 The Black Panther mantle is one that is passed on by generations of royalty. The mantle can be challenged by other people through a competition. Whoever is appointed Black Panther, they drink from the heart-shaped herb, which gives the user strength, speed, reflexes, and agility. Though when they drink it, it also has another effect. It takes the user into what is called the Ancestral Plain, where they go to seek advice and blessings from the other ancient Black Panthers, or from their own personal ancestors. The Ancestral Plain experience seems to vary by person, and that variation stems from your own personal life and your mind. There are two different Ancestral Plains we see in the movie, T'Challa and Killmongers, and I want to highlight the differences. T'Challa walks out into a field in the place where he has lived his entire life, the place he calls home, Wakanda. The purple and blue lights are beautifully shown in the background, and in front of him is a large tree, with literal Black Panthers resting on the tree. They represent his ancestors, the past individuals who have taken the mantle of Black Panther. As T'Challa slowly walks forward, we see what he's wearing, an elegant white robe contrasted with the dark ominous background blends perfectly. And again, we look at where he is, T'Challa is in an open land, free to roam the vast landscape if you wanted to, but he is also free in his ideals and his thoughts. He is willing and open to change. Looking at his encounter with his father, it is a healthy exchange of ideas and thoughts. T'Challa is allowed to be emotional and to ask his father for help, and they converse. T'Challa is at home, Killmongers Ancestral Plain however, is different. He enters his old apartment, his old home, nothing really has changed. But T'Challa's Ancestral Plain was in Wakanda, where he considered home. Killmonger is from Wakanda, yes, but he never considers it home. That apartment in Oakland, where Killmonger left his innocence, is what he calls home. And it is also the resting place of his father. If we pause it here, a key component to this scene is that if you look outside the window, we see the vast openness and the freedom that is Wakanda. We see the beautiful colors, but it's from a distance, it's just out of reach, and it is barred away. This could be because Killmonger is trapped inside whether it be his own mind or trapped in his own ideals, or that he is an outsider, and that is how he views Wakanda, just out of reach. Like many African Americans, he is stripped from his roots and his ancestors, and upon entry, he only sees his father. No other Black Panthers, no ancestors, Justin Jobu, his father who didn't even get buried in Wakanda. Killmonger is detached physically and spiritually. And when Killmonger is shown, he begins as a child. T'Challa in his Ancestral Plain was an adult, but Eric never moved past that night when his father was killed, which is why he remains a child. Even look at what he's wearing, Eric is wearing the same hoodie that he wore that night. Emotionally he has never come to terms with the fact that his father was killed by one of his own. And even when N'Jobu questions him about it, he shrugs it off, saying, and there N'Jobu realizes that he should have brought Eric back to Wakanda when he had the chance. His death has changed him. And right at that moment, he reverts back to his adult form, and he sheds tears for his fallen father. To add, he says, and Jobu's fears have come to fruition, and he looks down, tears falling from his eyes, and Jobu realizes his mistake. His son, now in his adult form, has anger, vengeance, and violence entwined into his beliefs, into his lifestyle, and it is now too late. In their conversation, there is no advice given, and frankly, there is no love. It just further advances and showcases Killmonger's anger. It is here in the contrast of the two Ancestral Plains where we can truly sympathize and understand Killmonger's anger. He is barred from his past, barred from who he is, and he is angry because Wakanda can come and save its lost people, like himself and others. Instead of a life of technological advancements in health, they get poverty. Instead of being rich with cultural pride and knowledge, they are lost. Killmonger feels abandoned and betrayed by Wakanda, because they have the means to save him. Instead, he is disconnected physically, emotionally, and spiritually. His anger is valid, but his execution, violence, was not the answer. Eric Killmonger made sure to hold onto his vengeance for his entire life, up until the point of his burial. Watching the very same sunset that he dreamt his entire life of watching, but this time he watched it while breathing his final breath. Nana, just buried me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.