Updated

Updated · MovieWeb · Jul 27

Marvel Casts David Jonsson as Black Panther III's New T'Challa, Skipping Wider Search for 6 Months

Updated

Updated · MovieWeb · Jul 27

Marvel Casts David Jonsson as Black Panther III's New T'Challa, Skipping Wider Search for 6 Months

Q: What mysterious role will Denzel Washington play, and could he be the villain challenging Wakanda's new legacy?

Denzel Washington’s role in *Black Panther 3* has not been revealed, and there is no official confirmation that he is playing the villain. What is confirmed is that Ryan Coogler has publicly said Washington is in the film and that he had been trying to work with him for years. Beyond that, Marvel has kept the character under wraps. The announced story centers on Toussaint, or T’Challa II, played by David Jonsson, as he comes of age and faces Wakanda’s royal legacy after the setup in *Wakanda Forever*. That secrecy has naturally fueled speculation that Washington could play a major antagonist. One comic-book possibility often mentioned by fans is Achebe, a manipulative and politically dangerous enemy of Black Panther who has tried to destabilize Wakanda from within. If Coogler is building a story about succession, legacy and a young heir contending for the throne, a strategist like Achebe would fit thematically. Still, there is no reporting in the announcement tying Washington to Achebe or any villain role. He could just as plausibly play an elder statesman, rival power broker, spiritual figure, or another original character connected to Wakanda’s transition. Rumors about supernatural elements and the Ancestral Plane remain unconfirmed. The safest reading is that Washington is expected to play a significant, likely authoritative role in a film about Wakanda’s next generation, but whether he is the force threatening that legacy is, for now, only speculation.

3 articles · Updated · MovieWeb · Jul 27

Kevin Feige said Marvel kept David Jonsson's casting as Toussaint — Prince T'Challa II — secret for five or six months before unveiling him at Comic-Con.
Ryan Coogler pushed the choice after a private hotel meeting with Jonsson, telling Feige he had found the next Black Panther, convincing Marvel to skip a broader casting process.
Black Panther III will continue Wakanda Forever's post-credits setup, with Letitia Wright and Winston Duke returning as Shuri and M'Baku alongside Jonsson's debut.
The 2028 sequel now becomes Marvel's clearest handoff of the Black Panther mantle since Chadwick Boseman's death, while raising questions about how T'Challa's young son appears as an adult.