No Time to Die Star Lashana Lynch Addresses Possible Return for The Marvels

Lashana Lynch will soon be playing the new 007 in the highly-anticipated No Time to Die, but most fans still know her best as Maria Rambeau from Captain Marvel. Sadly, Maria was killed offscreen during WandaVision when it was revealed she died of cancer during the five years her daughter, Monica Rambeau, was "blipped." While Maria may have passed in the current timeline, the MCU is now entering a world of multiverses, not to mention the easy ability to feature flashbacks, which means there's always a chance we could see Lynch in the franchise again. Recently, the star spoke with the Los Angeles Times and addressed the possibility of her return in the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels.

"You'll have to ask Kevin Feige that," Lynch said of Maria's return. "In fact, I should ask Kevin Feige that." She added, "But you never know. Weirder things have happened in the franchise. I had a wonderful time on the first one and it would be great to have a wonderful time on another one."

"I'm so glad they chose Teyonah Parris to play my daughter because she's wonderful and a lovely human being," Lynch also said after revealing she "absolutely loved" WandaVision.

WandaVision head writer Jac Schaeffer spoke about the decision to kill off Maria and made it clear it wasn't something they took lightly.

"It was a big decision," Schaeffer explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "We had a lot of conversations, and Maria and Lashana were so important in Captain Marvel and such a tremendous character. We did not make that decision lightly. But we felt that it really worked for Monica's character, and what it meant for her, and we also really loved the idea that Maria had built SWORD from the ground up."

As for No Time to Die, Lynch recently spoke with Harpers Bazaar about being apprehensive to join the series, afraid of "getting lost 'behind the man.'" Director Cary Joji Fukunaga and series producer Barbara Broccoli spoke with the actor and set her at ease, revealing they wanted to craft a character that stood in direct contrast to Bond and his history. Lynch also worked with screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who was previously confirmed to have given the script a polish.

"A character that is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That's completely against what I stand for," Lynch said. "I didn't want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent. I searched for at least one moment in the script where Black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real-life represented. In every project, I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the Black experience that I'm presenting needs to be 100% authentic."

No Time to Die is currently scheduled to hit theaters on October 8th. The Marvels is currently set to be released on November 11, 2022.