Favorite Characters: M’Baku (Black Panther)

I remember the skepticism when it was first announced that M’Baku would be featured in Black Panther.  Better known by his comic book moniker Man Ape, it’s needless to say that some had their doubts such an uncomfortable character had a place in the film.  But the creative team (including Winston Duke, who plays M’Baku) rose to the challenge.  M’Baku doesn’t bring the film down in the slightest – on the contrary, he’s a fan favorite and frequent scene-stealer.  Not bad at all for a character that elicited horror/disgust from some fans when they found out he was going to be in it (some spoilers.)

Like Doctor Strange’s Ancient One, “Man Ape” is a remnant of the racism much more openly accepted in a previous era and problematic as hell.  When faced with a racist stereotype, Doctor Strange decided to sidestep the situation by casting a white woman as the Ancient One, erasing potential Asian representation in the film as they threw the baby out with the racist bathwater.  Black Panther takes a different approach, reimagining M’Bake in a respectful way.

While most tribes in Wakanda worship the panther goddess Bast, M’Baku’s Jabari worship Hanuman, a god who takes the shape of a gorilla.  The Jabari wear animal skins as part of their dress (iconic and practical – they live in the mountains where it’s cold,) gorilla carvings adorn their architecture, and M’Baku wears a gorilla mask (much like T’Challa wears a panther mask) during a tribal ceremony.  Certainly, the film doesn’t shy away from the gorilla imagery; the Jabari revel in it, and they use their hooting tribal chant to disquiet their potential foes.

M’Baku and the Jabari revere their gorilla god, but they’re not gorillas.  M’Baku is a formidable fighter who relies on his size and brute force to intimidate – he knows how to make himself “scary” – but he’s also a savvy leader.  While he’s genuinely dangerous, he also knows how to play into people’s ideas of the Jabari to project the idea of being dangerous.  He knows how to use that to throw people off balance, turning it on and off to keep potential enemies guessing; threatening to feed Everett Ross to his children, then cheekily confessing that they’re vegetarians, is a great example of this.

There’s no question that M’Baku has the brawn and physicality to back up his threats when he has to.  That said, he’s shrewd enough to know he doesn’t always have to.  He’s a plain-spoken leader who looks out for the interests of his people; he’s not apt to risk their lives for the concerns of other tribes, but he can be persuaded to get involved if he’s convinced that it’s for the protection of the Jabari as well.  He’s proud and ambitious, eyeing Wakanda’s throne on the day of T’Challa’s coronation, but while he fights hard for the throne, he respects the rules of ceremonial combat and doesn’t cheat.  When T’Challa is presumed dead and Nakia offers M’Baku the power of the Black Panther in exchange for an alliance against Killmonger, M’Baku proves himself honorable, admitting that the Jabari found T’Challa clinging to life instead of taking the heart-shaped herb for himself.

Also?  He has a wicked sense of humor (see above, re:  Everett Ross.)  This maybe isn’t a must-have for a tribal leader, but for a Marvel hero’s frenemy, it’s a major asset.  Can’t wait to see more of M’Baku and the Jabari in future installments.