Is 'Klaw' The Secondary Villain Of Black Panther? Andy Serkis Returning?

Over the past weekend, we were treated to tons of footage and promotional images coming out of San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). From the reveal of Hulk's gladiator armor in Thor: Ragnarok to the huge display for Justice League, (SDCC) really brought it this year. There was no shortage of footage, we were even treated to footage from the upcoming seasons of The Flash and Arrow; both great television series based out of DC' Comics. But out of all the announcements coming out of (SDCC), we can't forget about the casting annoucement made for Black Panther (2018).

Black Panther is set to premiere July of 2018 but has yet to be given a plot summary. Nor has director, Ryan Coogler been willing to share any details in regards to the plot of the film (aside from the small detail of Black Panther taking place shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War.) However, the panel for Black Panther at (SDCC) confirmed the roles of three starring cast members.

We now know that Lupita N'Yongo will be portraying Nakia, Danai Gurira is in the role of Okoye, and Michael B. Jordan is playing the treacherous Erik Killmonger. All these reveals were realized during the Marvel Panel at (SDCC).

Casting confirmations subtly hint at Marvel Comics basis being mirrored on-screen.

The casting confirmations aren't all that impressive if you don't know where these characters' origins stem from. But for those of us familiar with Marvel Comics, we know that the basis for most of the characters being introduced have ties that stem to other central Marvel Comics' characters. And that connectivity brings to the light the potential plot of Black Panther.

For one, the confirmation of Michael B. Jordan in the role of Erik Killmonger brings with it the most intrigue. The reason for that being is Erik Killmonger's comic-book history closely connects him with the villainous, Ulysses S. Klaue a.k.a. Klaw; portrayed by Andy Serkis in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

In Marvel Comics, Killmonger's father worked with Klaw under coercive circumstances. Their joint business dealings left Killmonger's family exiled from Wakanda for the time being. After the death of Erik Killmonger's father, the rest of Killmonger's family was repatriated to Wakanda.

The Killmonger family could be rewritten to depict Erik as the dealer to Klaw rather than his father.

Accounting for the potential connection shared between N'Jadaka Killmonger and Ulysses S. Klaue/Klaw, how Killmonger's father could play into Black Panther is currently unknown. But the mere connection between the Killmongers and Klaw is enough to hint at more interactions being held between Klaw and Erik Killmonger. Maybe Erik Killmonger's father doesn't even make it to Black Panther and Erik Killmonger's past is rewritten for the film so that Erik is the one who has business dealings with Klaw rather than his father.

In that line of reasoning, it would make sense for the construct of Black Panther. Jordan's role of Erik Killmonger could be that of a business man in Wakanda discreetly associated with Ulysses S. Klaue/ Klaw. Their association is yet to be determined, but if Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) does share a private connection with Klaw, Ulysses S. Klaue (Andy Serkis) may very well be an underlying villain in the film.

Does Erik Killmonger want the throne for himself?

And in regards to Killmonger's place in the Wakandan kingdom, he may be the one opposed to T'Chala taking the mantle of King and Black Panther. The fact wasn't obviously stated during Captain America: Civil War but the death of T'Chaka inadvertently passed the title of King over to T'Chala.

T'Chala has no experience as king and learning that the events of Black Panther will take place shortly after Civil War means that Wakanda will witness the crowning of a new king, T'Chala as he'll be thrust into the responsibilities of king. But as is the issue whenever a new king or queen is crowned, there is always some resistance. And that resistance may very well come in the form of Erik Killmonger working against T'Chala to keep him off the throne - speculative for the moment.

In the scenario that Michael B. Jordan portraying Erik Killmonger in Black Panther leads to Killmonger and Klaw having a discreet business relationship during the film, Killmonger may utilize Klaw as a ploy in order to challenge T'Chala for the throne. If the people of Wakanda see that T'Chala is unable to keep them safe from the likes of Klaw, then more people will be in support of T'Chala being dethroned which would be the ideal place for Erik Killmonger to step in as a potential candidate vying for the title of King and Black Panther.

All those theories are speculative for the moment but looking back at the evidence provides us with enough proof to determine an interesting reveal yet to be confirmed. That reveal being of Andy Serkis reprising his role as Ulysses S. Klaue in Black Panther. To back up that reveal inevitably being confirmed, we need to recall the Marvel Comics basis for Erik Killmonger.

In Marvel Comics, Erik's father, N'Jadaka has on-going business dealings with Klaw, dealings that haven't been sanctioned by the Wakandan government. Since no word of N'Jadaka being included in the film has been heard, it's likely that his role will be substituted by that of his son, Erik Killmonger. And in the scenario of Erik Killmonger taking his father's place as an arms dealer with Ulysses S. Klaue, the version of Killmonger depicted in Black Panther will likely have on-going deals with Klaue which means Andy Serkis could be set to reprise his role of "Klaw" for Black Panther despite no official confirmation being released.

Klaw (Andy Serkis) could believably make an appearance in Black Panther.

However, there is a possibility that Ulysses S. Klaue (Andy Serkis) is in Black Panther but to a smaller degree. He may be the man who Erik Killmonger hires to assassinate T'Chala. In the scenario of a potential conflict builiding between T'Chala and Killmonger, there may be a moment in the film where Killmonger sees no other option in getting rid of T'Chala than to kill him with the help of "Klaw". Erik Killmonger would already know where to find Klaw, and being pushed to the brink of desperation would reasonably place Killmonger in the position to ask a villainous individual like Klaw for help. Although, that's highly speculative for the moment.

There's lots of potential directions for Black Panther to go into, especially now that Michael B. Jordan has been cast as Erik Killmonger. The confirmation of Killmonger may lead to Andy Serkis making an appearance as Ulysses S. Klaue in the film, as well as T'Chala being outnumbered by Killmonger, Klaw, and his crew which would inevitably result in T'Chala asking for help from the one asset he has at his disposal, the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.

Will Bucky Barnes Come To The Assistance Of T'Chala?

Barnes was last seen being put into cryogenic stasis during the post-credits scene of Captain America: Civil War. The location of the cryogenic chamber was revealed to be in Wakanda. And in the likely scenario of the post-credits scene taking place in Wakanda hinting at Bucky Barnes being revived, it's possible the scene was supposed to be used as a set-up for Bucky Barnes returning in Black Panther to help T'Chala overcome his new adversaries.

All those theories are speculative for the moment but the evidence is pointing in the direction of Black Panther adding Andy Serkis to the cast as the main villain. In doing so, the addition of Klaw (Andy Serkis) to Black Panther would give some basis for Klaw existing within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We didn't hear of Ulysses S. Klaue until Avengers: Age of Ulton despite Tony Stark knowingly making deals with Klaw in the past. But it's likely he'll receive a proper origin story in a film which suits the area of the Marvel universe that Klaw hails from; that being Wakanda and Black Panther's central environment. Meaning Andy Serkis will probably fill some antagonist role in Black Panther, as the villainous Ulysses S. Klaue a.k.a. Klaw.

And before forgetting to mention how "Klaw" lost his arm during Avengers: Age of Ultron, it's possible that his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe will take him through his past exploits in Marvel Comics, including his dealings in the country of Wakanda and the addition of a robotic arm as a replacement for the limb lost during Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Black Panther premieres July 6, 2018. Directed by Ryan Coogler. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Lupita N'Yongo, Michael B. Jordan, Dania Gurira, and the potential Andy Serkis as Ulysses S. Klaue.