Original artwork, not a still
Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage.
— Black Panther • 2018
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Killmonger is a villain whose grief the film refuses to dismiss, and this is where it lands hardest. Raised on the story of what his people lost, he chooses death over a cell and names the Middle Passage as his reason. The line gets quoted at length because it makes his argument bigger than the plot, and it is the moment many fans point to when they say he was right about the problem.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Black PantherShow the scene
Near the end of Black Panther (2018), Erik Killmonger has lost the fight with T'Challa in the vibranium mine and is dying. T'Challa takes him to see the Wakandan sunset, and Killmonger remembers his father N'Jobu promising to show it to him one day, a kid from Oakland who believed in fairy tales. When T'Challa says they might still heal him, Killmonger asks whether that is only so he can be locked up, then says to bury him in the ocean with the ancestors who jumped from the ships. He dies refusing to be a prisoner.
Sources (2)
- Black Panther (2018) script transcriptKillmonger's death sceneReference checked
- Black Panther (film), WikipediaPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
