Director Ryan Coogler and leading actress Letitia Wright could return for a potential Black Panther 3 sometime in the next three years, but when exactly would it come?
Marvel Studios is set to kick off its fifth phase on February 17 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. A little over two months ago, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever capped off the MCU's theatrical Phase 4.
Wakanda Forever has been a commercial success, grossing over $840 million at the global box office, and is now set to get a February release in China.
Even with the Chinese afterburner release, the latest Black Panther installment will not be as big of a hit as 2018's first solo movie starring the late, great Chadwick Boseman. Black Panther earned nearly $1.35 billion globally and is the sixth highest-grossing domestic film ever (recently eclipsed by Top Gun: Maverick).
However, cumulatively between the two films, over $2 billion at the box office certainly warrants a third film being green-lit.
The question is: When would Black Panther 3 release, and how will it fit into the ever-expanding MCU?
Four Possible Release Dates for Black Panther 3
The likelihood of another Black Panther film releasing before Avengers: Kang Dynasty is incredibly low. However, after Avengers: Secret Wars was pushed back about seven months to May 1, 2026, it could make sense for the threequel to come before that.
If a third Black Panther were to release in between those films, it would likely be November 7, 2025, or February 13, 2026. Both of these release dates are confirmed spots for upcoming Marvel/Disney films, but no projects are attached.
A more likely scenario is that Shuri/Black Panther's presence is felt in the Avengers projects and possibly Captain America: New World Order then gets another film after Secret Wars.
Currently, there are two dates set for Marvel films after Secret Wars: July 24th, 2026, and November 6, 2026. These spots are slated to be during Phase 6, but it's hard to imagine the Multiverse Saga won't come to its ultimate conclusion in May of that same year.
From late 2026 to 2027 Marvel Studios' Phase 7 will likely launch and could be the next time audiences see a Black Panther solo adventure. A calendar prediction at this point would complete conjecture, but a December release in 2026, 2027, or 2028 is unlikely due to Disney-distributed Star Wars and Avatar films seemingly taking up those spots for the studio.
When Will Black Panther 3 Release?
It's important to note that there's an outside chance the Black Panther franchise doesn't move forward with Ryan Coogler. While it's unlikely, nothing is confirmed for the future of the franchise, besides a reported Wakanda Disney+ series.
After a tumultuous process to produce the second film, which included the lead actor passing away, COVID delays, and Letitia Wright getting seriously injured, the creative group may not be in a rush to make a third installment.
However, Black Panther is a widely popular character, especially since T'Challa's debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Wakanda will also continue to play a role in the greater MCU and eventually it will be time to return for a feature film.
Based on Marvel Studios' slated plans and the state of the Multiverse Saga, November 6, 2026, may be the most likely date.
This would provide plenty of time for Coogler to regroup and decide how he wants to finish his trilogy, while the MCU concludes its next Earth-threatening event.
Keeping Shuri relevant in the upcoming Avengers films, plus the streaming series set in Wakanda will help those four years between films fly by and could prove to be an appropriate epilogue to Marvel's second saga.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently playing in theaters and setting records streaming on Disney+.
