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The mantle of Black Panther is a heavy burden in the MCU. Shuri took it on in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but now it looks like it is falling to someone else in the newly announced Black Panther 3. David Jonsson, who is best known for his roles in The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus, is joining the MCU as T’Challa II, the son of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa and the new Black Panther.

That was some big news that came out of the Marvel Studios panel in the iconic Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con 2026; David Jonsson is playing a grown-up T’Challa II in Black Panther 3, which is set to be in cinemas on December 15, 2028. T’Challa II was first introduced as a child in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022, played by Divine Love Konadu-Sun in a brief cameo. What hasn’t been explained is how T’Challa II has grown so big so quickly. 

A lot of this might depend on the outcome of both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Both movies come out before Black Panther 3 and will undoubtedly have a big impact on the MCU by the time Black Panther 3 comes out. Will there be another multi-year timeskip, similar to what happened in Avengers: Endgame? Or will the new MCU continuity have a more flexible approach to time than we’re used to? Also, this could spell bad news for Letitia Wright’s Shuri during the upcoming two Avengers movies, as she may be forced to give up the title of Black Panther.

Black Panther 3 is out on December 15, 2028.

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst