Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Winston Duke shares that M’Baku and the Jabari tribe have gone through some major changes. In the first Black Panther movie, M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari, disagreed with the use of Vibranium and isolated themselves away from the other tribes. After multiple cataclysmic events in the MCU, however, it looks like their stance might have changed.
In an interview from Screen Rant, Duke discusses how this change of heart has taken place and what their new role is. —
“I think the events of Infinity War and Endgame really showed that the Jabari are now full-fledged members of Wakanda. M’Baku was a part of every single conflict; every event, and I don’t think they could really exist in isolation anymore. They have open borders, and we saw that M’Baku was really Wakandan. His entire community has expanded.”
“Now we get to see how he figures out a brand-new world for Wakanda; a brand-new world like we’ve had to experience. A world post-COVID; a world post-pandemic or mid-pandemic. Much like us, he’s going through a lot of the same things and figuring out how to move forward. This movie really deals and dives into that a lot.”
Nearly every hero had to come together to fight the mad Titan Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, including the Jabari tribe and the Dora Milaje. Going into Wakanda Forever, this would explain Duke’s description of an expanded community that has more fully embraced mainstream society rather than keeping themselves separate, and it also strengthens a nation that’s clearly in dire straits.
Chadwick Boseman’s unfortunate passing means that Wakanda is without its Black Panther, and Daniel Kaluuya won’t be reprising his role as W’Kabi because of scheduling conflicts with Jordan Peele’s NOPE. The Wakanda Forever trailer definitely gives the impression that Wakanda is holding on for dear life as Angela Bassett’s Ramonda mourns the loss of her son. Having M’Baku more integrated in the sequel could give the nation a stronger foundation.
Joining the cast of Wakanda Forever is Tenoch Huerto, which will give Ryan Coogler’s epic an ancient civilization to explore. According to a Marvel-licensed Hasbro toy as part of the Marvel Legends Series, Namor comes from Talocan and not Atlantis. This was most likely altered because DC’s Aquaman comes from Atlantis, and this helps to distinguish the water-dwelling characters.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes to theaters Nov. 11.