Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has added UFC Champion Kamaru Usman to its cast. The next and final feature on Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4 docket, Ryan Coogler's sequel to the Oscar-winning 2018 Black Panther movie, is presumably the most anticipated film of the year. Black Panther 2 has been long in the works, as the creative team needed time to not only progress the epic story from the first movie but also to figure out how to move forward without original star Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away in 2020. The sequel will directly deal with the tremendous loss of Boseman's passing, honoring the legacy of the hero and his beloved Wakandan king, T'Challa.

For a while, plot details on the sequel remained slim. But during Marvel's San Diego Comic-Con 2022 panel, the first trailer for Black Panther 2 was unveiled. The video focused on T'Challa's remaining family - sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) as they grappled with his death while rallying leaders and warriors to protect Wakanda from invading forces. At the same time, the rising conflict with Atlantis was teased, with Tenoch Huerta finally appearing as MCU's Namor. New cast additions in Black Panther 2, besides Huerta, include Michaela Coel as the Dora Milaje leader Aneka and Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams. And now another star seems to have been confirmed for the sequel.

Related: Shuri As The New Black Panther Limits Her Best MCU Future

As announced by MMA Fighting, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will also star in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Usman's manager verified the news, confirming that the professional mixed-martial artist will appear in a guest role in the movie. No details for Usman's character have been provided at the moment, presumably as Marvel wants to keep his role a secret.

Usman has undoubtedly had his wish granted with a cameo role in Black Panther 2. The winning fighter has long desired to leap from the Octagon onto the big screen. He even previously shared a piece of fanart on Instagram, which envisioned him as a superhero in a Black Panther movie. Usman's role in the sequel is well-deserved and well-earned, and it raises the stakes for the action in Black Panther 2, which is already looking to be fierce with Wakanda's calls for allies and the impending battle between the Atlanteans and the Wakandans.

With there not being much information about Usman's character, those excited for the movie are theorizing on social media about the role he could presumably be playing in Black Panther 2. One possibility is that Marvel could be setting him up for a larger arc in the future and that his character would pop up in the mid or post-credits scenes. Another scenario is Usman's Black Panther 2 cameo is a one-off, and he appears as a warrior alongside Shuri, where the sequel leverages his combat skills in a battle for Wakanda's sovereignty. Regardless of how his character fits into the movie, it's exciting that viewers will get to see the revered UFC Champion in a completely new light in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Hopefully, Marvel has a bigger plan for him, but even if it doesn't, it's sufficient that Usman has his dream realized with the new role.

Next: Black Panther 2 Trailer Strongly Hints Namor Is A Mutant In The MCU

Source: MMA Fighting

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