Is Kamaru Usman in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (& Who Could He Be Playing)?
Long have we waited to hear more about the Black Panther sequel titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Everything was a big question mark due to Chadwick Boseman’s unexpected, way-too-early demise, but after the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, the news keeps surging in. Now, there’s a new question: is Kamaru Usman in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
The UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman, is confirmed to appear in a guest star role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The extent of his role is still kept a mystery, but it’s certainly a dream come true for Usman.
He already expressed the desire to participate – even portray the lead role in the movie, but we highly doubt that will be the case in Wakanda Forever. Without further ado, here’s everything e know about Kamaru Usman’s role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and who he could potentially be playing.
Who Is Kamaru Usman?
Now I know many of you don’t really follow the UFC or the world of mixed martial arts in general, so here’s a brief biography of Kamaru Usman.
Kamarudeen Usman is the current defending UFC welterweight champion of the world and the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He is one of the most successful fighters and champions in the history of the UFC, especially in the welterweight division.
Usman is currently on a 19-fight win streak, 15 of which came in the UFC, with 6 title fight wins (5 title defenses). In 2021, he was named the Fighter of the Year after three sensational title defenses against Gilbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal, and Colby Covington.
What stands out about Kamaru is not only his pure dominance in the cage but also the fact that he is the first African UFC champion in history.
Kamaru is Nigerian but moved to the US as an immigrant when he was only eight years old. He always represents his native country with pride, and since his title win, two other African champions have emerged – Francis Ngannou as the heavyweight champ from Cameroon, and Israel Adesanya as the middleweight champ from Nigeria, respectively.
Even before the news about his potential role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Usman has expressed his desire to participate in the franchise. He shared some fan art of him in the Black Panther costume and stated it was his dream to portray the titular character.
Is Kamaru Usman In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
It seems that Kamaru Usman’s dreams are coming true because it is confirmed that the UFC champ will be a part of the cast for Black Panther 2. First, the former UFC light heavyweight & heavyweight double-champ, Daniel Cormier, who is now UFC’s color commentator, announced the news at the UFC 277 weigh-in show.
Later, the news about Kamaru Usman’s role in the movie was confirmed by MMA Fighting and later by Kamaru’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, on Twitter:
“Never listen to nobody who says you can’t dream, because this young boy from Nigeria, his dreams are coming true, all you have to do is work hard.”
Usman hasn’t spoken about the news yet, but will surely comment on it in the near future. Or, perhaps, he won’t, as his role in the movie is still a big mystery. We don’t know what his character’s name would be or how big his role would be, but one thing is certain – Kamaru’s dreams are coming true inside and outside of the Octagon.
Who Could Kamaru Usman Be Playing In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Now, the news about Kamaru’s role popped up, but we have little to no detail about it. So, who could he be playing in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? There are already various theories circling the social media platforms, so let’s see which theories hold up the most.
The first theory is that Kamaru will portray the new Black Panther himself. I highly doubt this would be the case since Usman has no acting experience, to the best of our knowledge, and it would certainly be a wild gamble for Marvel Studios to cast him in such an important, groundbreaking role.
Still, fans believe it is possible because Kamaru already expressed his desire to portray Black Panther in the past, and we’ve seen the new, masked Black Panther in the trailer, but there’s no word about who it’ll be. Combine that with the mystery around Usman’s role, and you get a crazy fan theory that almost certainly won’t happen.
The second theory is that, since his role has been announced so late – the movie premieres on November 11 – it will only be a cameo role in the mid or post-credit scene, where his character will be set up for a future role in the MCU.
I can see that happening, but if the role in Wakanda Forever would be so minor for Usman, wouldn’t it be better to keep it a secret completely and leave it as a fun post-credit surprise for fans?
Lastly, the final theory – which I find the most compelling – is that Usman will play a one-off side character – most likely as a Wakandan warrior alongside Shuri, M’Baku, and the rest of Wakanda.
His fighting skills could be put to great use for some action scenes to make the combat against the Atlanteans all the more compelling and fun. It would be nice fan service for all his admirers, a dream come true for Kamaru himself, and finally, an awesome way to include a real-life African champion, fighter, and warrior in the film.
