| For alternate versions of N'Jobu, see N'Jobu's Character Hub |
- "How can I look at them with the same skin as me, stolen from the same place I come from and not reach out to them? How can I sit idly by and watch in pain and return to Wakanda as if there was nothing to see at all? Who am I? A War Dog who will not leave the Lost Tribe behind again."
- ―N'Jobu[src]
Prince N'Jobu was the younger brother of T'Chaka, the King of Wakanda and an agent of the War Dogs. Having betrayed his own people and aided Ulysses Klaue with getting vibranium out of Wakanda with the intention of allowing oppressed people to possess its power, N'Jobu was confronted by T'Chaka. In a failed attempt to shoot at Zuri, N'Jobu was killed by his own brother. His death led his son, N'Jadaka, to go on a long journey of vengeance to avenge his father's death.
Biography[]
Early Years[]
Joining the War Dogs[]
- "Your uncle fell in love with an American woman. They had a child."
- ―Zuri to T'Challa[src]
Born to King Azzuri of Wakanda, N'Jobu was raised as a member of the Golden Tribe and received one of the royal rings prior to his father's death. Later in life, he later joined the ranks of the War Dogs while his brother T'Chaka inherited both the throne and the mantle of the Black Panther.
It was during his time as an undercover agent that N'Jobu traveled to Oakland, California and met an American woman, with whom he fathered a son named Erik. The Prince would later tell his son about their origins and share his worldviews.[1] Unfortunately, sometime after Erik's birth, N'Jobu's spouse was arrested by the police and sentenced to prison for the rest of her life.[4]
Betraying his Family[]
Attack on Wakanda[]
- "Ulysses Klaue stole a quarter ton of vibranium from us and triggered a bomb at the border to escape. Many lives were lost. He knew where we hid the vibranium... and how to strike. He had someone on the inside."
"Why are you here?"
"Because I want you to look me in the eyes... and tell me why you betrayed Wakanda." - ―T'Chaka and N'Jobu[src]
Over time, while serving undercover in the U.S., N'Jobu became convinced that Wakanda's isolation policies were doing more harm than good and that people of African descent around the world were being oppressed. In 1992, he decided that the only course of action was to initiate a global revolution for the African people. To arm his cause, he revealed his country's existence to black-market arms dealer, Ulysses Klaue and helped him and his associate, Limbani, infiltrate Wakanda in order to steal a cache of vibranium, resulting in the deaths of several Wakandan citizens.[1]
Fall From Grace[]
N'Jobu is personally confronted by T'Chaka
- "Communities flooded with drugs and weapons. They are overly policed and incarcerated. All over the planet our people suffer because they don't have the tools to fight back. With vibranium weapons, they can overthrow every country and Wakanda can rule them all, the right way."
- ―N'Jobu to T'Chaka[src]
Unbeknownst to both Ulysses Klaue and N'Jobu, T'Chaka had learned about his brother's treachery from his confidant informant, Zuri, who previously disguised himself as an American citizen under the alias, James, in order to gain the Prince's trust. T'Chaka arrives to the United States of America and confronts his brother at his apartment in Oakland[1] while they were preparing a plan to break out N'Jobu's wife from prison.[4]
N'Jobu's corpse is discovered by N'Jadaka
No longer needing to play his fake role, "James" revealed his true identity. Outraged by James' betrayal, N'Jobu then attempted to shoot him; however, T'Chaka reacted quickly, and impaled N'Jobu with the claws on his Panther Habit, killing N'Jobu. While T'Chaka, Zuri, and the Dora Milaje fled back to Wakanda, N'Jobu's son N'Jadaka, who was playing basketball with his friends outside at the time of N'Jobu's death, discovered his body inside the apartment and mourned his death.[1]
Legacy[]
Posthumous Effects in the 21st Century[]
In 2015, Ulysses Klaue sold the vibranium N'Jobu helped him steal to Ultron, which he used to create several bodies for his consciousness as well as to combine it with Chitauri technology to create a meteor in an attempt to eradicate humanity. This makes N'Jobu indirectly responsible for the events of the Battle of Sokovia, the birth of Vision[5] and eventually, the creation of the Sokovia Accords and the death of his brother at the hands of Helmut Zemo in Vienna, which sparked the Avengers Civil War.[6]
Reunion in the Ancestral Plane[]
N'Jobu meets N'Jadaka in the Ancestral Plane
Upon defeating T'Challa and becoming king of Wakanda, N'Jadaka underwent the ritual of the Heart-Shaped Herb and traveled to the Ancestral Plane, where he conversed with his father one last time. While talking each other, N'Jobu asked his son why he didn't cry for him, to which N'Jadaka replied that everybody around him died and that it was common in Oakland. N'Jobu lamented that he should have taken his son to Wakanda, claimed responsibility for N'Jadaka's current actions, and added how now they were both lost, considered outsiders to Wakandans.[1]
T'Challa's Decision[]
- "Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we... as brothers and sisters on this Earth... should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth. More connects us than separates us."
- ―T'Challa[src]
The murder of N'Jobu by his own brother, which led his son Erik to become vengeful, served as a cautionary tale for T'Challa that would ultimately change the way Wakanda ran as a country. Though N'Jobu wanted to protect Africans across the world from oppression, his son's desire to have them dominate over others would lead to global warfare. His nephew would indeed introduce other nations of their advanced vibranium technology, but as a means of having the rest of the world and Wakanda protect each other as one tribe unified.[1]
Personality[]
- "Ungubani? Who are you? I asked this question of myself many times. Often times, I do not know. But I do know I am no longer the man my country once knew. Maybe love? My son? It has all changed me. T'Chaka must see what we can do, how we can change the course of time for the people who struggle so much in this land. Strangers to me, but my brothers and sisters still."
- ―N'Jobu[src]
N'Jobu is a compassionate person, which lead him to question his home nation's isolationist policies, and later, fall in love with a foreigner, father a son with her and plot to break her out of prison after she was arrested, indicating his love for his beloved. However, he is also a rogue and an extremist by nature, seeing as how he not only betrayed Wakanda to fund a war against the world at large, feeling that to be the only way to liberate people of African descent, whom he sees as his people but also willing to eventually subdue all countries and rule as a benevolent dictator. Due to his training as a War Dog, he is cautious and slow to trust but is willing to put his life on the line for people who he has indeed come to trust and as a result felt James's betrayal deeply.
Abilities[]
- Expert Spy: N'Jobu, who was a War Dog was stationed in Oakland and kept his cover. However, he didn't catch on to his friend, James, who was actually a War Dog as well, tasked with spying on N'Jobu.
- Marksman: N'Jobu resorted to his handgun when he was betrayed by James. However, he wasn't quick enough to hit his shot and was forced to be killed by his own brother, T'Chaka.
- Bilingualism: N'Jobu was fluent in his native Xhosa, as well as English.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
- Glock 17: N'Jobu carried this handgun when his brother T'Chaka came to confront him for aiding Ulysses Klaue in attacking Wakanda to steal a cache of vibranium. When he realized that "James" had betrayed him, N'Jobu took this handgun and tried to shoot at him, but T'Chaka was faster and impaled N'Jobu with his claws, killing him and leading him to drop his handgun to the floor.
- M16A4: N'Jobu kept a couple of these assault rifles at his safehouse for its use in one of the missions he planned. He ordered his partner James to hide the weapons when he realized that T'Chaka was coming to see him.
Other Equipment[]
- Vibranium: Because of the hardships for people with African descent, he has stolen large quantities of vibranium so he can create weapons and sold them to Klaue.
- War Dogs Tattoo: As a member of the War Dog, he is issued with a hidden tattoo in his gums to identify himself as a War Dog agent for Wakanda.
Facilities[]
- N'Jobu's Safehouse: As a War Dog, he is placed in a Wakanda safehouse for secret observation and outposts. After his betrayal, he turns the safehouse into a hidden base of operations to start the revolution, as well as plot to liberate his wife from custody.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Trivia[]
- In the comics, the father of Erik Killmonger was an unnamed Wakandan miner that was forced to cooperate with Ulysses Klaw during his incursion in Wakanda, and was subsequently exiled along with his family. Following the release of Black Panther, he was given the name N'Jobu in the comics as well.
- N'Jobu's counterpart in the Mainstream Comic Universe is S'Yan, T'Chaka's brother who reigned over Wakanda after his brother's assassination and remains at T'Challa's side after his coronation. The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of S'Yan is not related to the Wakandan Royal Family.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Qualen Bradley was a stand-in for Sterling K. Brown in the role of N'Jobu.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Black Panther
- ↑ Black Panther script
- ↑ Black Panther script
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 'Black Panther': Ryan Coogler Reveals What Happened to Killmonger's Mother
- ↑ Avengers: Age of Ultron
- ↑ Captain America: Civil War
- ↑ Hannah Beachler on Twitter - November 14, 2022
- ↑ Script of Black Panther Wakanda Forever
