Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Angela Bassett has finally broken her silence on a major star who will make their MCU debut in Black Panther 3. While not officially confirmed, all signs point to Denzel Washington finally joining the Marvel universe in a currently undisclosed role in the third Black Panther movie, which Ryan Coogler is writing right now. Washington spilled the beans during the Gladiator II press tour, but everyone surrounding the project has been tight-lipped about Washington’s involvement in the months since.
Bassett, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, recently sat down for an interview on the Today Show, and she spoke about Washington’s potential involvement. While she also declined to confirm or deny Washington’s role in the film, she was asked if she thinks he would play better as a hero or a villain. “Bad Denzel.” She was pressed, and asked if she likes bad Denzel more than good Denzel, to which she responded, “Yeah! It’s just interesting, complicated. And we’ve seen him be good so long and so often. He’s really good at being bad.”
Fans have been curious about how Ryan Coogler is going to up the stakes in Black Panther 3 after using Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) as the feature villain in the first movie and Namor (Tenoch Huerta) as the villain in the sequel. The only way up from here would be to have Denzel Washington play the feature villain, though it’s unclear which villain would fit best for him. It would also be something of a full-circle moment for Washington to debut in a franchise kicked off by Chadwick Boseman, whom he helped bring into the world of acting before his tragic and sudden passing in 2020.
When Will ‘Black Panther 3’ Be Released?
Kevin Feige has officially confirmed that Black Panther 3 is in development, but it’s unclear when the film will be released. Marvel is currently hard at work on Avengers: Doomsday, which will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars. The respective films are coming in December 2026 and December 2027, which would likely leave Black Panther 3 coming out sometime after then. All signs point to Secret Wars being a hard reboot for the MCU, though, so Black Panther 3 might need to come before, possibly during the summer of 2027.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Black Panther 3 and the wider MCU.
