Letitia Wright stunned viewers with her epic transformation into Black Panther in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever after the untimely demise of the character’s original star, Chadwick Boseman, in 2020. The sequel was a huge success, receiving generally positive reviews and grossing nearly $860 million at the global box office. However, as Marvel Studios has yet to Black Panther 3, Wright teases her character's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
During a recent appearance on The View to talk about her new movie Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, Wright reflected on her appearances in the 2018 Black Panther and its 2022 sequel Wakanda Forever. Sunny Hostin then asked the 30-year-old star if she would make another appearance in the MCU with a couple of Avengers movies on the horizon. As Wright evidently had difficulty answering, hinting that she might know something that viewers didn't, she cited Shuri as one of her favorite characters.
“I would like to continue with Shuri,” she said. “She's one of my favorite characters. Such a blessing, honestly. I kid you not. I'm so grateful for her.”
When pressed about whether there would be Black Panther 3, the Guyanese-British actress coyly responded, “There's a lot to, a lot to — a lot coming up.”
Wright made her MCU debut as Shuri, T’Challa’s (Boseman) sister and Wakanda’s resident tech genius, in Coogler’s Black Panther. She reprised her role in Anthony and Joe Russo’s Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019. After Boseman’s demise, she took on the mantle of Black Panther in Wakanda Forever.
Will there be Black Panther 3?
Though Marvel Studios has yet to confirm if there will be Black Panther 3, Wright told Variety in January 2023 that she believed it was “already in the works.” However, she also suggested it would take “a little while” before it would finally come out as they needed a break and had to regroup after making the second movie.
“We need a little bit of a break, we need to regroup, and [director] Ryan [Coogler] needs to get back into the lab, so it’s going to take a little while, but we’re really excited for you guys to see that,” she said.
So, with the success of its first two movies and being one of MCU’s cornerstone heroes, it’s highly likely that Black Panther will return to the big screen. If it happens, Coogler may expand Namor’s world of Talokan and feature some loose threads that involve M'Baku, Okoye, and Nakia, who introduced T’Challa’s secret son in Wakanda Forever.
But while fans wait for the third movie, they can watch the upcoming animated series Eyes of Wakanda, bringing the Wakandan warriors to the forefront. However, it remains to be seen whether a version of the Black Panther will be seen here.
As Marvel Studios has not said anything about Black Panther 3, judging by Wright’s reaction in the interview, Shuri may return as part of the MCU’s new Avengers team. Considering Black Panther’s importance in the Marvel universe, this isn’t far from happening.
Eyes of Wakanda is set to release in 2024 on Disney+.
