotel as he plans and prepares to assassinate Ulysses Klaue. Killmonger finds Ulysses Klaue and aims the rifle at his head missing the shot because of an assassin named Knight. Killmonger is knocked unconscious by Knight as Klaue escapes the area. The following individuals the Kingpin, the Knight, the King, and the Rook all interrogated Erik who was tied to a chair. Kingpin explains that he will kill Erik for his actions. Fortunately, Erik is release at the docks and goes back to his hotel room where an assassin ambushes him. Erik kills the assassin as the King enters the room trying to convince Erik to join their team. Erik tries to kill the King, but fortunately the King uses his superpowers to throw Erik out of the window. Erik reluctantly joins the group in Long Island and awaits their next job.

Erik, the King, Knight, and Rook discuss the Kingpin’s job offer while in a nightclub. Killmonger and Knight flirt with each other while King and Rook discuss how the group will approach the Kingpin’s job of assassinating four high valued targets. Erik thinks back to his childhood in South America were he was given his named by Ulysses Klaue. A group of criminals enter a room asking each other why they were all brought there. King, Knight, Killmonger, and Rook enter the room and shoot everyone. Rook gets his hand shot while King silently kills a guard. Rook tells Killmonger to use him as a human shield. Erik along with King and Knight kill everyone in the room. The group return to their Long Island safe house with Knight tends to Rook’s wounds. King meets with the King Pin. The King Pin informs King that his crew must leave New York City or be killed by one his assassins. King meets up with the others and tells them they all must leave the city. To the groups surprise the assassin Bullseye immediately kills Rook.

Erik begins to shoot Bullseye missing all of his shots. Bullseye throws a knife at Killmonger but King uses his superpowers to saving him. Erik tries to fight Bullseye but manages to get beat up. King and Knight grab Erik as they jump of the parking garage escaping Bullseye. Bullseye calls King Pin informing him that he scared the crew out of New York City. King, Erik, and Knight burn down their safe house in Long Island. King tells the two they all must split up. Knight takes Erik to her safe house where they have sex. Falling asleep, Erik expresses his love for Knight expressing that they both will to rule Wakanda. Erik wakes up with S.H.E.I.L.D. agents placing him under arrest. Black Widow begins to interrogate Knight about information on King. Knight tells Black Widow she must release Erik in order for her to reveal the information. Erik and Knight discuss a plan to help King and for the two of them to escape to Wakanda.

Black Widow and Knight discuss how both Erik and her will apprehend King. Both are cleared to travel by S.H.E.I.L.D. to Sofia, Bulgaria to a cabin in the remote wilderness. King finds the two driving towards his cabin and stops them. All three enter the cabin with King introducing his wife to the Erik and Knight. Knight tries to convince King to turn himself over to S.H.E.I.L.D. in order to be protected. King refuses and explains to Knight that she is being manipulated. King and Erik leave the cabin to chop down some trees while Knight talks with King’s wife. Erik and King return to the cabin finding Knight holding King’s wife at gunpoint outside. Knight calls in Bulgarian hit men to assist her, which causes a brutal shootout to occur. Erik and Knight survive the massacre and both fight each other. Knight knocks Erik unconscious leaving him alive.

In London a year later, Erik waits in Knight’s home as she enters. Killmonger informs Knight that she has her sister hostage and that she must infiltrate and gather information on Black Panther from SHEILD. Black Widow and Knight meet with each other discussing Knight’s future apart from SHEILD. Knight steals information from a SHEILD database and meets Killmonger at a Church to give him the data. Killmonger tells Knight that he has tricked her into being ambushed by SHEILD agents. The agents enter the building apprehend Knight but Killmonger murders all the agents including Knight. Erik manages to escape all of the other SHEILD agents waiting outside the church. Erik then travels to Wakanda and meets with King T’Challa. T’Challa renews Killmonger’s citizenship as a Wankandan.

Cultural Significance
Erik Killmonger’s anger towards the Wakanda royal family is representation of African-American’s loss of their identity. Erik’s motive is to rule Wakanda to protect the citizens from being taken from their land similar to the Black Panther party protecting African-Americans in the United States. In the story, Erik Killmonger’s scars his body after each murder committed illustrating a ritual he has created giving him an identity similar to the African-American culture. Scars exemplify the enslaved African-Americans being taken from their sovereign community. America’s barbaric imperialistic techniques are illustrated through Killmonger’s guerrilla warfare methods of killing his opponents in the narrative. Violence is a source of resolution for Killmonger during narrative. Erik Killmonger’s narrative journey illustrates two communities the free technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda and the impoverished African American community of the United States. Wakanda in narrative representation of African mysticism stereotype with Wakanda’s advanced technology, vast resources, and ancient gods. African American community stereotypically depicted through Killmonger characterization as angry and violent.