Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was released in November 2022, and to much acclaim as well. The story of the powerful African nation in the Marvel universe was set to chart a new course for its future. The passing of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020 meant that the storyline would have to be changed given Marvel’s decision not to recast the character. While mourning the passing of King T’Challa, fans were treated to an onscreen return of his nemesis in the original film, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).

Killmonger’s appearance came in the Ancestral Plane after that Shuri (Letita Wright) had ingested the heart shaped herb on her journey to becoming the Black Panther. Speaking on the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Jordan opened up about how he was able to keep his appearance, which came as a shock to fans, a secret. He acknowledged the difficulty of not having Boseman on set and how that affected everyone and revealed it was really “tough” keeping his cameo a secret.

Of preparing for the moment, Jordan said:

And Ryan Coogler had such a tremendous task in front of him to evolve the script and the story in a way that still kind of honored Chadwick but move the franchise forward as well. So for me to be able to come back, and I really had to keep it under wraps, I had to grow my hair out. You know, I got the locks back in and stuff like that. And I’m traveling a lot of places, so I’ve got to wear a hat, a hoodie, fly private, which isn’t too bad of a thing. But being able to keep it under wraps was really a tough thing.

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Killmonger appearing to Shuri in the Ancestral Plane was shock to audiences and Shuri herself. She had hoped to see a member of her family when she arrived there, however, the appearance of Killmonger spoke to the wound she carried in her heart from the death of her brother and her mother in fairly quick succession. Her cousin had advised her to choose revenge in her quest, and for a time, she heeded that advice declaring war on Talokan. However, after letting herself heal emotionally and mentally, the right path was taken by the new Black Panther.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been well received to critical acclaim, making its mark at the box office grossing $840 million. Angela Bassetts performance as Queen Ramonda earning her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at Oscars is a testament to the film’s quality. While Jordan needed to protect his part in Wakanda Forever, his role in the upcoming Creed III is no secret and fans can look forward to it.

Creed III premieres in theaters on March 3. Watch the trailer below: