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‘Black Panther’ Villains: Winston Duke Cast As Man-Ape

By Erika Miranda
Published on: 18:03 PST, Sep 28, 2016

Black Panther villains continue to increase as Winston Duke is cast to portray M’Baku or the “Man-Ape,” one of Prince T’Challa’s worst enemies.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Marvel has decided to add the Man-Ape to the upcoming Black Panther solo movie starring Chad Boseman.

The Man-Ape is one of the foes that the Black Panther faced frequently since the Wakandan hero was introduced in the comic books back in 1969.

Like the prince and wearer of the Panther suit, M’Baku is one of the strongest and most skilled warriors in Wakanda. Prior to becoming enemies, T’Challa and M’Baku were friends.

Unfortunately, M’Baku got drunk with power and attempted to overthrow his friend as the ruler of Wakanda.

M’Baku gained superhuman strength, speed, and stamina by killing a rare white gorilla. He bathed in its blood and ate its flesh and later dubbed himself as the “Man-Ape.”

In the movie, the Man-Ape will be joining the mysterious Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, to compose a band of Black Panther villains to make Prince T’Chall’s life a nightmare, EW reported.

Collider quoted Lupita Nyong’o’s description of the Black Panther plot during her talk at the July 2016 Comic Con where the film was revealed to have two villains.

“The story of this Black Panther — what I am allowed to say — is that Black Panther’s leadership has been threatened by two foes who come together, and so Black Panther gets the help of the C.I.A. and the Dora Milaje to try and defeat the enemy.”

At the time, Birth.Death.Movies speculated that Nyong’o’s character may be one of the Black Panther villains she was talking about.

“Nakia in the comics isn’t just a member of the Dora Milaje. She is a member of the Dora Milaje who is in love with T’Challa but cannot marry him, and she ends up kicked out of the security force after she tries to kill Panther’s girlfriend,” the outlet explained.

“She ends up crossing paths with none other than Killmonger, who saves her life and renames her ‘Malice.’ Under that identity she becomes a villain who uses a toxic herb that makes men obsessed with and obedient to her.”

Now, the addition of the Man-Ape to the mix clears things up. Well, almost.

The new Black Panther villain will be portrayed by Person of Interest star Winston Duke, who also made a mark in television with roles in Major Crimes and Law & Order: SVU.

A report from Variety revealed that the Man-Ape will play a significant role in the upcoming Black Panther solo film slated to hit theaters in 2018 under the direction of Creed helmer Ryan Coogler.

However, Marvel decided to keep their lips sealed on the matter to make sure that they keep the excitement for the movie running by revealing as little as possible.

Despite this, Variety got word about auditions and actor testing in recent weeks where several talents were seen, including The Get Down actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Meanwhile, Slash Film noted that “Duke is relatively new to Hollywood,” with very little experience in the film industry, making the 2018 Black Panther film his most high-profile role yet.

Marvel’s Black Panther will feature Boseman as T’Challa, the Wakandan prince who was forced to inherit the leadership of Wakanda, as well as the role of the Black Panther, after his father T’Chaka was killed in an unfortunate incident during the Captain America: Civil War movie.

The film is set to hit theaters on February 16, 2018, and will also star Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, and Danai Gurira.

[Featured Image by Marvel, Winston Duke via Twitter]

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