A young fan posted a pitch-perfect "M'Baku Challenge" video to celebrate Black Panther. The new viral social media trend arose from one of the most memorable scenes in a movie full of them. The impassioned speech by M'Baku (Winston Duke) in his challenge to the throne of T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) introduced one of the movie's most indelible characters and lent plenty of nuance to both sides of the conflicts within Wakanda.
The early scene established a lot about both M'Baku and T'Challa, and set the stage for the former's eventual redemption by the end of the movie. Duke's performance as M'Baku is one of the clear highlights of Black Panther, and the character has obviously resonated with fans. His introductory scene gave rise to the "M'Baku Challenge", in which people reenact the scene as accurately as they can with their best M'Baku impression - with hilariously entertaining results. And now, a young fan has delivered perhaps the best challenge video yet.
Related: M'Baku is Black Panther's Best Character
Watch below for this young boy's rendition of the M'Baku Challenge scene, via "badgyalbribri" on Instagram. He portrays his version of not just M'Baku but T'Challa and a fully done-up Zuri (Forest Whitaker) with the kind of youthful fervor you can only get from an impressionable young fan. Like most of the other challenge videos, he recites almost every line from the scene word-for-word, complete with accurate accents.
I mean just in case y’all need a stunt double for the next movie...just giving y’all options #mbakuchallenge #blackpanther #wakandaforever #mbaku #winstonduke #chadwickboseman #wakanda #teamjordy #wewillnothaveit #oscars2018 #blackboyjoy #africa #themotherland #tchalla #nakia #okoye #shuri #wkabi #zuri #marvel #marvelcomics #blackpanthermovie #ryancoogler #wakandababy #share #iamtchalla @chadwickboseman @winstoncduke @danielkaluuya @lupitanyongo @letitiawright @michaelbjordan @im.angelabassett @danaigurira @jordanpeele @trevornoah @marvel A post shared by Brittnilutherqueenjr (@badgyalbribri) on
The M'Baku Challenge caught fire in recent weeks with fans winning the internet with their own unique performances of the scene, often with uncanny impressions of M'Baku in particular. The M'Baku Challenge became so popular that Duke himself took notice of it. As of now, there's no ancillary component to the challenge other than going viral and entertaining people.
Black Panther has not been without its own charitable causes, however, such as the "Black Panther Challenge" joined by Lupita N'yongo to help schoolchildren in Kenya see the movie. The M'Baku Challenge may not be that kind of movement right now, but it's certainly helping to raise more awareness for the movie as it continues to climb the box office ranks and even garner early awards buzz. It's the latest example of the movie's profound effect on its audience, and the influence of Duke's performance as M'Baku in particular.
It's unclear whether Erik Killmonger, another unforgettable character, will be just a one-off villain in the Black Panther franchise. But fans can already be excited to know that M'Baku is set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War's Wakanda-based scenes. It's clear that, based on this viral challenge, fans young and old will be eagerly anticipating the character's next appearance.
Next: M'Baku Should Be The Main Villain Of Black Panther 2
Source: "Badgyalbribri" on Instagram
