Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to bring back familiar faces from the African nation in the battle against Namor and Talocan, one of them being Winston Duke's M'Baku. After fighting against T'Challa in the first Black Panther movie for Wakanda's throne, M'Baku stepped up to fight for the nation and help them fend off Kilmonger.
In the wake of T'Challa's death in Wakanda Forever, M'Baku is expected to have a major role in the sequel. While details about the scale of his involvement are unknown, the Marvel actor did tease that reading the script was "emotional," potentially indicating that M'Baku will pay tribute to the former King of Wakanda in the film.
Now, a special look at the character's costume has been unveiled.
Winston Duke's New M'Baku Costume Shines at D23
At this year's D23 Expo, The Direct's Savannah Sanders captured some photos of M'Baku's new costume in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, showcasing a fresh look at the Jabari tribe leader's attire for the MCU sequel.
The new costume features an upgraded breastplate with a gorilla-like design and more spikes on his forearm guards. M'Baku's ceremonial mask was based off of a gorilla, so it seems that the great apes have influenced his main outfit even more.
The design also retains heavy elements of wood, which is the trademark of the Jabari tribe.
M'Baku's general costume silhouette is largely retained for the new design, though has a few other new flourishes like an upgraded belt and a monkey's paw-inspired staff.
Based on the ape-like design on the chest armor, Twitter user @MaximilanMarvel pointed out that M'Baku's new costume could have a possible connection to the baboon god that was included in Thor: Love and Thunder, since it "incorporates the gorilla imagery sacred to the Jabari tribe:"
The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever display at the D23 Expo can be seen below:
Meanwhile, while speaking with Marvel Entertainment at the D23 Expo, Winston Duke teased what lies ahead for M'Baku in Wakanda Forever.
The Marvel actor shared that M'Baku is "no longer the insular leader" in the sequel, saying that he's "learning how to move forward:"
“We’re going to get a lot of the same old M’Baku from the sense of he’s still very honest, but how his role has changed is that he’s no longer the insular leader. He’s learning how to move forward. So he has a very large wide macro lens as to what’s happening. And I think we get to see more of that and see how much that impacts him."
Duke also revealed that fans will see much more of Wakanda in the sequel:
"What I’m most excited for fans to see is how much more Wakanda there is. There’s just so much more than the first movie, and that’s exciting.”
How M'Baku Fits in Black Panther 2
M'Baku's new costume gives him a solid advantage against the upcoming war with Talocan due to the upgrades that it includes. Aside from the monkey paw staff that he is known for, the upgraded breastplate and spiked armbands make him a more formidable warrior.
M'Baku's battle experience grew even further after fighting alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes against Thanos in the last two Avengers movies, and the Wakandan warrior could use this as a means to better protect the African nation.
Moreover, it is unknown if this new costume will have any connection to the baboon God that was introduced in Thor: Love and Thunder. Still, it's possible that the sequel could reference this Easter egg through dialogue or visual cues to cement this connection.
Winston Duke's remark that M'Baku is no longer the "insular leader" is an exciting tease as well. Although this trait was subtly included in Avengers: Infinity War, the sequel has the opportunity to showcase this new layer of M'Baku's character, just in time for the nation's biggest battle in Phase 4.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to premiere in theaters on Friday, November 11.
