At the end of the now Oscar-nominated Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger met his tragic end. That seemingly made it unlikely that we would ever see him again, but you never say never, because maybe Killmonger could be back for Black Panther 2 after all. When Black Panther actress Angela Bassett was asked if all of the cast would be returning for the sequel, her husband Courtney B. Vance butted in and said this:
Yes, just go ahead and say it, yes! Everyone will be there, including Michael B.
Oh boy. Is there some sort of spousal privilege thing at play or will Marvel hold Angela Bassett accountable for the actions of her husband? Speaking with ET at the SAG Awards Courtney B. Vance had no qualms about just coming out and saying matter-of-factly that all of the Black Panther cast will return for the sequel, including Michael B., and unless he is referring to a below-the-line Michael B., which seems unlikely, he means Michael B. Jordan.
Now this could be purely conjecture on the part of Courtney B. Vance. Last we heard, Ryan Coogler had signed on to return to write and direct, but we don’t know how far along that script is. That said, he could already know the overall story idea, and it’s not impossible that Courtney B. Vance knows some things that we don’t.
Considering where Black Panther left the character (dead) and how little we know about Black Panther 2 at the moment, this would obviously be a huge deal if true. Michael B. Jordan gave us one of the best comic book movie villains we’ve ever seen with Erik Killmonger and it would be kind of sad if we only got one movie with him, similar to Heath Ledger’s Joker (for different reasons, of course).
If Courtney B. Vance really let a spoiler slip here, there are some huge questions as to how exactly N’Jadaka will be in this movie after he willingly chose death over bondage at the end of the first film. We’ve speculated about Killmonger’s death being retconned through whatever time-travel/Quantum Realm shenanigans take place in Avengers: Endgame. The snapped heroes are certainly coming back, so it wouldn’t be impossible. These are comic book movies after all.
Yet, Killmonger had such a great arc in Black Panther, that to bring him back to life might cheapen the poetic ending of that film. But Killmonger doesn’t need to be resurrected for Michael B. Jordan to be in Black Panther 2. He could easily appear in flashbacks. But I think it's more likely that he could appear to T’Challa in visions, either taunting him or acting as a voice in his head as he weighs out kingly decisions.
Killmonger also went to the Ancestral Plane by taking the Heart-Shaped Herb. Maybe, pending they figure out how to bring back the herb, T’Challa could meet his cousin in this realm.
We don’t know Black Panther 2’s release date yet, but we’ll keep you updated on that and any news of Michael B. Jordan’s return. Check out our 2019 release schedule to see the biggest movies hitting theaters this year, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your comic book movie news.
