Michael B. Jordan dreamed of playing Black Panther on screen one day

Actor Michael B. Jordan is convinced destiny played a big part in his casting for Black Panther, because he grew up dreaming of becoming the African superhero.

The Creed star portrays villain Erik Killmonger in director Ryan Coogler's upcoming Marvel blockbuster, and he admits he didn't need to read a script to know he'd be perfect for the role of the deadly tactician.

A long-time comic book fan, Jordan admits there was no way he was going to turn down the chance to be a part of the Black Panther universe - even though the title role wasn't going to be his.

"My initial exposure to the Marvel universe was pretty extensive," he tells WENN. "I grew up with Marvel and comic books and was always a big fan. I was very familiar with Black Panther.

"As a kid I always wanted to be the Black Panther. Black Panther was a character that I always looked up to and

admired my whole life, so it’s pretty amazing to get to be part of the story for the big screen... I’m very proud to be a part of this project."

And he relished the role of mercenary Killmonger: "He is always ten steps ahead," he adds. "He’s very patient. That’s a very dangerous attribute to have as a villain because he’s going to sit and wait, and he’s going to plan and calculate every

move."

Michael admits his love of chess came in handy when he was preparing to play the villain.

"I like to think of myself as a forward thinker, and I love playing chess and seeing steps ahead, so that was something that I definitely connected a lot with him."