ok listen there is happy ending and t’chala brought erik to med bay and then erik had psycho-therapy, time passed and now he is fine and they go on well together and with shuri and rest of them he is still pain in the ass but how can he not be 😀
ok but i’m just sitting here thinking about how fucking extra erik killmonger is like 1) he was all “ask me who i am” in front of the royals and literally waited until one of the council finally did before he did the Big Reveal in full wakandan 2) he made sure everyone’s eyes were on him during the challenge for the throne by not only stripping but also delivering the most Dramatique monologue of all time and 3) his first agenda as king was to saunter up the throne shirtless, titties out in full display while meeting with the council
(T’Challa finally sits down with Erik to figure out anime)
T’Challa: So where is this Piccolo that you’re were talking about? You said he was black?
Erik (not paying attention to TChalla): There he go right there.
T’Challa (looks at the screen): I don’t… I don’t see..?
Erik: Man he right there! How can you not see it?
T’Challa (confusion mounts): Is he invisible right now???
Erik (annoyed, he gets up and points): Right here Nigga! Damn!
T’Challa: B-but he’s green? Cousin, I don’t understand.
Erik: He’s green but he black. How is that so hard?
T’Challa: ???????
(It was that moment T’Challa knew he would never understand anime)
OK I don’t know what’s going on here but I’m just sad that Erik had to die so we’ll never get any bonding and mutual education moments like this. They didn’t grow up together, but Erik could have been the Loki to T’Challa’s Thor (and no, I don’t ship them at this point, so ignore those implications): angry, troubled, in need of rehabilitation and a LOT of serious family discussions, but with his heart mostly in the right place and the possibility of making a positive difference. In fact, he could have been a recurring anti-villain like Loki. It could have taken a while for T’Challa to bring him into the fold. They could have spent a lot of time exploring the complexities of his story. It just really feels like a wasted opportunity.
In my humble opinion this is how it should have ended! T’Challa is too kind and too good of a man to be a great king but it just means that he should have a ruthless but loyal Left hand by his side.