Who is Denzel Washington playing in ‘Black Panther 3?’

MCU stars are forever terrified of saying too much in interviews, lest they earn the wrath of Kevin Feige. Not Denzel Washington, though. The Equalizer himself has no fear of Marvel’s snipers as he has now openly admitted that he’s headed for his comic book movie debut as director Ryan Coogler is writing a role for him in upcoming MCU threequel Black Panther 3.

Actually, someone might want to check that Feige didn’t just have a coronary, as Washington gave away multiple revelations in one spoiler-filled response. Until the legendary actor dropped this bombshell, we didn’t even know Black Panther 3 was officially moving forward at Marvel Studios, nor that it was far enough along the pre-production process to be securing actors and developing its script.

Washington even claimed that this will be his last project before his retirement from acting, so Marvel landing the great man’s final film role is a huge coup that the studio no doubt hoped to hold back and announce at some future event. e.g. next year’s Comic-Con. Instead, Washington gave the news away to Today while promoting Gladiator II.

But the cat — or the panther, rather — is out of the bag now, and it can’t be put back in. So, seeing as we know Washington has a good shot of appearing in Black Panther 3, it’s left to us to speculate… Who could be be playing?

Who could Denzel Washington play in Black Panther 3?

Washington has been linked to the MCU for years now, with rumors pointing to him playing Magneto in Marvel’s X-Men reboot or replacing Jonathan Majors as Kang. Technically, both of these could still occur in Black Panther 3, but the more probable turn of events is that he will be portraying a character with a more direct connection to the mythology of Wakanda.

You don’t cast someone like Washington and not hand them a role that requires acres of gravitas and pathos, someone who will command the attention and respect of both the audience and the other characters. For this reason, my personal theory is that Washington will turn up as King Bashenga, the ancient warrior shaman who was the first king of Wakanda and its first protector as the Black Panther.

The ancestral plane has allowed for several deceased characters from Wakanda’s Royal line to return over the first two films, so there’s every chance this will continue in the threequel. Now she’s firmly entrenched as queen of her nation, Shuri will likely need further guidance as she continues to grapple with the immense legacy she has inherited. Yes, we would love for Angela Bassett’s Ramonda to return somehow, but it would be even more impressive and impactful to the lore if Shuri could receive a vision of Bashenga and learn the truth of how the Black Panther mantle began.

The signs are already there that Ryan Coogler is keen to explore Wakanda’s ancient past and the history of the Black Panther. 2025 will see Eyes of Wakanda hit Disney Plus — an animated anthology show which will showcase Wakandan warriors from previous generations and centuries. This would be the perfect way to set up Bashenga appearing in the flesh in Black Panther 3.

Or, who knows, maybe Denzel Washington could turn up as Old Man Kang for a single movie, say peace out, and then retire. We wouldn’t even be mad.