Line #13 TearJerker/BlackPanther2018


1	%%Image removed via crowner in the Moments Images Cleanup Thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=43pb9z82
2	%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1642193091068711500
3	%%Please do not add a new image without going through the Image Suggestion thread or starting a new Image Pickin' thread
4	%%
5	->''"Do you believe that? Kid from Oakland, runnin' around believing in fairytales?"''
6	-->-- '''[[TragicVillain Erik "Killmonger" Stevens]]'''
7
8	''Film/{{Black Panther\|2018}}'' is a somber tragedy spanning two generations of Wakandan royalty. [[TearJerker Heart-wrenching moments]] are unavoidable.
9
10	'''As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
11	----
12	!! Movie
13	* During the prologue narrating the history of Wakanda, we see British traders capture and board African citizens onto a ship to be enslaved. Wakanda may have avoided such a fate from the safety of their city, but their neighbors weren't so lucky.
14	* During the MookHorrorShow scene that Black Panther gives to a group of terrorists at the start of the movie, this awesome moment turns into this trope when the last member standing is just a boy who nearly gets killed by T'Challa before Nakia stops him because he was likely forced into their group against his wishes. The tone of MyGodWhatHaveIDone in T'Challa's voice is very palpable with, and this scene is a very sad reminder of a grim reality regarding {{child soldiers}} in African countries and beyond.
15	* Erik Killmonger has been praised by critics for being a [[JerkassWoobie genuinely sympathetic]] [[TragicVillain and compelling villain]], and rightly so. Knowing his backstory, we know that Erik became who he is today because of growing up in poverty alone and knowing that his father was murdered by his own kin. As extreme as his methods are, he genuinely wants to free the oppressed African people around the world from being abused and lead Wakanda to a more prosperous future where they no longer have to hide in fear of the outside world. Or at least that is what he paints himself as, since his words and actions later in the movie cast some doubt as to how truly noble his intentions are.
16	** N'Jobu's death was a tragedy in and of itself. His involvement with Klaue's raid, especially considering the body count, was almost certainly enough for the Wakandan crown to order his summary assassination for treason; but instead T'Chaka flew halfway around the world to all but beg his brother to turn himself in and explain himself. However N'Jobu drew his gun on Zuri and the rest was reflex, followed by shame and panic.
17	** At the start of that scene, N'Jobu vouched for Zuri, telling T'Chaka that he trusts him with his life. He looks heartbroken when he realizes Zuri was the one who turned him in. Zuri feels responsible for N'Jobu's death for this reason, and is clearly troubled when he recounts the story to T'Challa.
18	** That little boy who looked up at the Wakandan ship in 1992 was [[UsedToBeASweetKid Erik himself]]. More flashbacks reveal he rushed up there in hopes of asking his father about the Wakandan visitors, never suspecting that (even by accident) said visitors killed his father.
19	* In the scene that reveals it all, T'Challa goes to Zuri and demands answers. Zuri replies that he can't say, that he promised the king (T'Chaka) that he wouldn't tell anyone. T'Challa has to '''bellow''' "I AM YOUR KING NOW!" to get him to open up. Not as - as is so often a case - a petulant tantrum or evil bit of bluster, but as what is evidently almost a ''plea'' for ''someone'' to please tell him what on earth is going on.
20	* W'Kabi [[WhatTheHellHero chewing out]] T'Challa for not being able to capture Klaue. It's notably one of the few moments T'Challa begins to learn that indeed, being a good leader does not mean he will be able to please everyone.
21	* Zuri's death and T'Challa's reaction. Zuri steps up during the challenge and [[TakeMeInstead offers his life in place of T'Challa's]] and Killmonger stabs him on the spot. T'Challa's screams sound absolutely agonized and he's so beaten from the duel he can't even crawl over to Zuri's body.
22	** Making it even worse before he strikes the killing blow, Killmonger bitterly calls Zuri "Uncle James". It sounds like N'Jobu was so close to Zuri that Erik considered him an HonoraryUncle. Imagine how betrayed Erik must have felt when he learned about Zuri's role in his father's death.
23	** Even ''even'' worse, Erik probably didn't know that "Uncle James" was connected to his father's death at all. He probably assumed he was either killed in Oakland's infamously crime-ridden streets, simply disappeared, or just straight up abandoned him. Imagine how incredibly hurt and furious Erik must've been to find "Uncle James," twenty plus years later, in Wakanda, in the prestigious position of a royal shaman, and admitting to Erik that he was part of N'Jobu's death, something Erik probably never considered because there was really no concrete evidence pointing to "James" as complicit in the event. If Erik wasn't angry with Wakanda before, this surely must've been the final straw.
24	** If one looks closely, you can see Zuri reach out to T'Challa before he succumbs to the stab wound, almost as if to say goodbye or sorry.
25	** The fact that it is likely that Zuri's death is what caused T'Challa to lose as he is so blinded by rage and grief he makes himself an easy target for Killmonger as he throws around pathetic and easily avoidable strikes.
26	** To top all of it off, Zuri's death at Erik's hands means T'Chaka killing his own brother to protect Zuri - the very event that caused this mess in the first place - was AllForNothing. Zuri avoiding death at N'Jobu's hands, only to be killed by his vengeful son later, nearly causing a SuccessionCrisis, a civil war within Wakanda, and a close brush with a violent uprising that could've very well put the whole world in danger.
27	* Everyone's reaction to T'Challa's supposed death. T'Challa was brutally beaten to an inch of his life by Erik. When Zuri tries to stop the fight, he was killed instead. A furious T'Challa tries to fight back, but the wounds suffered and the blind rage make him an easy target for Erik, who then throws T'Challa off the waterfall while Ramonda, Shuri, Nakia and the rest of the Dora Milaje could only look on in horror. [[OutlivingOnesOffspring Ramonda]] has to be ''physically dragged away'' by Shuri and Nakia as the Wakandan Council reluctantly makes Erik the new king.
28	** It is clear that with the exception of W'Kabi, absolutely no-one in that scene is happy with what has occured. T'Challa's apparent death might have been legal by the rules of ritual combat, but his defeat is not at all what the Wakandan people wanted and it is clear that all of them (again with the exception of W'Kabi) want desperately to intervene but cannot. The Mining Tribe Elder looks like she's about to cry, the Merchant Tribe Elder sits stony-faced, the River Tribe Elder closes his eyes and looks away and even Okoye and the Dora Milaje look close to tears. When Killmonger wins, the priestess who anoints him visibly shakes as she takes out the necklace that symbolises kingship and puts it around his neck and the ceremonial salute by the elders and Dora Milaje is conducted with great reluctance. All of them know exactly what kind of man has just been lost and what kind of man has taken his place, but are trapped by their own traditions.
29	** Once they start going on the run, Shuri breaks down, crying over how she's lost both her father ''and'' her brother within a short period of time.
30	--->'''Shuri:''' Mother, we didn't even get to bury him.
31	* After Erik is made king, Nakia tries to recruit Okoye to overthrow him, but she tells Nakia that she is faithful to the royal family, no matter who sits on the throne. She's practically ''choking'' as she admits [[ToBeLawfulOrGood her conflict with loyalty]].
32	* Practically every scene in the ancestral plane has something emotionally heavy to it. T'Challa sees his father and breaks down the first time, and the second time, he is enraged to see him after learning that T'Chaka hid Killmonger's existence from him. Then there is Killmonger in the ancestral plane, seeing himself as a child discovering his father's body and holding him while crying. [[MirrorCharacter In the same exact way T'Challa held T'Chaka's body]] in ''Civil War''.
33	** That leads to another tearjerker as Erik meets his father, talking to him about seeing Wakanda. It's obvious that N'Jobu is seeing how his death set his son on a path of murder and anger and his reaction clearly says MyGodWhatHaveIDone.
34	*** This is a sobering CallBack to what T'Chaka said to T'Challa about how he had faith his son would be a good ruler because he prepared him for a time when his father would be dead. Sadly, [[{{Foil}} Erik's father died before his son was even ready to face the world without his father]].
35	*** Alternatively, N'Jobu cried because he's considered an UnPerson on his own country. But it's either because his own people shunned him for what he believed was the right thing to do, or adding to above he only blames himself for it.
36	** What's the first thing Erik focuses on in the apartment? The spot where his father died. If his corpse was there, it’s clear he’d break down and hold it like he did as a child.
37	** When N'Jobu sadly jokes "No tears for your father?", Erik (as a child) calmly and precociously [[FromTheMouthsOfBabes makes a point that death is part of life]]. But later in that scene, we see Erik as an adult, quietly tearing up as though admitting to the audience "Yes, I ''do'' miss my dad."
38	*** Another possible reason for child Erik's response: given that he would've grown up alone during both the aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King case verdict and during a time Oakland was still known for having high crime rates, there's the FridgeHorror that Erik experienced and/or witnessed so much crime, beatings and police brutality, and/or death growing up that he [[ConditionedToAcceptHorror became desensitized and it all became a normal occurrence for him.]]
39	** An alternate take: N'Jobu realizes that his son never learned the value of life. "Well look at what I have done..."
40	** When T'Challa reunites with his father and ancestors, he meets them in a beautiful African savanna environment. When Erik reunites with his father, he returns to their small Oakland apartment. If not a testament of how Erik is a [[StrangerInAFamiliarLand stranger to his native land]], it's a look into the only home he ever knew.
41	*** Note that T'Challa sees the ancestral plane as a vast and beautiful savanna. T'Challa doesn't ''live'' on the Border Tribe's savanna; he lives in a palace overlooking city and jungle. But his concept of 'heaven' is much wider in scope than just his own personal experience, encompassing ''all'' of Wakanda's landscape, and its history stretching back to before the city was built. To Erik, short-sighted and self-centered, 'home' was his Dad's apartment; to T'Challa, a far wiser man, it's the full breadth and scope of his kingdom and heritage.
42	*** Alternatively, T'Challa's ancestral plane is a vast and beautiful savanna because it echoes the land of the people. When his line were buried, they returned to the land of their blood and heritage. They were buried at home and it reflects that. While N'Jobu served his country and his people ([[WellIntentionedExtremist from his point of view, at least]]), he was killed by his brother and left to be buried in a foreign land, far away from home and his people. He was denied his place in the afterlife by his brother's shame. The reason Killmonger found his father in the apartment is because he is trapped there by his actions and his brother's choice. He was abandoned, like his son was. Even in death, N'Jobu will never return to the lands of his people.
43	* When T'Challa returns to the Ancestral Plane, T'Chaka and the other past rulers greet him, and T'Chaka gently explains that it's time for him to "come home" and be reunited with him. Usually, a deceased loved one is delighted to be reunited with their descendant in the afterlife, but here? T'Chaka sounds like he's ready to break down upon saying those words because he has only been dead for a few days and now his son is seemingly about to die as well. What's worse, his killer was N'Jadaka, meaning T'Chaka probably blames himself for his son's untimely demise. And in their last visit, T'Chaka had expressed such pride in his son and happiness that he was becoming king. All of that thrown away in days due to his own horrible mistake.
44	* A withering scene where Killmonger orders the heart-shaped herbs burnt to extinction, so he can be the only Black Panther. It's sad to know that by the end of the movie, T'Challa is now the last Black Panther. After him, [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore there will be no more, and the tradition will die (assuming of course that those were the last flowers, that nothing can be salvaged through cloning or something else)]].
45	* During the big battle, the Dora Milaje turn on Killmonger with four of them attacking. He manages to grab one and hold a blade to her throat. Okoye hesitates but the woman knows what is to happen and [[FaceDeathWithDignity utters "Wakanda forever" before Killmonger slits her throat]]. Okoye's scream of a sister falling to her own king drives her on.
46	** It's made worse by how Killmonger laughs it off during the whole scene, just to rub salt on Okoye's wounds.
47	* By the end, Okoye and W'Kabi's marriage has been torn apart after he led his troops against T'Challa, leading Okoye to order the Dora Milaje against them.
48	** Just seeing W'Kabi utilize his rhinos in war, and against his former leader T'Challa no less. It was only a few days ago when those two were hanging out at W'Kabi's ranch as you would expect from [[WeUsedToBeFriends two good friends]].
49	** He has his tribe men surround her, Nakia, Ayo, and Shuri about to close in on them unless they surrender in 3 seconds. It's only the Jabari's unexpected arrival that prevents it from happening.
50	** W'Kabi is visibly devastated to see that his wife would turn against him and side with T'Challa and when she tells him she would kill him for Wakanda's sake, he soberly looks around at the battlefield, as though [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone wondering to himself]] if ''this'' is what he intended when he sided with Erik: Wakandans fighting one another as though they were mortal enemies.
51	*** Okoye herself is far from being calm here. She was choosing her duty as the leader of the Dora Milaje over her love for her husband, but she makes it clear it hurts her just as much as it hurts W'Kabi to have to fight and potentially kill him. Even if she hides it, it's easy to tell from the dismay and sadness on her face that she doesn't really want to fight, much less kill, him despite being undoubtedly able to easily beat him being she was Wakanda's best warrior. You could easily tell when she states that she would kill him without question for Wakanda that while she may be able to bring herself to do it if neccessary, it would certainly hurt her a lot. She sounds on the verge of tears, making it clear she wasn't just demanding him to surrender. She was begging him to stop this before she would have to kill him.
52	** The deleted scene of Okoye and W'Kabi talking about the future reveals that they had children who they obviously loved a lot and it's quite likely that their children loved them too. It's clear that Okoye and W'Kabi are thinking of how their children would grow and adapt to the new world Killmonger would bring and while W'Kabi supports Killmonger partly because he wants them to be able to experience the wider world and be more happy, Okoye, who can see more than her husband does, obviously knows that what W'Kabi believes would be better for them is in fact wrong. Even if their children would be able to see the world fully, it would NOT be worth it if they grew up as warmonger imperialists, which would obviously corrupt her children. Her pained tone when saying this and her clear disapproval of her husbands's views when it comes to them makes it clear she wasn't just thinking about her nation. She was also thinking about the future of her children and it obviously terrifies her about what would happen to her children if Killmonger was allowed to continue to rule.
53	*** Overall, they were both clearly good parents who wanted the best for their children, but their difference in opinion over what would be better for them clearly contributed to their split. The fact that W'Kabi will be imprisoned and leaving the children with only their mother is quite sad, especially as even if it was misguided, he genuinely wanted the best for his child.
54	*** Made worse by the fact that it can be interpreted that W'Kabi was so determined to see Erik's crusade against the world through and was willing to risk defeat and potential execution if he was defeated because he truly albeit misguidedly believed his children will benefit. He was willing to even hurt and potentially kill his wife for what he saw as the best for his children because he cared for them that much. Meanwhile, Okoye is opposing her husband ''and'' the father of her children because she was fighting both for Wakanda AND her children, risking everything, refusing to surrender even in the face of seeming defeat and potential death because she could not bear to think how they would adapt in the world that would have been made had Erik emerged victorius. It makes her words that she would kill him for Wakanda, already quite heartrending, even more tragic when you realized just as W'Kabi would go as far as risking his wife's life for their children, Okoye would kill him as well.... But it's not just for Wakanda, it's also for the safety of their children and ensuring their futures would not be corrupted.
55	*** It can also be said that W'Kabi's clear anguish at seeing his wife ready to fight him because he was fearing he would die resented by his family. And it's clear that Okoye wasn't just visibly shaken and heartbroken about the possibility that she would have to kill her husband. She is clearly feeling and dreading the possibility that she would have to kill W'Kabi and thus deprive her children of their father. Had this happened, she may well be estranged from her children and their relationship would never be the same as typical for any family in such situations.... Yet she is willing to risk bearing such a consequence because it would be better that they distance themself from her rather than suffer under Erik's reign.
56	* T'Challa's relationship with Erik. Having learned that T'Chaka not only murdered N'Jobu, but abandoned Erik to fend for himself, T'Challa, unsurprisingly, undergoes a huge BrokenPedestal. Having such a loving relationship with his sister, T'Challa is clearly devastated by the discovery of [[LongLostRelative a cousin he never knew existed]], and there are several moments throughout their interactions where T'Challa shows sympathy, even ''love'', for Erik. But every step of the way, Erik has resisted the kinder path, especially [[DefiantToTheEnd towards the end]]. This subtly reminds the audience of how T'Chaka's actions have made reconciliation between the cousins impossible.
57	** T'Challa is also clearly gutted by the fact that his cousin was left to suffer alone after his father's death. It stands out as his main point of anger against Zuri and T'Chaka and he even delivers a rage filled CallingTheOldManOut for abandoning his own nephew. No doubt T'Challa (and the audience) is haunted by what could have been if Erik had been brought to Wakanda and cared for by his family instead of being left orphaned in America and how much happier his life could have been.
58	** During their final battle, there is a brief moment when T'Challa accuses Erik of not really caring about the plight of oppressed people and using that as an excuse wanting to destroy the world, including Wakanda. Erik angrily shouts back, "The world took ''everything'' away from me! Everything I ever loved!" [[BerserkerTears Tears of anger]] can be seen in his eyes and his voice clearly breaks at that moment, and while it's undercut by his threat to kill every and anyone close or loyal to T'Challa so they share the same pain, it doesn't change the fact that Erik was not born a monster, but rather was made into one.
59	** A DeletedScene makes this even worse. Taking place shortly after T'Chaka returns to Wakanda after committing the deed, a young T'Challa sees his father reflecting on what he just did in the catacombs. T'Chaka explains to his son that he just made a difficult choice and T'Challa naively assures him that if it was to protect Wakanda, then it was clearly the right one. Now, T'Challa has discovered exactly what the choice was and it completely shatters his view of his father.
60	* [[AlasPoorVillain Erik's death]]. Even after all he has done, T'Challa still offers to save his life, and his delivery even implies that he ''wants'' to, but Erik refuses, only asking that he be buried at sea like the Africans who [[IDieFree threw themselves into the ocean to escape being enslaved]]. When Erik laments over never getting to see the beautiful Wakandan sunsets his father spoke so much about, T'Challa lifts Erik to his feet and carries him out of the mine to grant this last request. In the end, Erik dies peacefully, and T'Challa takes it upon himself to make sure that Erik's more well-meaning goals are achieved by opening up the country and founding charity centers to help support African people across the world.
61	** There's also those fantastic final words...
62	--->'''Killmonger''': Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships... because they knew death was better than bondage.
63	** It's a short one, but when T'Challa deals the fatal blow, Erik blinks as if stunned and then seems to take in the natural beauty of the vibranium laced cave as if seeing it for the first time, musing that his father said Wakanda was the most beautiful place in the world, with his tone indicating he can see that his dad wasn't exaggerating. It conveys the sad fact that Erik was so wrapped up in his own hurt and pursuit of vengeance, he didn't even notice or appreciate Wakanda for itself until the end.
64	** After Erik passes on, there's a brief shot, as the camera pulls away, of T'Challa moving to position his arms across his chest, presumably the pose Wakandans (or their warriors) are buried in. Even if Erik doesn't want to be buried in Wakandan soil, T'Challa still decides to give him what Wakandan rites he can, including the ones that were denied to Erik's father. Also counts as a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment\|s}}.
65	** It gets even HarsherInHindsight when it was Chadwick Boseman who ended up dying instead in real life, which left Michael B. Jordan heartbroken. So basically, Erik lost T'Challa.
66	* Through the quarter-century of events from Oakland 1992 to Wakanda present day, N'Jobu's wife, Erik's mother, has been left a nonentity to history. Since T'Challa will likely have his Uncle's story restored to Wakanda's history along with creating the outreach center back in Oakland, he could make efforts to find out everything about her and find any of her surviving relatives.
67	** Unfortunately, WordOfGod has revealed that [[https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/black-panther-what-happened-killmongers-mother-1108754 Erik's mother was in jail]] with N'Jobu and Zuri finalizing a plan to bust her out... right before [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom T'Chaka]] showed up.

Context TearJerker / BlackPanther2018