As shocked as many viewers were by the genocidal spectacle at the climax of Avengers: Infinity War, it was always pretty obvious that we hadn’t seen the last of many of the heroes that fell victim to Thanos’ world-changing finger-snap. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will need a lot more than Rocket and Nebula to fill up its cast, and Spider-Man: Far From Home wouldn’t make for much of a Spidey flick if Peter Parker was still a pile of dust. And because Marvel Studios aren’t exactly averse to making money, it seems all but inevitable that the lead of the hugely successful Black Panther will be making his return in Avengers 4.
In fact, Chadwick Boseman’s co-star Danai Gurira (who’ll undoubtedly be returning for next year’s release) may have hinted at this development during The Walking Dead panel at the San Diego Comic-Con. When the actress known for playing both Michonne in the popular zombie show and Okoye in the MCU was asked whether she was more upset by losing Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes or Boseman in Infinity War, Gurira’s response was tellingly noncommittal:
“Woww! Wowww! Well, you know Infinity War, you know. We know that that’s its own thing. That’s a thing that you know is its own thing. That’s all I’ll say about that in terms of…”
It was here that Walking Dead producer Scott Gimple suggested that maybe Black Panther hasn’t been permanently eliminated from the franchise:
“Wait, are you saying that Thanos wasn’t successful?”
Gurira’s answer was as tight-lipped as you’d expect for any question related to Avengers 4, with the actress saying:
“I’m not saying anything. I can actually just not speak at all anymore, being part of these two franchises… do not speak.”
While this brief exchange gives nothing explicitly away, you could certainly see it as significant that Gurira doesn’t seem ready to mourn over Boseman’s character quite yet. But however you read into these quotes, it seems like a pretty safe bet that T’Challa and several of his dusted friends will be finding a way back into the MCU when Avengers 4 arrives on May 3rd, 2019.
