A fan translated the journal from Black Panther and it’ll make you cry for Killmonger

A dedicated fan took the time to translate N’Jobu’s journal entry in Black Panther, and what it says gives insight into Killmonger.

Marvel fans are definitely some of the most committed fans out there, and they are always looking through the movies to discover Easter eggs and any small detail they can. That wait to Avengers 4 is still feeling pretty long, especially since we don’t even have an official title yet. So, even though we are all anxious to see a trailer for Avengers 4, there is something fun about all the extra effort being put into finding small details in films that have already been released.

One fan this week was re-watching Black Panther with a fine-toothed comb, and they discovered once again how much attention to detail is put into Marvel movies.

In the scene where Killmonger drinks from the heart-shaped herb, his soul enters the ancestral plane that takes the form of the apartment in Oakland from his childhood. During this scene, Killmonger reads part of his father, N’Jobu’s, journal.

While the makers of this movie could easily have just put nonsense or nothing worth reading on the page, they instead took the time to make an actual journal entry. And a fan on Reddit took the time to translate what the journal pages say (as found by ComicBook.com).

The journal entry was a letter to N’Jadaka (Killmonger), and the contents pack an emotional punch.

In the journal entry, N’Jobu also expresses how living outside of Wakanda has changed his perspective on the world. He has seen the suffering of those around him, and he wants to help:

"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 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. How can I look at them, with the same skin as me, stolen from the same place I came 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?"

He then addresses his son once again:

"Who am I? A war dog who will not leave the lost tribe behind again. Who are you, my son? You will ask this one day and know the answer: N’Jadaka, son of N’Jobu."

It’s pretty exciting that Marvel took the time to add in this small detail as even little moments like this can mean something to the story. And it’s completely on par for what we see in N’Jobu, as well as Killmonger when he discusses his (flawed) plans and philosophy. It’s clear the journal entry has significance to the character of Killmonger, and it’s cool to know that Marvel cares about the details that impact and drive a character.

What do you think of the journal entry? Have you noticed any other moments that show Marvel’s attention to detail?