Winston Duke's M'Baku stole the show in
Black Panther, but had only very minor roles in
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame. In the latter, we saw very little of him in that final battle with Thanos, and the actor has now confirmed that much of his work ended up being cut by Marvel Studios.
During a recent interview with
The Hollywood Reporter, Duke was asked about whether he shot with the rest of the cast or alone in front of a green screen.
"I shot with everyone," he confirmed. "The raw footage was just so long with everyone that my stuff didn’t make it in. I filmed so much fighting for it, and I was really bummed to not see any of it in the movie [Laughs]. I did so many fighting scenes in Endgame during that final battle where they’re trying to keep the gauntlet away from Thanos. It was really cool."
As for why he believes it ended being cut, Duke noted that he completely understands why that was the case. "Marvel knows what they’re doing, and it all leads to the best product. So, I am happy; I was just very disappointed that nobody got to see all the stuff I was doing."
Duke, who is doing the rounds to promote Netflix's
Spenser Confidential (you can read our review
by clicking here), was also asked whether
Black Panther II director Ryan Coogler has told him anything about plans for M'Baku in th sequel.
"Not a glimpse," the actor admitted.
"We’re just waiting to see where it goes. I’ve seen nothing, I’ve heard nothing, I haven’t been told a thing. I just trust that they’re going to invest in M’Baku and tell a really bold story."
It's certainly going to be interesting seeing where this character goes next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you have to hope Marvel Studios one day releases those deleted scenes.
What do you guys hope the future holds in store for M'Baku?
About The Author:
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.