Hollywood icon Denzel Washington has teased retirement plans and revealed his upcoming slate of films including Black Panther 3—which Marvel Studios hasn’t even officially announced yet.
On the road in Paris, doing press for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, he said: “I played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70. Uh, after that I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther. After that, I’m going to do the film Othello. After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire.”
Denzel Washington attends a Gladiator II special screening on November 10, 2024, in Paris, France. He has teased retirement and sparked a Newsweek list of his five top films.
Kristy Sparow/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
Whereas retirement may be calling the New York native, the MCU may have other plans with its interconnected narrative often recruiting characters from the wider whole range of the franchise.
It seems unlikely a character with the incalculable gravitas of Washington could be a minor role. The star, who has won two Oscars out of 10 nominations, is such a force on the stage and screen that his list of awards and nominations has its own Wikipedia page.
With the end of a legendary career on the horizon, we are looking back at Washington’s top five films:
Malcolm X
In this 1992 biopic directed by Spike Lee, Washington masterfully portrays civil rights leader Malcolm X, following his journey from small-time hustler to freedom fighter, and his eventual demise. The movie also faced challenges from the studios during production causing director Spike Lee to reach out to some of his Black celeb friends to help fund the film.
Training Day
In perhaps his most famous role, Washington plays corrupt detective Alonzo Harris, who is tasked with training rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke). In the span of a single day, Alonzo puts Jake through the hazing from hell. Denzel has never been so villainous. The heel turn earned Denzel his second Oscar and created a cultural moment with his infamous King Kong speech in the 2001 movie.
Glory
In Glory (1989), Washington portrays former enslaved person Silas Trip who enlists in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the second African American unit in the Union Army. The youthful Washington portrays Trip as rebellious and cynical, untrusting that winning the Civil War would do anything to improve the lives of the former slaves, but unwilling to sit by idly.
He Got Game
Jake Shuttlesworth is serving time in Attica Correctional Facility for accidentally killing his wife when the warden grants him a work release in an attempt to get his son Jesus to sign with his college Big State. Washington plays Jake Shuttlesworth, a man aching to connect with his son before he suffers the same fate in one of his most powerful roles. The 1998 movie was so good that the black and white Air Jordan 13s prominently featured in the film have been dubbed the “He Got Game” 13s by fans.
Mo’ Better Blues
As trumpeter Bleek Gilliam, Washington infuses the 1990 role with equal parts sensuality and roguishness. Gilliam will do anything for his friends but can’t bring himself to be as committed to his lovers as he is to his buddies and even gets himself into a two-dates-to-the-prom situation.