'Black Panther': Why Killmonger and Klaw Work Together

In a matter of weeks, Black Panther will see two prominent Marvel villains -- Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Ulysses Klaue/Klaw (Andy Serkis) -- joining forces. And according to one of the film's producers, Nate Moore, the partnership will come about for some unexpected reasons.

ComicBook.com got a chance to chat with Moore during a visit to Black Panther's set last year. And as Moore explained, Killmonger and Klaw join forces to fulfill their own personal agendas even though they might not completely overlap.

"I think Killmonger and Klaw have two very different agendas, and they do not line up perfectly," Moore revealed. "Whether or not these guys have a relationship is something we want you guys to learn, but Klaw, in our mind, is very reminiscent of the Klaw in comics, but clearly his genesis is totally different. Andy Serkis, who actually just started this week, is an amazing performer, and I think brings a different flavor to the tone of the film, even in what Michael B. Jordan does. I think it's going to be really fun."

In the comics, much of Klaw's origin story is reliant on Black Panther's fictional nation of Wakanda. Klaw travels to Wakanda to steal vibranium, which he plans to use to power his sonic device. Once he does, he comes into conflict with T'Challa's father, T'Chaka, and kills him in the process. Klaw then leaves, with his right hand missing, and continues to be in a conflict with T'Challa.

As fans have already seen, that origin has a bit of a twist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Klaw has previously been depicted as an arms dealer, who ultimately lost his arm in a conflict with Ultron (James Spader).

With Klaw's origin taking on a bit of a new twist, and Killmonger's goals being pretty familiar for comic book fans, it sounds like Black Panther viewers can sort of expect the unexpected.

"It's definitely not the relationship you expect from reading the comics," Moore explained. "As you said, we like to be inspired by publishing, but we also realize we're building our own universe, right?"

Black Panther currently has a ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating of 4.17 out of 5, making it the second most anticipated upcoming comic book movie among ComicBook.com Users. Let us know how excited you are for Black Panther by giving the movie your own ComicBook.com User Anticipation Rating below.

Black Panther opens in theaters on February 16th.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Avengers: Infinity War on May 4th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.