One Black Panther 2 M'Baku Joke Was Improvised By Star

Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

After already being a comedic highlight of the original film, Winston Duke reveals one Black Panther: Wakanda Forever M'Baku joke was improvised. Duke returned for the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel as the leader of the Jabari tribe, now further involved in the main workings of Wakanda following the events of the previous Black Panther movie and both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Duke's M'Baku and the rest of the country find themselves in disarray in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever following the sudden loss of Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa, keeping true to real-life events, but after taking a year of mourning, the nation comes under attack by Namor and the underwater civilization of the Talokan.

On the heels of the film's long-awaited release, Winston Duke took to Twitter to offer some behind-the-scenes insight for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The star specifically explained the motivations behind his character in the film, which in turn led to one of his favorite improvised jokes in the MCU sequel. See what Duke shared below:

How Black Panther 2 Balances M'Baku's Growth With Humor

Winston Duke as M'Baku in Black Panther Wakanda Forever

In his MCU debut, M'Baku quickly garnered a reputation among audiences for his hot-headed and brutish nature, nearly serving as an antagonist all on his own in the original Black Panther movie as he challenged T'Challa for the throne and nearly defeated Boseman's hero in ritual combat. Viewers did get a glimpse of the character's better nature in the film, however, as he eventually took to taking in Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda, Letitia Wright's Shuri, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia and Martin Freeman's CIA Agent Ross following Killmonger's successful claim to the throne and seeming killing of T'Challa. He also had been keeping a comatose T'Challa safe after a local fisherman found him in the river, and later led his Jabari troops to support the Black Panther in his quest to take back the throne from Michael B. Jordan's true antagonist.

After only getting a brief appearance in the last two Avengers movies, M'Baku returns to a more substantial supporting role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which many have hailed does a great job to continue the character's growth seen in the latter half of the original movie. While still retaining many of the same brutish behavior as before, including his outlandish insult hurled at Danai Gurira's Okoye, M'Baku also shows a far more diplomatic and empathetic side to him throughout the MCU sequel, eager to help Wakanda move on, while also understanding some take longer to process grief than others. With many other MCU projects receiving criticisms for their supporting characters only seeing miniscule growth across projects, it's been a welcome change for audiences to see M'Baku get to be both hilarious and more of a team player for his home country.

Though M'Baku's growth may not have been enough to elevate Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to the same critical heights as its predecessor, the character development seen in the MCU sequel has largely been hailed as one of the film's highlights. This positive reception still helped launch the film to a major start at the box office, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever setting the record for the highest-grossing domestic November opening ever with an estimated $180 million haul. Audiences can catch up with M'Baku's latest chapter in the MCU with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever now in theaters.

Next: Is [SPOILER] King Of Wakanda At The End Of Black Panther 2?Source: Winston Duke/Twitter