Letitia Wright Gave a (Somewhat) Promising 'Black Panther 3' Update

This story contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

When Marvel fans returned to the kingdom of Wakanda late fall, they surely entered the theater with questions about how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would both respect the past and move its beloved characters forward. It wouldn't be Wakanda Forever if it ended right there, of course, but how to continue Ryan Coogler's Marvel franchise may have been just as hard a task as following it up with a sequel. (For the record? We think Coogler and co. pulled it off.)

And yet, Wakanda is set to have its own mini-universe of stories within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella. According to Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore, multiple series are currently in development over at Marvel for the world of Wakanda. In cooperation with director Ryan Coogler's production company Proximity Media, Moore told Variety,"Beyond what happens with this film, there are more opportunities to go back to Wakanda... There are no shortage of ideas, let’s put it that way."

What's Next for the World of Wakanda?

What we do know, is that RiRi Williams (Dominque Thorne) gets a soft-launch in Wakanda Forever as a brilliant, young MIT student who builds herself an entire Iron Man suit in her spare time at college. She's roped into the conflict in Wakanda for the sequel, but Williams will get her own Disney+ series, Ironheart, in Fall 2023. We bet that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) will show up in the series, before the Thunderbolts are officially formed. Also in development is a "World of Wakanda" series that could follow characters such as Okoye (Danai Gurira), Aneka (Michaela Coel), and Ayo (Florence Kasumba), a.k.a. the Midnight Angels.

It's unknown if Marvel will consider moving on with Black Panther projects not helmed by Ryan Coogler, however, as the director may need some time following the emotional journey that was Wakanda Forever. "I can tell you definitively I have no idea what I’m doing next," he wearily told Variety. "It’s very difficult because you’re exhausted and emotionally spent, and I’m trying to give it all my full attention. After that, I’ll figure out what’s going on with me. But I think it’s going to be some rest and family time." Grief has followed Coogler throughout the press cycle for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—written both before and after the death of actor Chadwick Boseman—as the director recently shared his emotions in an interview on the official Wakanda Forever podcast with writer Ta Nehisi-Coates. "I don’t know if there’s such thing as, you can go away, take enough time, and come back and it’s OK—you don’t miss your friend no more. You know what I mean?" Coogler said. "It’s an ongoing process."

Still, Coogler has not only been in "conversations" with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige about how to move forward for a third Black Panther film, but he's also been rumored to be involved in talks to direct Secret Wars—the next Avengers: Endgame-like event in the MCU. Feige has stated in the past that it wouldn't be his "preference" to work without Coogler on Black Panther's future, but that "This mythology and this ensemble and these characters deserve to continue and will continue after all of us are gone."

Let's Talk About That Mid-Credits Scene

Marvel smartly ended Wakanda Forever with the door open for multiple Black Panthers in the event that Letitia Wright either moves on from the franchise. M'Baku step ups to challenge Shuri for the throne, but she's away meeting a special new character: Toussaint. Played by the especially cute Divine Love Konadu-Sun in his first acting role, Toussaint reveals to Shuri that he is T'Challa and Nakia's son. While he is called Toussaint in Haiti, his Wakandan name is T'Challa, of course. Though there's no precedent for Toussaint in the comics, his appearance is very exciting for the future of Black Panther. Instead of recasting Boseman, the legacy of the Black Panther can live on in his son, a.k.a., the next generation of heroes. What does that say for Shuri? Well, she's still one of the smartest humans in the MCU—I'm sure she'll think of something.

What About You-Know-Who Making a Big Astral Plane Return?

In one of the most jaw-on-the-ground moments of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shuri enters the astral plane to meet her ancestors right before gaining the powers of the Black Panther, only to find Killmonger instead. Reprising his role from the first film, Michael B. Jordan explains to Shuri that she met him since she was seeking revenge, vengeance, and the resolve needed to kill her enemies. Does this mean that Killmonger could come back to life in Black Panther 3? Well, he's technically still dead in the astral plane—a place Wakandans usually stay for good. Still, it was a major twist and exciting cameo of Wakanda Forever. Plus, Killmonger's presence in the astral plane means that he can always be visited there again.

What's Next for Namor?

This is another up-in-the-air situation. Though it's clear that we're not done with Namor by the end of the film, it remains uncertain where we will see him next. A potential Black Panther 3 makes the most sense, but Namor has a history with many other characters in the comics as well. Most notably, the merman was a major villain for The Fantastic Four. Whereever Namor and the Talokians appear next, we just hope we'll get to see much, much more of them. As Namor says following his alliance with Wakanda, his war on the surface world is nowhere near an end.

When Could We Expect Black Panther 3?

Since we're looking at a year as far away as 2026 before we could even really expect any more Wakanda on our screens, Wakanda Forever should more than delight fans for the time being. "I love making movies, but to quote a character in our movie, I gave this everything," Coogler told Variety. "I’m at that place where I think I’ve got this press tour in me and then I’ve got to sit down and reflect. Probably cry a lot, because I’ve been holding that back. And then from there, figure out whatever’s next."

On the 2023 Golden Globes red carpet, Wright offered Variety a similar update on the trilogy's progress. Though she revealed that another sequel was "already in the works," Wright acknowledged that the entire crew just needs "a little bit of a break" after the emotional film. "We need to regroup and Ryan needs to get back into the lab, so it’s going to take a little while," she continued, "but we’re really excited for you guys to see that.”

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