BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Star Winston Duke Explains How Surviving The Snap Has Changed M'Baku

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Star Winston Duke Explains How Surviving The Snap Has Changed M'Baku

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Winston Duke explains how not being Blipped has changed M'Baku as a character while also revealing why Namor the Submariner is more than just another Aquaman...

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By JoshWilding - Sep 13, 2022 12:09 PM EST
Source: ComicBook.com

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever looks set to bring war to Wakanda as the world attempts to capitalise on the death of T'Challa. Who picks up the mantle of Black Panther remains to be seen, though Winston Duke's M'Baku is still a top pick among fans. He fought for the throne in the previous movie, but ultimately became an ally to T'Challa. 

Talking to ComicBook.com at D23, Duke spoke about M'Baku surviving Thanos' attack on Earth and explained that the five years he spent in Wakanda during T'Challa's absence will have changed the character a lot. 

"I think M'Baku is forced to catch up with the times," the actor explained. "His role has changed. He survived The Snap, he is now a part of the Tribal Council so he's more forward-facing and less insular. So he's been forced to really be a part of the collective transparency. I think that's a really cool thing for him and you get to see a whole new dynamic including him."

In other words, it sounds like M'Baku has definitely embraced being a hero, something we have to believe sets the stage for him to potentially become the MCU's new Black Panther. 

Time will tell on that front, but in trailers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the character has been shown squaring off with Namor the Submariner. While Duke admitted to The Los Angeles Times that he initially thought of the character as "another Aquaman," he now believes there's actually a lot more to him. 

"In our version, it feels a lot more real than fiction. In the MCU fashion, we’ve grounded it in real cultural significance and cultural traditions. You see the Latinx contingent that is present visually. Ryan Coogler’s creation within the Marvel cinematic landscape is one of deep honor and connection to real stuff. So I think a lot of people are gonna see themselves represented."

Hype continues to build for the Black Panther sequel, and M'Baku being front and centre is a good reason to be excited. While we wish Chadwick Boseman was still with us so T'Challa could team up with his former rival, we've no doubt that Duke and the rest of the cast will do everything they can to honour the actor. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters on November 11!

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WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 9/13/2022, 12:03 PM
Man that first BP film had a crazy supporting cast. Looking forward to see everyone back.
regularmovieguy
regularmovieguy - 9/13/2022, 12:12 PM
@WakandanQueen

GhostDog
GhostDog - 9/13/2022, 12:05 PM
His entrance was so cold. One of the best.
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 9/13/2022, 12:06 PM
I would prefer M'baku be the new panther
Kumkani
Kumkani - 9/13/2022, 1:09 PM
@ProfessorWhy - M'Baku being Black Panther is like Matt Murdock renouncing Catholicism and becoming Muslim.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 9/13/2022, 1:12 PM
@Kumkani - lmao good comparison. Yeah I guess it has to be someone from t’challa tribe who worship bast. I say time traveling son should be it
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 1:52 PM
@Kumkani - Exactly..Even if you're not a comicbook reader, the movie explains enough why it wouldn't make sense.
mynameisn0body
mynameisn0body - 9/13/2022, 2:23 PM
@Kumkani - 📠
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 9/13/2022, 12:06 PM
One of the standouts in the first one. I would be fine with him becoming the main character moving forward, but it's a little tricky cause he won't be Black Panther. Are they going to release a movie called Man-Ape???

Also shout out to his line in Infinity War. I love that tiny exchange with Okoye.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 9/13/2022, 1:10 PM
@TheManWithoutFear - the end of wakanda as we know it?
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 1:57 PM
@TheManWithoutFear - Probably NOT, unfortunately with how racists have TRIED to stigmatize/associate Black people to primates. Racists even made memes of Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa holding a watermelon.

They could just CREATE a name that sounds cool and makes sense. Or just leave at M'baku.
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 9/13/2022, 3:37 PM
@MyCoolYoung - then it will be the noblest ending in history
Toblakai
Toblakai - 9/19/2022, 7:03 PM
@TheManWithoutFear - the MCU releasing a movie in which the main black character is called Man-APE?

In what reality do you see that ever happening?
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 9/13/2022, 12:11 PM
Bp2 has me insanely hyped😐....





Bp2, avatar 2 and Halloween ends are my most anticipated for the rest of the year💪🔥♥️
HagridsHole1
HagridsHole1 - 9/13/2022, 12:17 PM
Can’t wait for him to take over the mantle
thewanderer
thewanderer - 9/13/2022, 1:26 PM
@HagridsHole1 - unless he's done a 180 on the use of technology, I don't see it making sense.
Drace24
Drace24 - 9/13/2022, 1:29 PM
@HagridsHole1 - Never going to happen.
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 1:59 PM
@thewanderer - ...And abandoned his totem/god Hanuman, even MORE it wouldn't make sense.
Supercat6376
Supercat6376 - 9/13/2022, 12:18 PM
The black panther we need. The black panther we want. 🙏🏻
Drace24
Drace24 - 9/13/2022, 1:30 PM
@Supercat6376 - If by "we" you mean people who don't care at all about character consistency, then sure.
Supercat6376
Supercat6376 - 9/13/2022, 1:46 PM
@Drace24 - the man has gone from trying to end tchala to rescuing him in his time of need. Then he stepped up and fought side by side with him against an alien horde. Seems pretty consistent that he gets more heroic as time goes on. Preparing him assume the mantle.
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 2:02 PM
@Supercat6376 - It doesn't work that way, he can take the throne, be king of Wakanda as a child of Hanuman the ape God. But he wouldn't become a Black Panther because that's not his tribe's totem or God.
Drace24
Drace24 - 9/13/2022, 2:15 PM
@Supercat6376 - Yeah, he came to respect T'Challa. A bit. But there is still a HUGE leap between that and completely abandoning his thousend year old Jabari culture, his place as their chief and his god Hanuman, in order to run around the world in a heretical high-tech cat costume. That's such an unbelievable 180 for him and clearly the least likely path for Marvel to take, especially when Shuri, Nakia or even Killmonger, actual members of the royal family who have a claim to the title, would make much more sense. (Yes, even reviving Killmonger and redeeming his character would make more sense than M'Baku as Black Panther.)
Supercat6376
Supercat6376 - 9/13/2022, 3:35 PM
@Blastaar - really ? I thought He fought tchala for the right to be king in the movie.
Supercat6376
Supercat6376 - 9/13/2022, 3:36 PM
@Drace24 - I’d be fine with killmonger also just don’t know how they would bring him back. Michael B Jordan as black panther would be great.
Drace24
Drace24 - 9/13/2022, 4:11 PM
@Supercat6376 - No need to overthink that. Just say that T'challa kept him alive with a kimoyo bead and let Shuri heal him. Pretty much exactly what they did with Ross earlier in the movie.
Not neccessarily what I want to happen but I'd be okay with it.
Supercat6376
Supercat6376 - 9/13/2022, 4:36 PM
@Drace24 - that actually doesn’t sound that bad to me. Hopefully they go that route.
seth3esq
seth3esq - 9/13/2022, 4:39 PM
@Supercat6376 - it would be the equivalent of a Rabbi becoming Pope ... speaking strictly from a source/canon perspective
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 10:01 PM
@Supercat6376 - You can become King of Wakanda, that doesn't automatically mean you become a Black Panther. M'baku could be King and there still be a Black Panther out there. M'baku becoming king just means he's King, and "Hanuman" would become the MAIN motif for Wakanda, not "Bast"(The Panther Goddess)...They would take down the Panther statues and replace them with powerful Gorilla statues.

Plus, we have YET to see M'baku with his FULL powers, IF they decide to go that way, and hopefully they will.
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 10:05 PM
@seth3esq - By the way they portrayed M'Baku and being a strict traditionalist in the movie, they need to keep him that way. I could see him making some adjustments to change, or the situation but making him Black Panther would be totally out of character as well, not just Marvel comics canon.
Supercat6376
Supercat6376 - 9/13/2022, 10:17 PM
@Blastaar - thanks for that. I had no idea about all those details. Makes more sense now why they wouldn’t go there .
Blastaar
Blastaar - 9/13/2022, 10:48 PM
@Supercat6376 - No worries, I see people make this mistake A LOT...I try not to be mean or disrespectful about it, I like M'baku as he IS as well as the actor. Plus A LOT of his character is established in the movie, even if you don't read or no about him in the comics.

I'm very much into African traditions and culture too, so I understand how a lot of this works..Marvel Studios can always change stuff if they want but some things are just best left alone as they are established, instead of convoluting things or creating hypocritical narratives just to move the story along.
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