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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Making his first appearance three years ago in Age of Ultron, Andy Serkis’s Ulysses Klaue was immediately a fan favorite; I mean, who could resist the odd charm of the cuttlefish fearing, mixtape recording, Vibranium smuggler? Well, in “Black Panther” we get to see a lot more of the character as he partners with Erik Killmonger to sell more of the precious metal.
Klaue is an interesting villain in the sense that his goal isn’t ever really to take down the titular hero of the story. He’s not motivated by bringing down or exposing Wakanda, nor does he have even personal vendetta against T’Challa; instead his motivations are strictly with obtaining wealth (which you figured he’d have enough of after his transaction with Ultron - but I suppose that prosthetic arm wasn’t cheap.) I like that because it makes him unique in comparison to previous MCU villains who are always gunning for the main hero.
I also like Klaue because he reminds me a lot of Health Ledger’s depiction of The Joker; I’m not saying he’s a carbon copy, but there are similarities between the two characters. The two are both crazy & unpredictable - however, each holds a level of intelligence that allows them to frequently outwit their adversaries.
While there were those that had an issue with his character being killed - myself included, at first - I understand why they chose that route. Not only did it serve a purpose in regard to Killmomger’s arc, it also makes a great deal of sense given the end of the movie, wherein Wakanda has lifted the (literal) veil from their country & made it known that they have an abundance of Vibranium in their possession. With Vibranium now (seemingly) moving to be an openly traded commodity, his role as a smuggler of the metal no longer makes much sense. Couple that with the fact that his character didn’t seem as though he was the revenge-type, it would make his character far less significant in the MCU.
But what are your thoughts? Did you like Klaue? Did it make sense to kill him or should they have kept him alive? Let me know in the comments!
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