"The difference between you and me... is that you can't see the difference between you and me."
Despite Killmonger’s fate in Black Panther (2018), the character has received a new lease of life as part of Marvel’s What If? Universe with a relatively large role in Season 1 and a cameo in Season 2. The Killmonger we see during the events of What If? and in particular the episode where he resecured Tony Stark, is pretty much identical to the Killmonger in Black Panther with his Mercenary combat gear and equipment. This therefore facilitated a relatively simple upgrade to the existing figure and a rebranding as the What If Killmonger as part of the Marvel Legends offerings in 2023.
Rather than be packed as part of a Disney+ wave, Killmonger was released as an exclusive therefore not inclusive of any build-a-figure parts. He was sold through Amazon globally and as was the packaging format at the time he arrives in a window-less box that utilises figure artwork and photography to confirm the contents. There is no reference to the exclusivity of the figure on the box and the design, logo and artwork fit in with the other What If? figures from 2022 and 2023 for those who collect mint in the box.
In hand, the figure is the same body as was released in 2018 as part of the M’Baku BAF wave. This figure recreated Killmonger’s mercenary outfit with a pair of brown camo-patterned combat trousers, a purple top and a grey and yellow combat vest. There is also an additional belt with hung grenades, ammunition, a knife, and a pair of holstered pistols, and a similar thigh holster with similar ammunition stowed away. While the proportions of the figure are very much in a real-world setting, the colours are enhanced and brightened considerably in an attempt to mimic the What If? Animation.
The head sculpt is new and designed around the What If? look with longer hair and a very stern expression. Like the outfit, the colours are enhanced and while the face print tech has been used, the aesthetic sits somewhere between animated and real world and while he will fit with most other What If? Figures, he will look a touch out of place alongside regular MCU characters.
Despite all the promised accessories on the belt, none of the guns or the knives are removable and are sculpted as part of the belt. This issue existed on the original release so it's not something I expected to have been upgraded - but considering Killmonger’s character the ability to wield handguns and knives is an option I would have liked out of the box. What we do get is the Vibranium spear we see him use during the events of What If? this appears to be a new piece for the Cinematic Legends line cast in grey with painted brown on the two grips partway down the shaft. It fits into one or both hands and looks pretty impressive once posed.
We also get an alternative pair of hands, taken from Killmonger’s other release in the Black Panther (Jaguar) suit. These clawed black hands swap out with the original hands for a different look, arming Killmonger with the weapons of the Black Panther. These are a nice inclusion, but not necessarily accurate to the events of What If? I would have swapped these out for a pair of working pistols or a knife that can be unsheathed.
Articulation is the older pinned format but very extensive with 19 points in total and a full range of motion for Killmonger allowing him a variety of poses with the spear or with his Vibranium claws. The figure is stable once posed and each joint feels secure and rigid with no obvious issues.
Killmonger presented a reasonably simple upgrade for a What If? release, requiring a new headpiece and an updated paint job. The opportunity to enhance the accessories with working guns and holsters was not taken, but instead, we do get the Vibranium spear which plays a key role in Killmonger’s story during Season 1 of What If? The new head sculpt also presents future opportunities such as full Black Panther Killmonger or indeed Killmonger in Ultron armour (I must go and see if this head fits on the Ultron body).
There remains a slightly odd aesthetic with Killmonger, and with many of the What If? Figures. There is a mix so far of both animated sculpted figures like T’Challa Star-Lord to figures converted from their MCU release that retain their real-world proportions but get an animated paint job - to figures that sit in the middle of that look such as Captain Carter. That means they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I feel that a decision should have been made early doors to either convert these to a real-world setting (like how Star Wars Black Series tackle shows like The Bad Batch), or to create them with a defined animated style like the SpiderVerse releases - this mix and match we are getting is not quite doing the show justice. The desirability of the figure therefore seems to be impacted by this slightly non-defined look and he has seen his RRP tumble on Amazon to prices as low as £12 over the past couple of months.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...