As soon as Erik Killmonger finished speaking, the crowd was stunned.
No one had expected that their king, who appeared so fierce and unyielding, would spare T'Chaka and Zuri.
Both men had confessed their guilt and offered their lives. Everyone assumed Killmonger would strike them down to avenge his father. Instead, he declared that they would face judgment before the Council of Elders.
The people looked upon Killmonger's tall, commanding figure and resolute expression. Many were struck by his restraint and fairness. Perhaps this was the true king they had been waiting for—a Black Panther worthy of the throne.
Though Killmonger had earned the reputation of a murderer, he had never harmed innocents. Those who fell by his hand were enemy soldiers, terrorists, and criminals. Even when working undercover with Ulysses Klaue to steal vibranium, he had tried to prevent needless bloodshed, warning Klaue that killing civilians would bring Wakanda's wrath.
His reputation for brutality masked a deeper truth: he was not a butcher, but a soldier.
As a loyal Hydra operative, Killmonger had embraced the organization's mission. Hydra did not seek open rule of the planet—they already held influence in secret. Their true purpose was to monitor global powers, eliminate threats to Earth's security, and prepare for dangers from beyond the stars.
Raised within Hydra, Killmonger was not the savage killer portrayed in stories. He had inherited his father N'Jobu's ideals, but with a broader vision. He sought to uplift the oppressed, especially the millions of Black people suffering in poverty, but he also saw all of humanity as his responsibility. To him, the billions living in hardship across the world deserved protection.
Now, Chen Mo had given him the chance to fulfill that vision. By returning to Wakanda and claiming the throne, he could wield its unmatched power to help those in need.
From Chen Mo, he had also learned the truth of his father's death. As the one they revered as all-knowing, Chen Mo's words carried weight, but Killmonger also judged the matter with his own understanding.
Each man—N'Jobu, T'Chaka, and Zuri—had acted according to his own ideals. Their principles clashed, and their flaws—fear, extremism, and weakness—turned conflict into tragedy.
N'Jobu's intentions had been noble: to save his people from suffering. But paranoia and radicalism led him astray. By allying with Klaue and sending him into Wakanda, he caused destruction and death. That was his crime.
Zuri, sent to spy on N'Jobu, had betrayed his trust. Yet from the standpoint of Wakanda's security, he had only fulfilled his duty.
T'Chaka had killed N'Jobu and abandoned his family. For that, Killmonger hated him. But Chen Mo revealed that T'Chaka had intended to bring N'Jobu back alive to face the Elders. It was N'Jobu who, in his rage, raised a gun at Zuri, forcing T'Chaka to strike.
Wracked with guilt, T'Chaka had fled from the consequences, leaving Killmonger and his mother behind. He was guilty of cowardice, but not beyond redemption.
If this were the Killmonger of the films, he would have cared nothing for justice. He would have sought only vengeance. But this Killmonger was different.
Though the world believed he had clawed his way out of the slums, Hydra had taken him in after his father's death. He had been trained, educated, and guided. His mother had been cared for. His life had not been one of endless misery, and his hatred for T'Chaka was rooted in his father's death, not abandonment alone.
Despite Hydra's indoctrination, Killmonger was not twisted. He was not bloodthirsty. Instead, he had grown calm, calculating, and wise.
Though T'Chaka had killed his father, Killmonger would not kill him in return. Just as T'Challa had spared Baron Zemo, he would not allow hatred to consume him.
He believed in justice. He would take the throne, but he would not stain it with vengeance. T'Chaka and Zuri would face the Council of Elders, and Wakanda's traditions would decide their fate. Whatever the verdict, he would accept it and let go of his hatred.
This was the man Hydra had shaped over twenty years. Eric was still Eric, but his heart and mind had changed. He was no longer paranoid, radical, or cruel. He had become disciplined, thoughtful, and just.
In truth, he was more fit to rule Wakanda than T'Chaka. Under his leadership, Wakanda would no longer hide in isolation. It would rise, strong and unshaken, to stand before the world as a great power.
And with that strength, Wakanda would not conquer, but uplift. Its power would be used to benefit all humanity.
The true rise of Wakanda had begun.