7 Great Villains for 'Black Panther 2'

 Marvel Studios' latest, Black Panther, sets the stage for a big future for Wakandan king T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and his kingdom as the blockbuster will have far-reaching effects on the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A Black Panther sequel has yet to be formally announced, but can be expected: the movie is tracking to pull in upwards of $180 million in its opening weekend, and Marvel chief Kevin Feige hopes co-writer and director Ryan Coogler will return for a sequel.

With Wakanda and its hierarchy established — as well as its intriguing cast of characters, including Okoye (Danai Gurira), Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and Shuri (Letitia Wright) — the ending of Black Panther sequel promises an exciting direction for its future follow-up: much like the original Iron Man, the final moments of the movie serve as a springboard capable of launching Black Panther 2 into any number of directions.

With Wakanda now revealed to the world, the world's greatest hunter should come to play.

Kraven the Hunter is famously a longtime Spider-Man foe, but the villain has squared off against T'Challa in the comics as well — and with both men drawing their superhuman abilities from the jungle, pitting the two against one another makes for a natural pairing.

The obsessed hunter was best known for besting nature's most vicious beasts, and when he ran out of jungle creatures to defeat, he set his sights on superhero Spider-Man as his treasured prey. Black Panther 2 could see Kraven seek out Wakanda in the same manner, hoping to defeat T'Challa and prove himself king of the jungle — what better way to do that than to hunt and best a king?

Coogler hoped to use Kraven in the earliest days of development — until he learned the character's screen rights are held by rival studio Sony, who are rumored to be interested in developing spin-offs staring Kraven and famous Spidey rogue Mysterio. 

Another longtime Marvel character yet to reach the big screen is Namor the Submariner, who could best be suited to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the Black Panther sequel.

T'Challa and Namor are both monarchs, and the pair have a storied history in the comics: they've come to blows more than once, as have their respective kingdoms of Wakanda and Atlantis.

Now that Wakanda is no longer hidden from the world, the sequel could see Wakanda and its people go to war with Namor and his undersea forces — possibly the only beings on Earth who could wage war with Wakanda and have a shot of winning.

Black Panther saw new king T'Challa struggle with challengers for the throne. Black Panther 2 pitting king T'Challa against another king, and a rival kingdom, could be a natural next step.

Source: Comicbook News