#How Denzel Washington Inspired Killmonger’s Black Panther Appearance

Above, you can see some of the other comments Jordan made onstage in his AFI tribute to Washington. This wouldn’t be the last time they shared the same room. In fact, they have since gone on to work together, with Washington directing and Jordan starring in “A Journal for Jordan.”

In “Glory,” it’s a big moment when Trip’s shirt comes off and his scars are revealed, since he’s about to receive a public whipping as punishment from his white regimental leader, and we now have a visual showing that he suffered similar abuse from slave-owners in the past. For his part, Killmonger wants to serve as his own leader and fight back against his oppressors from a position of strength on the throne of Wakanda.

“Black Panther” brought an explosion of color and culture to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and much of its design came from real-world inspirations, as well. As ScreenRant notes, Killmonger’s scars have a basis in tribal rituals across several African countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

The scars may serve as a reminder of the lives that Killmonger has snuffed out, but for Jordan, they carried the weight of both film history and African culture as well.