Getty/Marvel StudiosSince the (relatively) happy ending of Avengers: Endgame, fans have been intrigued as to how Marvel are going to continue the MCU.
As the studio rounds off Phase 3 with Spider-Man: Far From Home, expectations are high for Phase 4, which is rumoured to include Guardians of the Galaxy 3, the Black Widow movie, The Eternals, and Doctor Strange 2.
One of the most highly-anticipated Phase 4 films is the Black Panther sequel, and already the rumour mill is churning out what the potential plot might have in store – including the return of the love to hate/hate to love villain, Erik Killmonger.
Marvel StudiosAccording to a report – attributed but not verified – from super scooper Roger Wardell (who apparently correctly revealed details of Endgame), Black Panther 2 will feature the return of Michael B. Jordan”s Killmonger, despite the character *spoiler alert!* dying at the end of the first film.
Or did he? True, Killmonger and Black Panther battle it out in an epic scrap at the end of the film, but the audience doesn’t technically see Killmonger die or fall into the ocean, so it seems the studio have left their possibilities open.
The rumours suggest Killmonger will return in Wakanda’s ‘spiritual plane’, where T’Challa and Killmonger both communicated with their dead fathers in the first film, as ComicBook reports.
Marvel StudiosAppearing at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Angela Bassett – who played Ramonda in the film – was asked whether ‘everybody’ is returning for the sequel, to which she replied: ‘I would assume so’. While her husband, Courtney B. Vance said: ‘Yes, just go ahead and say it, yes. Everyone will be there. Just yes, yes.’
Speaking specifically about Jordan’s Killmonger, Bassett said: ‘[We didn’t technically see him] go into the ocean, no.’ While Vance added: ‘Including Michael B., yes.’
It’s also rumoured that Black Panther 2 will follow on from the first film’s ending and have a much more political thread to it.
Marvel StudiosThe rumour mill has also curled out a speculated arrival of the Queen Divine Justice in the second Black Panther movie – a Wakandan princess who was secretly raised in America by one of T’Challa’s warriors.
However, after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, it’ll be interesting to see how T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and the rest of Wakanda recovered from Thanos’ snap and subsequent undoing.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.