Winston Duke IS M'Baku

[Web-Head]

“Person of Interest” actor Winston Duke has landed the key role of the villain M’Baku — aka Man-Ape — in Marvel’s upcoming “Black Panther” film starring Chadwick Boseman. The film, directed by “Creed” helmer Ryan Coogler, also stars Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Lupita Nyong’o. Boseman will play T’Challa, the prince of the African nation of Wakanda, who must take over the mantel after his father’s murder. Marvel unveiled the character in “Captain America: Civil War” before the standalone film bows on Feb. 16, 2018.


In the comics, M’Baku was one of Wakanda’s most powerful warriors and one of T’Challa’s biggest rivals.

Joe Robert Cole is co-penning the script with Coogler. Kevin Feige is producing the movie.

Marvel had been testing several actors for the role over the past week, including “The Get Down” actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, before casting Duke. Duke is relatively new to the industry, having recently graduated from the Yale School of Drama. He had recurring roles on several TV shows, including “Major Crimes,” “The Messengers,” and “Person of Interest.”

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/black-panther-mbaku-man-ape-winston-duke-1201873246/

 

[Chesterfield]

Don't know who this guy is. Research time!!

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Man-Ape. I guess he could be the main villain.

 

[Chesterfield]

No. The main villain is Killmonger.

 

[Neptune]

I hope to god he isn't the man villain. Man ape is lame.

 

[Dark Raven]

He looks kind of young for M'Baku, but he definitely has the height. According to IMDB he's 6'6 1/2".

 

[CaptainWagner]

Don't know who this guy is. Research time!!

There are some great highlights on Youtube of his time playing Dominic on Person of Interest.

No. The main villain is Killmonger.

I really hope that implication was misleading, because I REALLY don't want Killmonger used up in the first BP solo. He needs to be built up for a final, trilogy-capping showdown. M'Baku makes for a better first film villain.

I hope to god he isn't the man villain. Man ape is lame.

He really isn't though. A radical traditionalist terrorist who hates the Panther Kings' attempts to enter Wakanda enter the outside world, instead wanting to return the nation "to its roots" makes for very compelling stories which would be quite relevant to today's geo-political climate.

 

[Dark Raven]

Maybe Kilmonger will be the big bad, but M'Baku will be the one Panther fights in the end. Unless they just turn Man Ape into a henchman, which wouldn't be good.

 

[Chesterfield]

Killmonger will definitely be fighting T'Challa. Jordan is doing some super intense training for this film and by his own words will be getting bigger than he was for Creed.

 

[quara33]

Nice interview with Winston Duke in People: http://people.com/movies/winston-duke-black-panther-interview/

No spoilers that I can see, but some fun bits about how his agents let him know he'd been cast, and watching Avengers with Lupita Nyong'o while they were at Yale.

 

[Marvelocity]

So they are using Panther's three biggest adversaries in the same movie. Don't Spider-Man 3 it!

 

[MbJ]

That's not really a Spider-Man 3 situation. Spider-Man 3's problem was that it had three villains who were almost entirely unrelated, which meant you had three massive unconnected subplots running through the same movie.

Killmonger and Klaw are working together and it looks like Killmonger manages to sway M'Baku to his side as well.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

That's not really a Spider-Man 3 situation. Spider-Man 3's problem was that it had three villains who were almost entirely unrelated, which meant you had three massive unconnected subplots running through the same movie.

Killmonger and Klaw are working together and it looks like Killmonger manages to sway M'Baku to his side as well.

I'm kinda thinking the opposite. From the first trailer, we saw Shuri, Ramonda, and Everett Ross in a snowy setting, likely in the mountains where M'Baku lives. Then in the second trailer, they showed M'Baku's lair/throne room with another shot later on where it looked like T'Challa was asking for his help in that same setting.

 

[KevTravels]

It's quite possible that M'Baku is a minor villain being setup for the sequel

while Klaw is acting under the command of Killmonger. Supposedly Serkis has a much smaller role than Jordan

 

[Marvelocity]

I'm not upset to see so many villains. No sequel is guaranteed in these things after all. I just hope they give each proper time and at least one good fight scene each. I'm thinking Man-Ape will fill a more Batroc type role, which is fine.

 

[KevTravels]

I'm not upset to see so many villains. No sequel is guaranteed in these things after all. I just hope they give each proper time and at least one good fight scene each. I'm thinking Man-Ape will fill a more Batroc type role, which is fine.

Sounds reasonable to me. I believe he's also set for an Infinity War appearance

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Based on this shot of M'Baku from the IW teaser and then shots of BP seemingly asking for his help in the last BP trailer, I think we can say that he won't be a major villain in BP.

 

[quara33]

Spoiler/speculation based on IW trailer

Spoiler

Based on this shot of M'Baku from the IW teaser and then shots of BP seemingly asking for his help in the last BP trailer, I think we can say that he won't be a major villain in BP.

I really like that—keep him somewhat nebulous, so that when/if he becomes an antagonist, the audience is more invested.

 

[Chesterfield]

It's not hard to understand why M'Baku is in line with T'Challa in IW. He loves his country and would do anything to protect it, so with a looming alien invasion he's not going to do nothing and not help. Would-be onvaders have come to his country; enemies of T'Challa but lovers of Wakanda will fight to protect their home.

 

[Iceman]

It's not hard to understand why M'Baku is in line with T'Challa in IW. He loves his country and would do anything to protect it, so with a looming alien invasion he's not going to do nothing and not help. Would-be onvaders have come to his country; enemies of T'Challa but lovers of Wakanda will fight to protect their home.

It’s a common enemy yeah, that threatens his homeland.

 

[Lantern Venom]

It's not hard to understand why M'Baku is in line with T'Challa in IW. He loves his country and would do anything to protect it, so with a looming alien invasion he's not going to do nothing and not help. Would-be onvaders have come to his country; enemies of T'Challa but lovers of Wakanda will fight to protect their home.

It’s a common enemy yeah, that threatens his homeland.

I like that he seems to have complex motivations and isn't just the scary secondary baddie.

 

[Iceman]

I like that he seems to have complex motivations and isn't just the scary secondary baddie.

Yes. I think it’s very promising that they could be fighting alongside each other after everything that goes down in BP.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Yes. I think it’s very promising that they could be fighting alongside each other after everything that goes down in BP.

They just seem like rivals at this point, instead of mortal enemies.

 

[Iceman]

They just seem like rivals at this point, instead of mortal enemies.

I like that, a more honourable enemy who will still fight/team up against the real enemy.

 

[DeadStroke]

They just seem like rivals at this point, instead of mortal enemies.

I like that, a more honourable enemy who will still fight/team up against the real enemy.

I think this sets up him up to be a great villain in the sequel (assuming he survives Infinity War)

We'd have 3 films of them being rivals and then the sequel could be the breaking point.