WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel's Black Panther, in theaters now.


Marvel's Black Panther introduced a genuinely compelling villain in the form of Erik Killmonger, whose goals were understandable, even if his methods were questionable. Played by Michael B. Jordan, he had multiple motivations to usurp T’Challa as king of Wakanda. Jealousy and grief might’ve been huge factors that shaped him as a man, but it was the pain of seeing oppression around the world that really drove him to enact a plan to destabilize the world’s class system. But now that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige clearly wants director Ryan Coogler to return for Black Panther 2, we have to look ahead to who might face off against T’Challa in a sequel.

Black Panther doesn’t possess the rich pantheon of villains that other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have, but there are some formidable enemies from the comics that could play into T’Challa’s story.

M'Baku

Winston Duke as M'Baku in Black Panther

M’Baku enjoys an interesting character arc over the course of Black Panther, starting out as a jealous villain, and attempting to take the throne of Wakanda for himself, only to be defeated by T’Challa. But by the end of the film, he had transformed into a reluctant ally, and aided Black Panther in stopping Killmonger.

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But he was so close to power. Surely all those years of detesting Wakanda and the royal family won’t have dissipated so quickly. After all, the Jabari tribe had exiled itself from the rest of the nation generations ago. Actor Winston Duke gave a wonderfully enigmatic performance as M’Baku, and he deserves more time to develop that character. However, because he played the role of an antagonist in the first film, it’s likely the writers will try take him in a fresh direction for a sequel. That makes M'Baku the least-likely candidate for primary villain.

Kiber the Cruel

Black Panther villain Kiber the Cruel

Over the past few years we’ve seen Jack Kirby’s cosmic and exuberant flair come to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way (we’re looking at you, Thor: Ragnarok). So continuing with that, bringing the villainous scientist Kiber the Cruel into a Black Panther sequel could be interesting. The villain is actually bonded to the floor of his lab when his attempt to create a teleportation device goes horribly wrong.

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At the end of Black Panther, Wakanda joins the United Nations and sets off on the path to sharing its Vibranium technology with the world. If Kiber experimented with Vibranium post-Black Panther, that could serve as the catalyst for his accident. But what makes him intriguing is that he can project an image of his former self to keep others at distance, and therefore unable to see his true form. He also steals the life forces of other people in order to achieve immortality.

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Achebe

Black Panther villain Achebe

The introduction of Achebe could simultaneously could bring with him another "spiritual" aspect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Mephisto. Achebe sold his soul to the demon after a group of soldiers razed his farm and took his wife. His back story allows for another type of social commentary, about the gruesome consequences of war. Who's to say the introduction to the world of Wakanda, with all of its advanced technology, doesn't destabilize its neighbors, triggering a regional war?

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Achebe is terrifying. In the comics, he infiltrates Wakanda’s government, and establishes himself in a high-ranking position. That's when he begins to talk to a hand puppet, Daki. This imbalanced villain could provide some intense scenes that would have no rival in the MCU.

Nakia

Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia in Black Panther

Yes, we do mean Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong’o), T’Challa’s ex-girlfriend in the film. In the comics, she becomes obsessed with T’Challa, going so far as to plot to kill his American girlfriend Monica. After she was banished by T’Challa, Achebe captured and tortured her to death. She was brought back to life by the Altar of Resurrection, and became warped upon her return, but possessed enhanced senses.

RELATED: How Marvel's Black Panther Sets Up a Sequel

She took on the name Malice, and began plaguing T’Challa and his friends. We already know that in the MCU, Nakia and T’Challa had a turbulent relationship, so transforming her into a villain could add another wrinkle to the dynamic; the murky line between lover and enemy would be a unique way of connecting a hero and a villain.

Kraven the Hunter

Kraven the Hunter

Yes, introduce the classic Spider-Man enemy in a Black Panther movie first. For those who don’t know Sergei Kravinoff’s backstory, he’s a Russian hunter obsessed with tracking the best game in the world. Well, maybe he starts his hunt of animal-themed heroes with Black Panther after Wakanda reveals itself to the world?

RELATED: What's Erik Killmonger's Big Plan in Black Panther?

Sony Pictures holds the film rights to Kraven as part of the Spider-Man library, but surely if the studio can strike a deal that allows Peter Parker to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one of his classic foes should be easy enough. Plus, director Ryan Coogler already revealed he originally wanted to use Kraven in Black Panther.

Namor

Namor the sub-mariner michael turner

Because, of course, the MCU needs to introduce its own Atlantean hero. And in a similar way to Black Panther’s own debut in Captain America: Civil War, bringing Namor to the screen through another franchise would be a great way to set up his own solo film.

He could be inspired by Wakanda to bring sunken Atlantis to the world stage, only to come into conflict with the African nation over technology. Starting out as a villain before evolving into an ally would create a complex relationship between T'Challa and Namor. Plus from there, the film could jump off into Illuminati territory.


In theaters now, director Ryan Coogler's Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue, Winston Duke as M’Baku and Forest Whitaker as Zuri.