Originally published July 14, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel producer Nate Moore has been speaking about the inclusion of long-time Black Panther villain Man-Ape in the upcoming Marvel superhero blockbuster, and how they have modernised the character for today’s audiences.
“We don’t call him Man-Ape,” states Moore “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.”
Moore also went on to discuss M’Baku’s role in the movie, stating that: “You learn that M’Baku is essentially the head of the religious minority in Wakanda and we thought that was interesting. Wakanda is not a monolithic place. They have a lot of different factions… In M’Baku’s worldview, T’Chaka made a huge mistake going to the U.N. [in Captain America: Civil War]. ‘We should never engage with the outside world. That’s a terrible mistake. And if his son is anything like his father, I don’t support him being on the throne.’ Politically, he just has different ideology. 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.”
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After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.
Black Panther sees Ryan Coogler (Creed) directing Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa alongside Lupita Nyong’o (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Nakia, Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four) as Erik Killmonger, Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead) as Okoye, Winston Duke (Person of Interest) as M’Baku, Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) as W’Kabi, Angela Bassett (American Horror Story) as Ramonda, Florence Kasumba (Captain America: Civil War) as Ayo, Martin Freeman (Captain America: Civil War) as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis (Captain America: Civil War) as Ulysses Klaue, Letitia Wright (Ready Player One) as Shuri and Nabiyah Be as Nightshade. The film is set for release on February 16th, 2018.
