Black Panther: Wakanda Forever nearly featured a WWE star, who has addressed being forced out of the MCU project 2 years later. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was released in 2022 and swiftly became one of the Multiverse Saga’s biggest successes with an $854 million global box office. The movie introduced Tenoch Huerta’s Namor to the MCU timeline as one of its first official mutants before culminating in his defeat by the new Black Panther, Shuri, expanding both the history of the MCU’s Wakanda and the franchise’s horizons.

WWE star Damien Priest nearly joined him as a new member of the MCU, but recently stated in an interview with Chris Van Vliet (via YouTube) that the role was “taken away” from him, though Priest explained that Marvel wasn’t responsible for this decision. He did not elaborate on where the responsibility lay, and quickly clarified that he is “good with it,” and that starring in the MCU may have prevented him from becoming WrestleMania World Heavyweight Champion. The interview can be viewed below.

How Damian Priest Could Appear In Future MCU Releases

He Could Return As A Variant

Now that the 41-year-old Damian Priest has earned his heavyweight accolade, the WWE star may wish to revisit his opportunity to migrate to the MCU. The Puerto Rican athlete did not divulge which role he was eyed for, though it would likely have been a less major one given Priest’s current lack of cinematic acting experience. Given he never appeared in the movie, however, Priest could return in any number of guises in a future MCU installment – particularly as a character with an imposing physique.

Furthermore, the multiverse provides ample opportunity for Priest to pick up the same role he was initially picked for. A variant of the same character can easily bear a different face to the one that may have already debuted in the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Something like this was seen in Deadpool & Wolverine, where a number of villains from Fox’s X-Men universe, like Juggernaut, appeared in the movie as portrayed by different actors. Along those same lines, Priest may end up portraying the variant of a more well-established character in a movie such as Avengers: Secret Wars.

Alternatively, he may simply return in Black Panther 3, either as the character he initially missed out on, or a new one entirely. The filmmakers were, after all, keen to have him on board even if it didn’t pan out for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Whatever the case, Priest would become the latest in a string of WWE stars to join the superhero genre, following the likes of Dave Bautista and Seth Rollins in transferring his skills to comic book adaptations.