Winston Duke put on one of the best performances in Marvel’s Black Panther as M’Baku aka Man-Ape. I can’t recall if he was actually called Man-Ape at any time in the film, but they did a good job establishing that fact that he is apart of the White Gorilla tribe without being so literal.

M’Baku is one of the greatest warriors of the African nation Wakanda, second only to T’Challa, the Black Panther, and King of Wakanda. M’Baku was born and raised in the Jabari Village, a village hidden in the mountains of Wakanda. He killed a rare white gorilla living in the jungles near Wakanda, bathing in the gorilla’s blood and eating its flesh he mystically received its great strength. He has tried to take the throne from T’Challa when he was on leave serving as a member of the Avengers in America.

Later, the Black Panther returns to Wakanda with the Avengers, M’Baku openly challenged T’Challa’s right to rule. M’Baku wanted to outlaw the technological advancements of Wakanda so the nation could return to its natural primitive ways. During the challenge, Man-Ape beat T’Challa and bound him to a giant panther statue and tried to topple it upon his enemy but instead burying himself. M’Baku was crushed but brought back by his chief supporter N’Gamo.

M’Baku possesses superhuman strength, stamina, agility reflexes, and durability. He is a very skilled warrior and combatant.

Black Panther follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king-and Black Panther-is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.



Chadwick Boseman stars as T’Challa aka Black Panther alongside Michael B. Jordan, who will play Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Forest Whitaker as elder statesman Zuri, Daniel Kaluuya as T’Challa’s confidant W’Kabi, Florence Kasumba reprising her role as Ayo, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaw, Winston Duke as M’Baku, aka Man-Ape, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu, and Angela Bassett as Ramonda, mother of T’Challa.

Marvel Studio’s Black Panther is out in theaters now!