‘Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan Says Killmonger’s Armor May Be Based on Vegeta From ‘Dragon Ball Z’

Back in February, the newest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was taking the world by storm. Black Panther became an instant hit and had audiences everywhere shouting, “Wakanda Forever!”

However, one little detail expanded outside of the Marvel fandom and found its way to the wide world of anime lovers. Fans of both Black Panther and Dragon Ball Z noticed there was a huge similarity between the former’s main antagonist, Erik Killmonger, and the latter’s deuteragonist, Vegeta.

As you can see, the two characters rock extremely similar outfits. Both characters are seen in vests and long-sleeved blue tops. This is especially interesting considering how similar the character’s stories are, both having been born as royals who were abandoned after the deaths of their fathers.

While people have been speculating on whether or not the characters look similar on purpose, Michael B. Jordan, the actor behind Killmonger and avid anime fan, finally shed some light on the situation.

While promoting their new movie, Creed II, Jordan sat down with fellow MCU star, Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), and the two actors asked each other questions in a segment for IGN.

Thompson asked Jordan if his Killmonger garb was in fact based on Vegeta and the actor gave a resounding “maybe.”

“I’m not sure,” he said, “Honestly, I really don’t know.” While Jordan agreed the looks are definitely similar, it wasn’t something he discussed with Ryan Coogler, the film’s director.

Jordan is no stranger to anime, recently declaring that his absolute favorite is Naruto Shippuden. “Been a fan of it for years, since I was maybe 12-13 years old,” he shared.

Apparently, Coogler is also a fan of anime, making the clothing connection a very possible, purposeful choice. “But, I mean, Ryan likes anime, too,” Jordan added, “So maybe. Hopefully.”

“Hopefully,” is good enough for now, but we’re definitely going to need Coogler to weigh in on this soon.

The interview between Thompson and Jordan had some other fun moments, including Thompson’s very quick response to the question of who would win in a fight, her character, Valkyrie, or Killmonger.

While it’s currently unclear when or if we’ll be seeing Thompson and Jordan back in the MCU, you can catch them both in Creed II, which is playing in theaters everywhere.