Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Black Panther
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Black Panther 2 has a unique problem in the MCU, as many of T'Challa's best villains were already perfectly executed (literally, in some cases) in the first movie. Marvel has long been levied with claims of weak villains, but across nearly 20 films (and several TV shows) they've crafted a few of cinema's finest antagonists. Thanos will make a play for the best MCU villain in Avengers: Infinity War, but Loki is no longer the rogue to beat.
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Michael B. Jordan's Erik "Killmonger" Stevens has been receiving high praise from critics, fans, and even his creator. Though his methods are questionable and his outlook clearly a bit deranged, the performance is unlike anything in a Marvel movie so far and adds some much needed socio-political reality to the superhero universe. But not only does Black Panther kill off the forgotten Wakandan son, it does away with long-time T'Challa villain Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis). With those players seemingly off the board for good, let's look at which Marvel villains could face the king in Black Panther 2.
This page: Potential Villains We've Already Met
Potential Villains We've Already Met
The most obvious place to look for future adversaries for Black Panther is in the first film. Marvel has proven that the best villains are the ones we get to know, from Loki to the Vulture, so pulling from the existing cast would mean less heavy lifting for the story and more attachment from the audience. The best option when it comes to this is taking moviegoers by complete surprise and introducing Nakia as the next foe for T'Challa.
In the comics, Nakia debuted during Christopher Priest's run in 1998 with the rest of the Dora Milaje. But it wasn't long before a mission saw Nakia left for dead, only to be saved by Erik Killmonger. Using some mystical methods, Killmonger healed Nakia and gave her new powers”not to mention a new purpose. She used her skills to become Malice, serving as a bitter rival of T'Challa's alongside his enemy Killmonger. She disappeared from the comics for a time, but a new Black Panther comic brought back Nakia just in time for the movie. And sure enough, she's still using her villainous Malice guise.
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There's no real hint in the films that Nakia could become a villain, especially given how keen she is on spreading Wakanda's resources to the rest of the world. But given the right push, Nakia's switch would add multiple layers of story complexity that would be just what Marvel needs to top Killmonger. Not to mention, seeing Lupita Nyong'o flex her chops and play a villain is something the world needs.
Beyond Nakia becoming Malice, there's always the chance Killmonger somehow survived. After all, we never see his body and Everett K. Ross is easily healed from a near fatal wound not long before Killmonger takes a spear to the torso. It might be a bit of a repeat to have the villain return”not to mention it could cheapen his fate if he survived”but this is a comic book movie we're talking about.
If not Killmonger, M'Baku is one of Black Panther's biggest rivals in the comics. While the first film didn't kill him off, however, it does seem to show he's no longer interested in the throne and even comes to respect T'Challa. But it's a stretch to call the leader of the Jabari sympathetic or altruistic, so there's no telling where his allegiances might shift. We know M'Baku will be in Avengers 3 and fans seem thrilled with Winston Duke's performance. Given his charisma in Black Panther, he could be quite the engaging antagonist in a sequel.
Villains from Fox and Sony
Given that Black Panther the character debuted in the pages of Fantastic Four, many of his greatest villains have ties to the First Family. What that means for the movies, unfortunately, is that some great potential villains are owned by 20th Century Fox. But as fans know, that might not be an obstacle for long.
Walt Disney is currently in the process of buying 20th Century Fox and all of its film properties. For Marvel fans, that means the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool and all of their supporting characters and villains will be able to appear in the MCU. We know the Fox deal won't affect the MCU films that are in progress, but Black Panther 2 has yet to get rolling. At this rate, it's likely to arrive in 2021 at the earliest, leaving plenty of time for the Fox deal to go through and Marvel Studios to begin planning the introduction of new characters. And when it comes to villains fans want to see in the MCU, Doctor Doom is high on the list.
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Doom has faced just about every hero in the comics, as his mastery of science and magic and his desire to conquer the world brings him face to face with more than just the Fantastic Four. And as the sovereign of his own nation, Doom has had quite a few interactions with Black Panther. Multiple recent comic arcs have seen the two monarchs butt heads as Doom has attempted invasions of Wakanda. And given both characters blend technology with the supernatural, Black Panther and Doctor Doom are actually fitting rivals. Even Black Panther resorted to Marvel's tried and true 'evil version of the hero' trope for some aspects of Killmonger, but Doom could actually flip that on its head as so much of his core traits compare to and contrast with T'Challa's.
A less likely acquisition from Fox is Red Ghost, a Fantastic Four and Black Panther villain who commands a trio of apes. He's a somewhat goofy character to be sure, but he might just be the perfect stepping stone villain for T'Challa to face (think Batroc in Captain America: The Winter Solider). He even could be made deadlier if he was given mastery of more beasts, or his connection to primates could give M'Baku and adversary of his own”assuming he keeps fighting alongside Black Panther. Marvel loves packing in smaller villains with nods to the comics, and kicking off Black Panther 2 with T'Challa swiftly taking down a deep cut from the page would be a lot of fun.
Outside of Fox, Sony also owns a fair amount of Marvel characters. When it comes to the Spider-Man franchise, they seem to be playing nice, but there's really no telling how much license Marvel has when it comes to using the characters in other films. But assuming Marvel has some pull in that area, one of the best villains we could see T'Challa face is Kraven the Hunter.
Though often associated with Spider-Man, Kraven has battled T'Challa plenty of times given the hunter's M.O. and frequent trips to Africa. Black Panther has also faced Kraven's son, so a sequel could bring him and his sister into the mix as well. T'Challa facing a whole family of highly-skilled warriors with tracking skills and a bevy of special abilities would make for an exciting film and Kraven could keep things relatively grounded as well.
Kraven almost appeared in Black Panther according to Ryan Coolger, so we know the minds behind the franchise like the idea. And with the villain being so close to showing up in Wakanda, that could mean Marvel has access to them if they wish. The one big issue, however, is Sony is reportedly developing a Kraven film. There's been little movement on that front, but the company would be much wiser to loan him out to Marvel for Black Panther 2 as Kraven's ill-equipped to carry his own film.
Newer Black Panther Comic Villains
Like Doom, a major monarch who could throw down with T'Challa is Namor. We've already laid out why Namor is the perfect villain for Black Panther 2, and introducing him could be a subtle way to pull mutants into the MCU. For now, his rights seem to mostly rest with Marvel, though a solo film may be under Universal's purview. Luckily, Namor would be much better deployed by facing off against T'Challa and the kingdom of Wakanda, an application well within Marvel's licensing restrictions for the character.
Namor has long been an anti-hero in the comics and the aftermath of him invading Wakanda has led to a lot of interesting stories over the past few years. It might be too early for more all-out war in the kingdom, but seeing Namor square off with T'Challa could radically change the nation. What's more, but it would bring the MCU one step closer to adapting the clandestine Illuminati to the big screen.
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Though Black Panther and Namor have clashed before, it's been more recently that they've become intense rivals. An even newer foe for the king, however, came just as the rulers of Wakanda and Atlantis were attempting to save the multiverse together. Jonathan Hickman's Infinity and the lead-up to it involves a lot of parallel worlds and some new cosmic concepts. In the midst of all that, a powerful being named Black Swan drops into the lives of the Illuminati and proves to be quite a challenge to face.
Black Swan has since begun working with the Black Order, who are set to show up in Avengers 3. It's too early in the MCU for the collapse of the multiverse, but perhaps Thanos' invasion of Wakanda could lead to a rewrite that brings Black Swan to Black Panther 2. Not only is she a powerful adversary that could open the franchise to more cosmic adventures, but she'd provide the MCU with another female villain.
Following Namor's invasion of Wakanda and Black Panther's subsequent partnership with him to save the universe, a new status quo beings to emerge. When Ta-Nehisi Coates took over Black Panther, he begin introducing more socio-political elements than ever before. The film clearly drew from some of his ideas, and the sequel is sure to do the same. As such, seeing Tetu and Zenzi face T'Challa could make a lot of sense.
Tetu leads The People, a group of Wakandan citizens fed up with the globe-trotting T'Challa. They want their country to return to its past ways, and use violence to achieve their ends. There's some nefarious stuff happening under the surface as well, which partly revolves around Tetu's second-in-command Zenzi. She has the power to manipulate people's emotions, and together they nearly overthrow Wakanda. With Black Panther's mid-credits scene establishing that Wakanda will open its borders, the stage is set for the rise of The People.
Black Panther was so powerful because of its unique tone and seeing more foes born out of revolution and social turmoil could be just what the franchise needs moving forward. Tetu and Zenzi are also a big part of Coates' first arc, so it makes sense for Ryan Coogler and his team to look to them as they're planning the film's sequel. Whether new villains or old, ones we've met or those who have yet to appear in the MCU, Black Panther 2 has a lot of interesting options when it comes to villains for T'Challa.
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