Erik Killmonger (né N'Jadaka) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, he first appeared in Jungle Action #6 (September 1973). The character is commonly depicted as a skilled hunter and mercenary born in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, who holds a grudge against the country and its people after his biological parents were killed when he was young. Raised outside of Wakanda, he eventually returns as a revolutionary leader and terrorist to exact his revenge, and repeatedly challenges the nation's king and protector, Black Panther, who becomes his most prominent adversary. The character has been adapted from the comics into several other forms of media, such as television series and video games. Michael B. Jordan portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and later voiced an alternate reality version in the animated series What If...? (2021). Publication history Erik Killmonger first appeared in the "Panther's Rage" storyline, initially in Jungle Action #6-8 (September 1973 - January 1974), and was created by writer Don McGregor and penciler Rich Buckler. Fictional character biography Native born of Wakanda, Erik was born under the name "N'Jadaka." His parents were killed by raiders led by a traitorous citizen of the Golden Realm who sold out secrets of his home nation to Ulysses Klaue. He was taken and raised abroad by his hateful caretakers, and given a new name and identity by those who had robbed him of paradise. N'Jadaka was a gifted intellectual from an early age. This trait was exploited by his surrogate father M'Demwe, the very same who murdered his family before taking him into the outside world, all while boasting of national superiority as they trekked foreign lands. All the while, N'Jadaka fostered a deep resentment towards everyone and everything for all the horrible events that befell him, while his future nemesis T'Challa would be crowned king after the death of his father. Eventually, the youth tired of his life in servitude and his childhood of hardship, and executed M'Demwe, brutally shooting, then stabbing the traitor to death, before striving to find his own path. He later changed his name to Erik Killmonger, and studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, still desperate to avenge his father's death. While studying in Harlem, New York, Erik attempted multiple times to