A Marvel Death Bugged Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler

When it comes to worldbuilding, there are few projects the Marvel Cinematic Universe has achieved that are as impressive as the "Black Panther" movies. The 2018 movie introduced a whole unique world unlike any we've seen in a comic book movie, a fully-realized place with its own sense of culture, tradition, and history. Wakanda managed to feel both like a part of the MCU but also its own entirely unique thing. Then the sequel doubled down and went twice as big, not only expanding our understanding of the nation of Wakanda, but introducing a whole other civilization with its own history and lore in Talokan.

Though the first "Black Panther" killed arguably the most interesting and single best villain the MCU has ever introduced, it wasn't the death of Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) that bugged director Ryan Coogler the most (especially since he did bring Jordan back briefly in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever").

Instead, it was Andy Serkis' Ulysses Klaue, also known as Klaw, that the Coogler was most bothered by. "I like Klaw," Coogler told the Toronto Sun. "I was bugged by having to [kill him in the film]. It's tough when you have to kill characters off and I really did love that character."

"I love Andy, he's a lovely person," Coogler continued. "But again, it's one of those things where when you've got so many people in a movie, some of them have to go. Klaw in this movie, he's just having a good time. Every scene he's in, he's walking in like it's the best day of his life. He's got a swagger to him that's interesting and for me it was cool to see Andy act like that. It was a real pleasure."

The worldbuilding of the Black Panther movies

Coogler is right, not just in how good Serkis was in the role but also interesting that character was. Klaw is one of many B-level villains in the MCU who are there mostly to move the plot along and set the table for the main villain (see also: Frank Grillo's Crossbones in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and later "Captain America: Civil War"). But despite not getting to do a whole lot in the movie, Klaw is nevertheless a fascinating character, one we know to be among the very, very few people who actually managed to sneak into Wakanda and steal vibranium right from the source.

As played by Serkis, Klaw is a despicable arms dealer who enjoys his job, cares little about death and violence, and is a bit of a sadist with a constant smirk. His role adds to the lore and worldbuilding of Wakanda, which is the most fleshed-out corner of the MCU by a long shot — a wonderfully intricate and detailed place that warranted its own animated anthology series that revealed the rather violent history of Wakanda. That series does a phenomenal job connecting the history of Wakanda and vibranium to the history of the MCU's Earth, showing different time periods and how stolen Wakandan technology played a vital role in historical events.

Though that show doesn't feature Klaw, it is nevertheless worth noting how Klaw serves a similar purpose to the animated series, adding a sense of history to "Black Panther" that makes that movie feel like the latest chapter in a much longer story. We do not technically need more Klaw, even if Serkis is a delight to see on screen, but the MCU is much better for him having played a small part in this cinematic universe. You can check out our interview with Serkis about his role in "Black Panther" here if you missed it in 2018.

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