Angela Bassett Teases a Possible Return as Queen Ramonda in ‘Black Panther 3’

Few Marvel deaths have hit fans quite as hard as Queen Ramonda’s sacrifice in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ a moment that cemented Angela Bassett’s performance as one of the most emotionally resonant in the franchise’s history. Her work in that film made history as the first performance in a Marvel movie to earn an Academy Award nomination, a distinction that has only deepened fan attachment to the character in the years since.

That attachment has kept the question of Ramonda’s possible return alive well past the character’s death, especially as Marvel continues building toward ‘Black Panther 3’ following July’s Comic-Con reveal that David Jonsson will step into the role of an adult T’Challa II. With casting news for the threequel steadily rolling in, attention has naturally turned to whether the franchise’s matriarch might find her way back to the screen in some form.

Bassett addressed that possibility directly during a recent appearance on Good Morning America, where she was asked whether Queen Ramonda could return in the next ‘Black Panther’ installment. Her answer left the door open without confirming anything concrete, telling the hosts, “There’s always a chance. There’s always hope. And the hope is the expectation of something good.”

Bassett’s cautious optimism isn’t happening in a vacuum. The ‘Black Panther’ franchise has a storytelling device unlike anything else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: the Ancestral Plane, a spiritual realm accessible to those who consume the heart-shaped herb, allowing living characters to commune with those who have died. Audiences have already seen this mechanic used twice, first when T’Challa visited his late father T’Chaka in the original ‘Black Panther,’ and again when Shuri spoke with Killmonger in the same space during ‘Wakanda Forever.’

That established precedent makes the Ancestral Plane the most logical avenue for Marvel to give Bassett another moment in the role, even with Ramonda’s death remaining canon. The bigger mystery isn’t whether the device could bring her back in some capacity, but which character might be the one to visit her once the threequel eventually arrives.

Beyond Jonsson’s casting as T’Challa II, Marvel has confirmed that Winston Duke will return as M’Baku and Letitia Wright will continue in her role as Shuri, with ‘Black Panther 3’ currently set for a theatrical release on December 15, 2028. That leaves fans with more than two years to speculate on how, or whether, Ramonda might factor into the story before the film arrives.

Bassett’s comments follow closely behind another notable moment for her this week, when she offered her public blessing to Jonsson taking on the mantle of T’Challa’s grown son, telling reporters she was thrilled about the casting news. Between that endorsement and her openness to a possible return herself, Bassett appears fully invested in seeing Wakanda’s next chapter succeed, whether or not Ramonda ends up part of it.

For now, Marvel has given fans nothing more concrete than hope, but given how the franchise has handled loss and legacy in the past, that hope may be exactly the kind of setup ‘Black Panther 3’ needs.

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