When Black Panther ended, one of the biggest compliments from fans was that the movie had the best Marvel Cinematic Universe villain this side of Loki. However, like many comic book movies from the past, Marvel decided to kill off the villain. Or did they? It now sounds like Michael B. Jordan might be coming back as Erik Killmonger for Black Panther 2.

Jordan raised the game for Marvel when it comes to villains, taking the murderous Killmonger and making him sympathetic -- or at least giving him the appearance of being sympathetic. There even looked like there was a chance Jordan could join Heath Ledger as an Oscar nominee for a superhero movie, although that didn't end up happening.

Could Marvel give him a second chance?

Angela Bassett, who starred in Black Panther as T'Challa's mother, Dowager Queen Ramonda, spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the sequel at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards. With her trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for Black Panther, Bassett admitted that she assumed that everybody would be back for the sequel.

RELATED: Michael B Jordan Is Open to Returning For Black Panther 2

After saying that, her husband, Courtney B. Vance, then seemingly revealed that everyone would be back, "including Michael B." Bassett then added that no one saw Killmonger "go into the ocean."

The idea of Michael B. Jordan returning as Killmonger is an interesting one, and it is entirely possible. For one thing, this is a comic book movie, so anything can happen. Remember that T'Challa put the Winter Soldier on ice in Wakanda and Shuri helped bring him back to full strength in time to battle Thanos. Could T'Challa have taken his cousin back to the lab and saved his life as well?

Another possibility comes from whatever happens at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Fans already know that Spider-Man is coming back to life after dying in Avengers: Infinity War. The idea of time travel has been raised and there are rumors that everything from Captain America: Civil War onward could end up altered in some way.

RELATED: Black Panther 2 Director Ryan Coogler Confronts His Biggest Challenge

If the Quantum Realm allows time travel, and events from the past can change, this could include bringing Killmonger back from the grave. Whether this is a good idea or not is another story. As such a popular villain, bringing Killmonger back could be interesting, and having Michael B. Jordan in a movie is always a plus.

However, that final scene with T'Challa and Killmonger on the cliff was a perfect farewell for the villain, and resurrecting him could lessen the impact of that finale. Of course, there is always the case that Bassett and Vance are just messing with the fans.

Ryan Coogler returns to direct Black Panther 2, but Marvel has yet to reveal its official release date.