Black Panther 3 Rumor Suggests MCU Is Bringing Dead Character Back for Bigger Role

Marvel Studios recently shared major announcements regarding its next Wakanda chapter, and a fresh report claims a deceased character from the previous installment could return in Black Panther 3.

As reported by The Cosmic Circus, Angela Bassett is rumored to reprise her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther 3. However, the report maintains that her possible return is a rumor and says the character could appear through the Ancestral Plane. There’s no official confirmation from Marvel regarding this claim.

For those unaware, Ramonda died while saving Riri Williams during the events of Wakanda Forever. Therefore, her return would need a supernatural or memory-based storyline. The outlet also says that the Ancestral Plane will have a larger role in the upcoming film.

The report does not explain how Ramonda would influence the story. It’s also not known whether Bassett would appear in a small sequence or get a more important role.

What else do we know about Black Panther 3?

On July 25, 2026, Marvel announced Black Panther 3 during its Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con. Ryan Coogler has been confirmed to return as director after working on the first two installments.

Letitia Wright will reprise Shuri, while Winston Duke will be seen again as M’Baku. David Jonsson is set to play an adult version of Prince T’Challa II, the son of Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa. That means Jonsson will become the franchise’s new Black Panther.

The movie is currently scheduled to hit theaters on December 15, 2028. It will be released after Avengers: Secret Wars. This places it among the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first major post-Secret Wars projects.

The outlet also mentioned that part of the film will take place in Talokan, the underwater kingdom introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that remains tied to Tenoch Huerta’s Namor.

The report expects Huerta, Mabel Cadena, and Alex Livinalli to return as Namor, Namora, and Attuma, respectively, though Marvel Studios has yet to officially confirm those casting details.