It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an absolutely massive place, full of stories on both the small and silver screens. But a few properties stand out as fan favorites, including Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. The burgeoning franchise returned to theaters with Wakanda Forever, which was another box office and critical hit. The movie also featured a few surprise cameos, including an appearance by Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger. And the actor/director recently spoke about keeping his Black Panther 2 role a secret, and how Creed III factored in.
Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger in the first Black Panther was universally acclaimed, and he’s one of the most beloved villains in the entire shared universe. Fans were hoping to see him return for Wakanda Forever, which did happen thanks to a meeting on the Ancestral Plane with Letitia Wright’s Shuri. Now that the movie’s been out for a few months, he can speak freely about the scene while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He mentioned the secrecy involved in his Black Panther return, saying:
It’s tough, you know? I think this time around, because we lost our brother, Chadwick. Rest in peace to Chadwick Boseman. And it was so much weight and just trying to power through, you know? And Ryan Coogler had such a tremendous task in front of him to evolve the script and the story in a way that still kind of honored Chadwick but moved the franchise forward as well. So for me to be able to come back, and I had to really keep it under wraps. I had to grow my hair out, I got the locks back in and stuff like that. And you know, I’m traveling a lot of places, so I gotta wear a hat, a hoodie, play private – which isn’t too bad of a thing. But being able to keep it under wraps was really tough.
Sounds about right. The MCU is known for its strict security, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was no exception. And as such, the process of bringing back a character who already died like Killmonger comes with a ton of strings. And that includes countless eyes looking at Michael B. Jordan, as well as his appearance. After all, Killmonger has a signature hairstyle that he had to recreate.
Michael B. Jordan’s comments to Jimmy Fallon help to peel back the curtain on what it’s like working within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And while the security of the shared universe made his Black Panther: Wakanda Forever scene a top secret affair, there was one upside: the set was filming right by Creed III. On top of starring in that threequel, he’s also making his directorial debut with the upcoming blockbuster. Jordan spoke about this silver lining, saying:
Yeah, we were both shooting down in Atlanta at the same time, so that made it a little bit easier to be able to bounce around from studios, but it was a hard thing to keep under wraps.
Given Michael B. Jordan’s multiple jobs in Creed III, having production for Black Panther 2 in the same city no doubt helped make his scene in at the Ancestral Plane easier to accomplish. And it’s a good thing that it all worked out; that sequence ended up being one of the biggest twists in Ryan Coogler’s sophomore Marvel effort. And it also helped it connect even more to the events of the first movie.
You can check out Michael B. Jordan’s full appearance on The Tonight Show below:
It should be fascinating to see if Killmonger gets to appear in the third Black Panther movie. In Wakandan culture, no one is ever truly gone. And it certainly seems like the Ancestral Plane could be the macguffin to justify another return by Michael B. Jordan. We’ll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit Disney+ on February 1st. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania on February 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
