Hopes for 'Black Panther 2'

Unsurprisingly it has just been confirmed that Ryan Coogler will return to write and direct a second Black Panther film. So I thought I’d write about some of the things I’d like to in this highly anticipated sequel.

A Despicable Villain

Micheal B. Jordan’s Killmonger was amazing villain in Black Panther. I think it would be silly to try to go in a similar direction with the villain or villains in the sequel. Because Killmonger was relatable, charismatic and had politically driven motivations I’d like the next villain to be someone the audience will hate. Relatable villains can be great but sometimes it makes their defeats less rewarding. Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue was a stellar pure villain in two films but was killed off. The Marvel Cinematic Universe already has a huge problem with character deaths often being temporary so bringing him back to life would be a poor choice. The characters that become Malice and Man-Ape in the comics were introduced in Black Panther, but I like these characters so much that seeing them become villains would feel abrupt to me. If these characters do become villains they should build it up for the third film. Another big villain in the comics is White Wolf, but in the MCU this moniker has been ascribed to the Winter Soldier and I’m not down to see Bucky become a villain again. So many Black Panther villains have an existing relationship with T’challa that as villains, they would cause us to feel sympathetic towards them and could make the film feel too similar to the first, so my first choice for a villain would be Achebe. This character does have a sad backstory but then becomes so vile that he’s easy to hate. So unlike Killmonger it won’t be so bittersweet when T’challa defeats him. In short Achebe sells his soul to survive death and becomes a power hungry psycho. In the comics, he operates in Wakanda while T’challa is away but could be relocated to Oakland for the sake of the film.

New Character Teases

It’s no secret that Black Panther has been culturally significant for many African moviegoers. Therefore I’d love for Black Panther 2 to begin to establish more Black or African influenced heroes in the MCU. Namely, Blade and Moon Knight. As far as I know, Blade and Black Panther aren’t closely associated in the comics. Despite this, audiences are clearly wanting more Black heroes and Blade is a fan favourite. Furthermore, the end of Black Panther has T’challa setting up a base in Oakland, so I’d love to see some sort of Blade buildup in one of the African-American communities T’challa is trying to help. Moon Knight is another character I’d like to see Black Panther set up. Moon Knight’s alter ego, Marc Spectre, is white in the comics, but his powers are granted through the a deity based on the Egyptian God Khonshu. Another Egyptian God, Bast, is where Black Panther gets most of its feline influences, so the Wakanda aspects of Black Panther 2 could surely set up Moon Knight in some way. However, whichever director introduces Marc Spectre would have to present him in a way that wouldn’t continue the harmful white savior trope. I personally wouldn’t mind if he was changed to an African-American for the MCU. The Sequel could also connect to Ghost Rider. If Achebe is used as a villain as I hope this could also introduce Mephisto, the demon whom Achebe sells his soul to. This in turn could open the door to establish a new MCU Ghost Rider or connect to the one featured in the Agents of Shield show.

Killmonger

As I discussed earlier Killmonger is one of my all time favourite movie villains. Naturally, I want to see more of that character in Black Panther 2. Although resurrecting him poses the same issues as mentioned with Ulysses Klaue. With that said there may be a simple way to keep Killmonger involved. If the ancestral plane allows T'challa to communicate with former Black Panthers, Killmonger should be residing there. With the heart-shaped herbs being destroyed when Killmonger took the throne it is uncertain how T’challa could access the ancestral plane, but if he were to meet Killmonger there, the interactions would be great. I would love to see Killmonger antagonizing, guiding or being interrogated by T’challa throughout the film as they eventually build a mutual respect for each other. If Achebe is used as a villain he could be so awful that the two former rivals would set aside there differences. Killmonger might even be able to move from the ancestral plane to Mephisto’s realm to weaken Achebe’s strength on earth.