Possible Black Panther 3 Villains That Would Spice Up MCU's Phase 5
2018's "Black Panther" quickly proved itself as one of the biggest hits of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film grossed over $1 billion worldwide and was the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Particularly, critics praised Michael B. Jordan as the film's antagonist, Erik Killmonger. After Marvel Studios wrapped up decade-long Infinity Saga with "Avengers: Endgame," Coogler signed on to direct a sequel, though production would be stalled after the sudden death of their lead, Chadwick Boseman.
After extensive rewrites and production delays, the film continued on as "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," hailed upon its arrival in theaters in 2022 as a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman's legacy. With the filmmakers resolute in there decision not to recast the role of King T'Challa, the film sees Letitia Wright, who plays T'Challa's scientist sister Shuri, take up the mantle of Black Panther to face Namor, the king of an underwater civilization hellbent on protecting his people from surface world invaders.
Marking the end of the MCU's Phase 4, things are surely expected to ramp up as Marvel nears their next climactic team-up movie, "Avengers: Secret Wars." If that film follows the original comic storyline, Wakanda could become a very important player in the future of the MCU at large. Assuming the "Black Panther" films keep up their trend of having some of the best superhero movie antagonists, we've got some strong contenders in mind who could reshape the hierarchy of the best Marvel villains to date.
White Wolf
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may recognize the name "White Wolf" if they've paid close attention to previous films. In a post-credits scene for 2018's "Black Panther," Shuri visits the cottage of Bucky Barnes, who had been staying in Wakanda following the events of "Captain America: Civil War" to cure him of Hydra's brainwashing. Shuri calls Bucky the moniker "White Wolf," referencing the comic book character of the same name. However, it's entirely possible for Marvel to bring this name back into relevancy by introducing that character to the movies.
In the comics, "White Wolf" is the secret codename of Hunter, a character who debuted in comics in the late 1990s. Originally hailing from a neighboring country, Hunter was adopted by King T'Chaka and raised as part of the Wakandan royal family. However, when T'Challa was born, Hunter grew jealous of the boy due to his claim to the Wakandan throne. T'Chaka later made Hunter the head of Wakanda's secret police force, which he used to enact rebellious actions against his step-brother T'Challa.
Much like Killmonger in the comics, the White Wolf is a recurring enemy of T'Challa's. Most recently, he's appeared in a comic run starring Sam Wilson's Captain America, who uncovers Hunter's plan to smuggle vibranium out of Wakanda to power a superweapon. Though T'Challa is no longer in the MCU, it would be interesting to see Shuri come into conflict with a character like Killmonger who has personal ties to the Wakandan throne.
Kraven the Hunter
One of Black Panther's most formidable foes in the comics didn't originate as a threat to Wakanda. Kraven the Hunter originally made his debut as a Spider-Man villain in 1967, often serving as part of the Sinister Six. Born Sergei Kravinoff, the Russian hunter sees Spider-Man as his final challenge to prove his status as the world's greatest hunter. Naturally, a character like Black Panther would also interest the honorable Russian.
The two have come to blows before in the comics, though not by Kraven's own choice. Oftentimes, the hunter has been hired by a third party to capture the king of Wakanda. Additionally, Kraven's mutant son Alexei has also hunted the Black Panther after taking up his father's mantle. This time, however, Alexei was hired by the White Wolf, but was horribly beaten by T'Challa. Given that the rights to Kraven the Hunter are tied up in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, with a Kraven solo movie on the way, the character of Alexei could be introduced as a way to circumnavigate these legal issues.
For what it's worth, Coogler has previously shown interest in including Kraven in a "Black Panther" film. During the early development on the first movie, the director wanted Kraven the Hunter to be the villain, but the idea was rejected by Marvel (per Inverse). He eventually lucked out using Killmonger, but hopefully the hardcore Marvel fanboy inside Coogler will get to fulfill his dream of depicting a Black Panther vs. Kraven fight in a future MCU movie.
Sekhmet, the Lion God
It's established in Marvel Cinematic Universe lore that the people of Wakanda worship Bast, the Panther goddess of Egypt. Though Bast's cultural significance hasn't been explored much in the "Black Panther" movies, it's been referenced in other projects, such as "Thor: Love and Thunder." However, in the comics there is another entity of Wakandan mythology: Sekhmet. T'Challa himself references both goddesses during his debut in "Captain America: Civil War," explaining how Bast and Sekhmet welcome the dead into the afterlife.
In the comics, the relationship between Bast and Sekhmet is much more complicated. Sekhmet originated as Hathor, the daughter of Ra, who was transformed into the lion goddess to punish humanity for their disobedience to the Ennead. As the sibling to Bast, Sekhmet is regarded as a fringe cult god while the majority of Wakanda worships Bast. Subsequently, Sekhmet the Lion God sought the Panther God's power, putting her at odds with the Black Panther himself.
The religion of Wakanda would be an interesting area to explore in a future "Black Panther" movie, as the previous two mostly revolve around politics and war. Furthermore, the MCU has already established Egyptian mythology through the Disney+ series "Moon Knight," which features the gods Khonshu, Ammit, Osiris, and Tawaret. Perhaps the threat of Sekhmet in Wakanda could bring Marc Spector into the fray in a future "Black Panther" movie, with Moon Knight and Shuri teaming up to stop a rogue Egyptian deity.
Morlun
Vampires will sooner or later play a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 5. One of the most highly-anticipated films on Marvel's upcoming slate is "Blade," which is set to star Mahershala Ali in the iconic role originated on-screen by Wesley Snipes. Blade, a vampire hunter, will be key to unlocking the world of monsters in the MCU, which has been established already by the Disney+ special "Werewolf by Night." While the Sonyverse plays around with Jared Leto's Morbius, there's another vampire the MCU could take advantage of.
That vampire would be Morlun, a being who originates from another universe. In the comics, Morlun travels throughout the multiverse dispatching various Spider-Men and Spider-Women, though he ends up drawing the ire of the Avengers in the process. Later on in the comics, Morlun is resurrected by a rebellious Wakandan cult to threaten the power of the Panther goddess. In the process, Morlun drains the life of M'Baku, before facing off against Shuri and eventually losing.
Obviously, introducing Morlun into the MCU would likely have to be part of some disastrous consequences from "Avengers: Secret Wars" involving a full-scale explosion of the multiverse. However, given that the storyline is tied to Shuri's reign in the comics, it would make sense to introduce him in a "Black Panther" movie. Plus, losing a fan-favorite character like Winston Duke's M'Baku would make for a heart-wrenching third entry in the trilogy.
Achebe
One of the stranger villains in Black Panther's rogues gallery was introduced in the late 1990s. Achebe originated on an African farm, but his family was attacked by rebels and Achebe was left for dead. Making a deal with Mephisto, Achebe was given a second life and killed the rest of the infidels, before allying himself with the U.S. government. He later went to Wakanda, where he posed as a spy to facilitate a coup in a scheme to grant Mephisto the soul of T'Challa.
While speculation ran rampant among Marvel fans that Mephisto would debut in the Disney+ series "WandaVision," recent rumors have circulated that the demon could make an appearance in the upcoming series "Ironheart." The series is set to star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, the young scientist introduced to audiences in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," with Anthony Ramos confirmed to be playing The Hood, a villain with close ties in the comics to Mephisto. Rumors have also linked actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen to the role of Mephisto (via Inverse).
Given Riri's connection to Wakanda already, Achebe could be an unpredictable and exciting villain for a future "Black Panther" movie. If anything, it would satisfy diehard Marvel fans who want to see the peculiar, crazed character make it onto the big screen.
Vlad the Impaler
This Black Panther adversary originates from quite a strange chapter in T'Challa's comic book history. The comic series "Black Panther: The Man Without Fear" began in 2010. With no kingdom or vibranium, T'Challa ends up in New York City, taking over for Matt Murdock in pursuing organized crime in Hell's Kitchen. This tenure of T'Challa as the Man Without Fear ends up putting him at odds with New York's newest criminal overlord, following in the footsteps of its previous kingpin, Wilson Fisk.
Vlad the Impaler is his name, not to be confused with the historical Romanian conqueror and ruler of Wallachia. Vladimir Dinu in the Marvel Universe was a former employee of the Kingpin with the power to convert matter into energy, adopting a super-powered spear much like his historical equivalent. Believing that the Black Panther had murdered his wife, Vlad the Impaler becomes a fierce rival of the former Wakandan king, though he eventually loses and is thrown in prison for his connection to organized crime.
Though a journey to Hell's Kitchen would be an unexpected journey for Shuri as the new Black Panther, it would be interesting for Marvel fans to see her join forces with Matt Murdock following the events of "Daredevil: Born Again." Nevertheless, Vladimir would be a unique villain in the MCU, one who could bring the story of the Black Panther to street-level conflicts.
Black Swan
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe creeps closer to "Avengers: Secret Wars," that means some more formidable foes from the comics can finally make their screen debuts. One of those villains is Black Swan, originally born Yabbat Ummon Turu, a princess of the Hidden City. Her world was the victim of an incursion, and although Yabbat made it out alive, she ended up confronted by the Black Panther, who turned her in to Earth-616's Illuminati.
Despite Black Swan's attempts to warn the Illuminati about further incursions, the telepathic girl was freed from captivity by none other than Namor, forming a world-destroying supervillain team known as "the Cabal" including Thanos and the members of his Black Order. This team would go on to turn Wakanda into ruins with the support of the United Nations. Given that Namor has already been an enemy of Wakanda in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," it's not too difficult to imagine him destroying the civilization following a multiversal collapse.
With this in mind, a character like Black Swan could be a fearsome antagonist for the newly-minted Shuri, as well as the rest of Wakanda. If "Secret Wars" truly does have the consequences on the multiverse that fans expect, stories like this could be the new normal for the MCU. Plus, it'd be great to see Josh Brolin return as an alternate universe Thanos and join forces with Black Swan and Namor.
Zenzi & Tetu
Of course, many Marvel fans may want the next "Black Panther" movie to be again focused on a conflict in the country of Wakanda. With that in mind, Ryan Coogler could potentially use the third film to adapt this villainous duo from the recent 2016 run of "Black Panther" comics. Tetu was a Wakandan student who, after becoming tired of the limitations of the physical world, learned how to manipulate nature and became the leader of rebel forces in Wakanda. He allied himself with Zenzi, a Nigandan woman with the ability to control minds.
Together, Tetu and Zenzi became a real threat to the Wakanda throne, at the time occupied by T'Challa. Zenzi was able to mind-control the Dora Milaje to join their cause, launching a full-scale attack on Wakanda's Golden City that T'Challa was just barely able to defend against. The two could make for an interesting, possibly tragic Bonnie & Clyde-esque duo leading a revolution against Shuri's new Wakanda, resulting in some guaranteed epic battle scenes.
In the comics, Zenzi and Tetu have also allied themselves with other important figures in Wakanda's rogues gallery, including Baron Zemo. Of course, given that Zemo is being held in the Raft following the events of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," it's possible the Wakandan throne will coerce him to their side. If anyone knows how to counter a villain who can manipulate people's minds, it's Zemo.
Doctor Doom
Prior to the release of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," rumors had circled pertaining to the appearance of Victor von Doom in a post-credits scene. Fans are understandably eager for the villain to be introduced to the MCU, as Doom is a major antagonist to the Fantastic Four, as well as a prominent figure in the comic iteration of "Secret Wars." Ideally, there'd be a lot to establish about the ruler of Latveria prior to his potential appearance in either of those movies.
While the Doctor Doom cameo didn't come to pass, it would not have been entirely random. Black Panther and Doctor Doom have been frequent enemies in the past, particularly during the comic book arc "Doomwar." The series saw Victor von Doom launching an invasion of Wakanda in search of vibranium, a conflict so large it left T'Challa going comatose, with Shuri chosen to take up the mantle of Black Panther while he recovered. Fortunately for Ryan Coogler, this means there's comic precedent for Shuri to battle Doctor Doom.
Although fans would normally expect Doctor Doom to be introduced in "Fantastic Four," perhaps a Black Panther-led movie would be the best place. The country of Latveria is a huge part of Doom's story, and Coogler has proven he knows how to effectively introduce audiences new nations like Wakanda and Namor's home of Talokan. Whether he's introduced before "Secret Wars" or not, Doom will likely be a big part of the MCU long after the multiverse collapses.
T'Channa
Of course, there's another Doom-related character who could potentially be a more specific threat in a future Black Panther movie. Following the events of "Secret Wars," Wakanda could be vulnerable to invaders from other universes. This could be the threat Namor warned Shuri about in "Wakanda Forever," particularly if it comes from an alternate universe Doctor Doom. In one universe, Doctor Doom had very close ties to the nation of Wakanda.
In Earth-2301, T'Channa was the sister of T'Challa, who lost to her brother in a battle for the throne. She fled Wakanda for Latveria, where she became a student of Victor von Doom before disposing of him and taking his place. Like Wakanda, T'Channa led Latveria into immense technological fruition, before taking her powerful forces to other universes. Suffice to say, if an MCU iteration of T'Channa decided to invade Earth-616's Wakanda, it could spell the end of the Wakandan throne as we know it.
It would particularly be exciting to see T'Channa as an antagonist to Shuri specifically. As an alternate universe version of T'Challa's sister, the two Wakandan women may have known completely different versions of the same man. On some level, T'Channa's presence would be like looking into a mirror for Shuri, at a version of her that could've come to pass if T'Challa wasn't the honorable man he was. If that's not enough dramatic tension to fuel a third "Black Panther" film, then nothing is.