Anyone who has ever read a comic or seen a Marvel movie knows that death is never truly the end, and that a character can return from even the most mortal of wounds. Such an outcome could well be the case for Michael B Jordan's Black Panther villain, Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, with the actor recently revealing that, while he can't comment on upcoming sequel Black Panther 2, he would love to return to the MCU.

"I can't say too much about that one, honestly. With the year that we've had, and the loss of a dear friend, they were figuring out whatever they need to do and what was best for the franchise. But they're family, so if I ever had the opportunity to get back into that franchise, I would."

Introduced in 2018's Black Panther, Killmonger is a U.S. black-ops soldier who seeks to overthrow his cousin T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), in order to rule over Wakanda and use their advanced technology to overthrow the world and bring an end to oppression. Jordan's character was killed by T'Challa during the exciting finale, sustaining a fatal stab wound and rejecting the offer to be healed, believing that "death was better than bondage."

While very little is currently known about the direction of Black Panther 2, fans cannot help but wonder who will take up the mantle following the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman. Boseman sadly passed away on August 28 at the age of 43, after secretly battling colon cancer for the last four years.

One theory is that Letitia Wright's Shuri, T'Challa's genius sister, will have a much more prominent role in the follow-up, perhaps even taking up the responsibilities of Black Panther. Another, equally popular theory though is that Michael B. Jordan's character will be resurrected somehow and given the chance to rectify from his past mistakes. This could be achieved through medicinal means, what with Wakanda being so advanced, but many have speculated that an alternate version of Killmonger could be brought from a different universe into this one. With the likes of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness exploring the idea of a multiverse, this idea is slowly becoming less and less ridiculous and lot more likely.

Michael B. Jordan would clearly relish the chance to come back regardless of how it's achieved, with the actor saying last month, "That's something that is very, very near and dear to my heart for a lot of obvious reasons. [I] had a really tough year losing somebody close to me. And what that means for that franchise is it was devastating. But being in that world in a character that I loved playing, and working with [writer/director Ryan Coogler] and all that good stuff, it's family. We created a family over there. So to be able to be in that world again is something that, I think, will always be on the table in some capacity."

Principal photography on Black Panther 2 is scheduled to begin in July 2021, with the movie due for release on July 8, 2022. Lupita Nyong'o, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett are all expected to return and reprise their roles, with director Ryan Coogler also due to return to helm the project. Narcos: Mexico star Tenoch Huerto is in talks to play the movie's main antagonist. This comes to us courtesy of Good Morning America.