In BLACK PANTHER, actor Winston Duke is is playing the role of the villain M'Baku. In the Marvel Comics universe, he is also known as Man-Ape and dresses up as an ape.
Marvel Studios has made some changes to the live action version of the character and producer Nate Moore discussed it with Entertainment Weekly. But first, here's the first good look at Duke's M'Baku costume.
"Man-Ape is a problematic character for a lot of reasons, but the idea behind Man-Ape we thought was really fascinating. … It’s a line I think we’re walking, and hopefully walking successfully. ... We don’t call him Man-Ape. We do call him M’Baku. Having a black character dress up as an ape, I think there’s a lot of racial implications that don’t sit well, if done wrong. But the idea that they worship the gorilla gods is interesting because it’s a movie about the Black Panther who, himself, is a sort of deity in his own right.
M'Baku's view of things in Wakanda during BLACK PANTHER are very politically charged, as are basis of most plot points in this movie, and he is not a fan of engaging in the outside world beyond the borders of Wakanda. M'Baku is the head of one of the mountain tribes of Wakanda and his motivations are not only to try to seat himself on the throne of Wakanda, after T'Chaka was assassinated in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, but he wants the country to stay out of world affairs altogether.
To read EW's full article on M'Baku, click right here.
BLACK PANTHER releases in the U.S. on February 16, 2018.
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