‘Well, he didn’t lie’: Damson Idris breaks silence on being the next Black Panther

Marvel projects are always a big deal and as such there’s a need to keep things under wraps. It’s not uncommon to see actors play coy when asked about potential roles in the MCU and actor Damson Idris is no exception.

For years the studio has done a great job at keeping details from fans, usually this is done by strategically spreading misinformation and not telling anything important to Tom Holland. The internet is rife with Marvel speculation, people will spend days analyzing trailers and interviews with actors for any hint as to news on upcoming MCU projects.

Damson Idris and the Black Panther rumors

The Snowfall star has been rumored to potentially be cast as the next on-screen Black Panther in the upcoming third instalment. This comes after he was asked by reporters if he was in talks with Marvel to play the character. Idris’ response certainly caught people’s attention as the actor replied, “yes, no.”

Fans immediately got to work trying to interpret the cryptic response and what he meant with his positive-negative response.

It sounds like a Yes to us 😆

— Slots LV (@slotslv) June 18, 2025

Some took it to mean that he was in talks with Marvel, but not for the role of Black panther. Others interpreted it to be a straight “yes.”

This is a typical Marvel response

For long time Marvel fans this is a tell-tale sign that an actor is definitely in talks with the studio. Artfully avoiding questions and giving non-answers definitely suggests something is afoot here. Idris is acting like he’s got a Marvel sniper trained on him and he’s trying not to give too much away without outright lying. 

A similar tactic was employed by fellow British actor Andrew Garfield back when Spider-Man: No Way Home was in production. All the way up until the films release Garfield insisted that he was not in the movie, even when interviewers asked him point blank, he kept Marvel’s secret which made it all the more special when audiences got to experience his appearance in the MCU in cinema for the first time.

So is that what Idris is doing here? Trying to avoid giving the game away and keeping the Marvel snipers at bay by being intentionally coy? Does this vague answer mean we’ll definitely see him in the MCU? Maybe. But maybe not. Perhaps he’s being avoidant as no contracts have been signed yet. If nothing is set in stone then there’s no point in getting fans’ hopes up for no reason.

The truth is we can speculate about what Damson Idris’ answer meant until we’re blue in the face, but we probably won’t know anything for certain for a little while longer. While Ryan Coogler has confirmed certain members of the cast for Black Panther 3, there has been no word on Idris yet.