Entertainment

Marvel Phase 5: 'Black Panther 2' Star Hints a Dead Villain Could Return

What is Danai Gurira trying to tell us?

by Jake Kleinman

Black Panther 2 is happening, probably as part of Marvel’s Phase Five sometime between February 2022 and late 2025. Beyond that, we know very little about the promised sequel from Ryan Coogler. However, a recent interview with Black Panther star Danai Gurira may have revealed a bit more about the upcoming movie, especially when it comes to Michael B. Jordan’s involvement.

Speaking to MTV, Gurira made it clear that she knows very little about Black Panther 2, which is still years from release. However, what she does know is pretty interesting. First, she confirmed that her own character, Okoye, will appear in the movie:

“Listen, listen… literally, I have no information, that’s the beauty of our conversation right now. Mr. Coogler says, ‘Tell them we’re working hard, and you’re in it.’ That’s all I got for you.”

However, it’s the next quote that really speaks volumes. Here’s what Gurira said when asked if Michael B. Jordan might return in Black Panther 2 as well.

“We all love Michael, we can never get enough Michael B. I mean, you can never get enough Michael B, we all know this.”

Killmonger in 'Black Panther'

Marvel

That’s not exactly a commitment, but she’s not saying “No” either. Of course, it’s possible Gurira really doesn’t know anything. But then why not just say she has no idea about Jordan’s involvement in the movie?

Of course, we all know Jordan’s Black Panther villain, Killmonger, died at the end of the first movie. But maybe he somehow survived thanks to Wakandan medical technology. Or maybe when the Avengers reversed Thanos’ Snap they undid his death? Or maybe we’ll meet a Killmonger from another parallel universe after Doctor Strange investigates the multiverse in Phase Four?

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the options are endless, but the most obvious way to bring Jordan back in the sequel may be Ancestral Plane. We saw this astral dimension in Black Panther when T’Challah visited his dead father. So who’s to say we won’t get a Killmonger cameo in the sequel, even if it’s from beyond the grave?

Black Panther is expected to release in the mid-2020s as part of Marvel’s Phase 5.