Warning: This article contains massive spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is finally out in theaters for the world to enjoy, and while the film was mostly contained within the bounds of Wakanda and its immediate allies and foes, it still succeeded in introducing a decent amount of new characters.
If your interests sit on a cross-section between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and UFC, the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed one former Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman in Wakanda’s throne room when M’Baku saunters in chowing down on some chicken and discusses how best to tackle the problem of the ‘fish man,’ Namor (his solution was amusingly simple).
While Usman pops up a few times over the course of the film and even has a few lines, he doesn’t play an extremely important role. Who exactly does the former UFC champion play, though?
Kamaru Usman’s role in the film
Given the minor nature of his role and lack of tangible impact on the events of the film, Usman’s appearance is in more of a cameo-ish capacity, and as such, the fighter is credited simply as ‘Naval Officer,’ per Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s IMDb page.
Regardless, it was still a treat to see another UFC fighter make their way onto the silver screen, and in arguably the biggest film release of 2022, which, by the way, you should absolutely go and check out – it’s a beautiful journey and is touchingly reverent to Chadwick Boseman.
Usman is hardly the first UFC alum to make the leap to Hollywood in some capacity, or even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Those bragging rights go to Georges St-Pierre, who appeared as a mercenary in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and reprised his role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.