Summary
One of the actors who appeared in the firstBlack Panthermovie expressed an interest in returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in a new capacity. According to the celebrity, he wanted a reboot since his previous character was already dead.
The firstBlack Panthermovie starring Chadwick Boseman was released on July 12, 2025, and was a hit. It was well-received for its compelling story and celebrated for its cultural significance in terms of diversity in Hollywood. It also performed well at the box office, grossing $1.3 billion, and won three Academy Awards – Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Original Score. Due to its success, Marvel decided to release a sequel, but Boseman’s unexpected death changed the franchise’s course. The studio didn’t want torecast theBlack Pantherleadand decided to focus the sequel,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, on other characters. One of the stars from the first film admitted that he wanted to return to the MCU.
Sterling K. Brown, who played Prince N’Jobu in Black Panther, sat down for an interview with Variety, where he expressed interest in returning to the MCU. Since his character was killed off, he was open to playing a new one. “I feel like Marvel should be like Law & Order — after a certain number of years, you gotta reset, you get to come back,” Brown said. He pleaded that Marvel Studios would take him back:
I would love to come back to the Marvel universe, absolutely. Please have me back. Please, please. Thank you.
Prince N’Jobu is the younger brother of King T’Chaka and is the uncle ofBoseman’s T’Challa. King T’Chaka killed Prince N’Jobu during a heated confrontation when the former learned that the latter helped arms dealer Ulysses Klaue steal vibranium out of Wakanda. N’Jobu was a Wakandan spy stationed in Oklahoma in the 1990s. He witnessed the oppression that the Black communities endured and felt that Wakanda could help them with vibranium weapons. So, he decided to work with Klaue to arm the oppressed people so they could fight back and overthrow their oppressors. During the confrontation, Prince N’Jobu drew his weapon to kill Zuri, forcing T’Chaka to intervene and kill his younger brother. Zuri (played by Forest Whitaker as an older man and by Denzel Whitaker as a younger man) was with N’Jobu during his mission and played as a loyal friend and ally. However, he was also spying on N’Jobu for the Wakandan monarchy. Zuri told King T’Chaka about N’Jobu’s wrongdoings; feeling betrayed, N’Jobu wanted to kill Zuri.
Brown only appeared for around five minutes in theBlack Panthermovie, but he left a good impression. Marvel Studios should consider his request because he is a versatile actor. His brief stint as N’Jobu was promising. It shows that he can elevate any character he portrays. Also, there are several characters fromMarvel Comicsthat he can potentially play.
He could portrayBlue Marvel(Adam Brashear), a brilliant scientist. He was a physicist and a former soldier who gained power after an experiment went wrong. However, he hid his heroism due to racial prejudice, thinking that the world wasn’t ready for a Black superhero. With his ties to Wakanda, he could also return as Gentle (Nezhno Abidemi), a Wakandan mutant. Gentle, as its name suggests, has a gentle nature, but he is incredibly strong. His theme explores identity, belonging, and self-control. With Brown’s talent and versatility, he can portray any of the two characters or whatever MCU deems to be a perfect role for him.
