Black Panther: Michael B. Jordan’s Blunt Thoughts On Returning As Killmonger

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an absolutely massive franchise, recently expanding thanks to live-action shows on Disney+. One of the most culturally impactful movies from the franchise is Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, which broke box office records and new ground regarding representation and Oscar nominations. The movie featured Michael B. Jordan as the villainous Killmonger, and he’s shared blunt thoughts about returning.

Michael B. Jordan’s performance in Black Panther was universally acclaimed, as Erik Killmonger was a fleshed out villain with a compelling motivation. As such, some fans are hoping to see him return to the MCU despite his apparent death. Jordan was recently asked how likely it was to see him as Killmonger on a scale from 1-10. He responded earnestly, saying:

I’ll go with a solid 2. I didn’t want to go 0, you know what I mean? Never say never, I can’t predict the future. 2 sounds ok I guess.

Well, that was honest. Given his character’s on screen death in Black Panther, it looks like Michael B. Jordan doesn’t anticipate reprising the role anytime soon. But given how comic book franchises operate on their own set of rules, he can’t completely rule it out.

Michael B. Jordan’s comments come from his recent appearance on Sirius XM promoting the Tom Clancy adaptation Without Remorse. Eventually the conversation turned to his acclaimed time in the MCU, especially as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is gearing up to begin filming. But it doesn’t look like Jordan thinks he’ll play Killmonger anytime soon.

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Later in that same conversation, Michael B. Jordan went on to briefly speak about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While he’s not expected to appear in Ryan Coogler’s mysterious sequel, he did speak to the process of it being re-focused to honor the late Chadwick Boseman. In Jordan’s words,

I really don’t know much at all. All I know is they’re developing a script that is a reflection on a lot of circumstances and tragedy that we had to deal with this past year. I know Ryan and Marvel are going to do the absolute best job at developing a story that makes everybody happy and satisfied and honors Chad. And moves forward with grace.

Chadwick Boseman’s death last August shocked the fandom, as the actor had a very private battle with colon cancer. And as the cast, crew, and public continue to grieve the hero’s loss, Ryan Coogler was tasked with reworking Black Panther’s sequel to honor both Boseman and his character T’Challa. What’s more, the filmmaker admitted it was the most difficult thing he’s ever had to do professionally.

Michael B. Jordan has played a number of comic book roles already, although fans are hoping to see him pivot to DC to play Superman Calvin Harris. Jordan himself is flattered by the talk, although it’s unclear if the studio has any interest in adapting the hero. But with J.J. Abrams working in his own Superman movie, it seems like the perfect time.

Without Remorse is available now on Amazon, and the next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on July 9th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.