Avengers: Doomsday Spotlights, Part 20—M’Baku

When T’Challa inherited the mantle of king and Black Panther in 2018, M’Baku was the first one to challenge him for the throne in ritual combat. T’Challa bested the leader of the self-exiled Jabari Tribe, convincing him to surrender so he wouldn’t be forced to rob his people of their leader. And if that were the last scene with M’Baku, fans would’ve dismissed him as another man vying for the throne and forgotten about him. However, M’Baku returned the favor by rescuing a dying T’Challa, helping in the fight against Killmonger, and even finally joining the council of Wakandan tribe leaders in “Wakanda Forever.” In the end, M’Baku cemented his reputation as an occasional comedic relief (with iconic lines such as “you bald-headed demon”) and an honorable man. 

Origins

His comic book counterpart, on the other hand, is far from honorable. It all started when the Jabari Tribe, appalled at the other Wakandan tribes’ reliance on technology and Vibranium, not only isolated themselves but also chose to practice the outlawed worship of Ghekre (originally known as Gullah), the white gorilla god. If that wasn’t bad enough, they’ve also tried to conquer Wakanda. But the attempt ended in disaster, and T’Challa (who had just become king) essentially exiled and persecuted the tribe. But despite his best efforts to eradicate them, the Jabari regrouped and formed their own kingdom in a frozen, crystalline forest. And from the ashes of their defeat, fueled by a vendetta against the Panther, M’Baku would rise to power and lead the tribe. 

From there, M’Baku’s true story—as well as his warpath against the Black Panther—would begin. First, he gained T’Challa’s trust despite the Jabari’s infamous reputation, and even rose to become the leader of Wakanda’s Warrior Command. With his trust in an unexpected “ally” and “friend,” T’Challa left Wakanda mostly in his hands while he went to study overseas. Almost immediately after his departure, M’Baku began the next phase of his plan by secretly hunting and killing one of the rare white gorillas in the Crystal Forest. With neither the Wakandans nor even his own tribe’s knowledge, M’Baku ate the white gorilla’s flesh and wore its hide (calling himself the Man-Ape), gaining inhuman strength, agility, and endurance. Eventually, T’Challa would officially become the next Black Panther and join the Avengers, once again leaving M’Baku as the acting ruler in his stead. But during his absence, M’Baku secretly promoted worship of Ghekre amongst some areas of Wakanda, and decreed that outsiders unfortunate enough to wander into their borders be killed on the spot. 

But this was only the tip of the iceberg. M’Baku would finally snap when T’Challa declared that Wakanda would join the United Nations, provoking M’Baku to send aides and assassins to kill him. Not only would this attempt fail, but somehow, no one found out about M’Baku’s treachery. The Man-Ape’s luck would wear out, though, after making his second attempt on the Panther’s life. This would occur when T’Challa brought some of his Avengers teammates (Hawkeye, Vision, and Black Knight) to Wakanda, and M’Baku held a feast in their honor. However, he drugs and captures all of the heroes, finally revealing his evil intentions to T’Challa. Regardless, the Panther broke out of his imprisonment and brutally fought Man-Ape across Wakanda until the pair came across an atomic energy pit (which powers the nation). During the fight, M’Baku almost falls in, but T’Challa saves him at the last moment. To repay his enemy for showing such mercy, M’Baku knocked him out and tied him to an altar underneath a Panther statue, which he planned to crush T’Challa with. This, too, would end in humiliation and disaster. Vision freed the other Avengers and rescued T’Challa, while the statue M’Baku planned to use crumbled and fell on top of him instead. 

M’Baku would be presumed dead, but one of his loyalists found him barely alive and smuggled him to the United States. From there, M’Baku hired himself out as a mercenary while he amassed wealth and power to take down T’Challa once and for all. This lifestyle led him to ally with many villains and groups—from the Masters of Evil to even Dr. Doom himself—and to fight many other heroes besides Black Panther—from the Avengers to the Fantastic Four and even the Heroes for Hire. Eventually, his deeds would catch up to him, and M’Baku would finally die in an unspecified manner. But this would not be the end of the Jabari leader’s story. A former associate and ally, Baron Macabre (a villainous scientist and mystic who plans to combine the two practices to conquer Wakanda), resurrected him and greatly enhanced his powers to finally best T’Challa. But once again, T’Challa and his allies defeated the Man-Ape. Because of his failure, Macabre took back the enhanced powers and broke off their alliance. Regardless, Man-Ape’s fiery warpath against Black Panther and Wakanda itself has not been extinguished, and most likely never will. 

Powers, Abilities, and Weaknesses

As mentioned previously, eating the white gorilla’s flesh granted M’Baku many of its attributes. For instance, to mimic a gorilla’s thick skin and bone density, M’Baku has been modified to withstand heavy punishment. While nowhere near as endurable as most of Marvel’s other heavy hitters, the enhanced endurance from the ritual allows him to trade blows with the Thing or (to an extremely lesser extent) the Hulk. If nothing else, the endurance helps shield bones and vital organs so he can survive such brutal encounters. But of course, M’Baku is more than just a tank. What sets him apart from other tanks is that he is surprisingly agile for his size, just like gorillas naturally are. Thanks to his warrior upbringing and training, M’Baku can combine that with impossible maneuvers, quick reaction times, and combat styles. This would explain how he became such a formidable and fierce opponent for Black Panther, and also how he can keep up with many of Marvel’s greatest hand-to-hand fighters like Captain America. However, the most terrifying part of M’Baku’s powers is his enhanced strength. Not only did he inherit it from the white gorilla, but he also exceeded it. For scale, a gorilla can generally lift a maximum of two tons, but marvel.com records M’Baku as capable of lifting ten tons! Again, nowhere near as strong as the other heavy hitters, but strong enough to lift objects twice his body weight, punch through walls, and, of course, punch opponents outside his weight class (like Thing or Hulk) with no recoil damage. M’Baku may not be an actual gorilla, but such frightening attributes might as well make him a literal Man-Ape. 

However, these aren’t where M’Baku’s true strengths lie. Unlike most tanks or brutes within the Marvel universe, M’Baku possesses two rare traits: the discipline of a true warrior and the mind of a leader. After all, M’Baku didn’t inherit the mantle of tribe leader from his father or anything like that. Instead, he trained extensively and clawed his way to the top, even killing an actual gorilla—a creature strong enough to break bones with one swipe—to prove his point. In fact, M’Baku’s fighting skills were so great that he was not only noticed by the king of Wakanda—who is one of Marvel’s greatest physical fighters—but also got him appointed as the head of Wakanda’s warrior command. Personally, I find the ability to become a skilled fighter is already impressive enough. But becoming a fighter who can take down a massive ape, be recognized and promoted by an elite warrior king, and go toe-to-toe with superheroes is truly worthy of recognition. It’s especially noteworthy when you combine these skills with the tactical mind that directs them. Again, he became the leader of his tribe, but he wasn’t a brutish, incompetent one. Uniting a people is hard enough, especially when they’re scattered and divided. Even though many Jabari leaders have accomplished this, M’Baku not only kept them united but helped them flourish under heavy persecution. In fact, after becoming the “temporary ruler” of Wakanda after T’Challa left, he gave room for his White Gorilla Cult to grow under everyone’s noses. And whether M’Baku sought T’Challa’s head in secret or in public, he effectively controlled the battlefield. He inspired loyalty and fierce determination among his followers, traits few leaders genuinely possess. Overall, M’Baku isn’t a typical strong man; he’s a strong leader and warrior. The additional powers merely unlocked what was already inside him. 

But, as much as I hate to repeat myself in this series, M’Baku’s greatest flaw is himself. For starters, consider his overwhelmingly massive ambition. Throughout his life, M’Baku has become completely obsessed with conquering Wakanda, besting Black Panther, and restoring/promoting the White Gorilla Cult. These single-minded pursuits not only land M’Baku in bloody conflicts with Wakanda and well-known superhero groups, but during these conflicts, they cause him to abandon all sense of logic and recklessly push forward without concern for consequences. But of course, overgrown ambitions would be nothing without an equal amount of pride fueling them, and M’Baku possesses a surplus of it. It’s that need to prove superiority that blinds him, drives him to fight a losing battle, and got him exiled from Wakanda.  In fact, it’s because of this pride that he constantly rejected technology. Of course, technology itself doesn’t make the hero or villain. But it certainly would help if you’re fighting the most technologically advanced nation on the planet, or at least give yourself an extra boost to get a better chance of fighting the Hulk or Thor. Instead, he inherited and fully embraced the Jabari’s revulsion to it, leaving him constantly outmatched by opponents with superior tech and strategies. Also, being an isolationist like his people, he often refuses help even from other villain teams, which further increases his chances of being outmatched. Pride is one of the greatest causes of failure, and M’Baku is a prime example. 

Greatest Feats

Even so, M’Baku is a villain who should absolutely not be underestimated. Despite his pride and recklessness, he can execute the most dastardly plans when he sets his mind to it. For instance, shortly after being smuggled out of Wakanda the first time, he joined a team of supervillains known as the Lethal Legion (Grim Reaper, Living Laser, Power Man—Erik Josten, and Swordsman). All of them were united under one goal: destroy the Avengers. Therefore, after a failed attempt to destroy Captain America, M’Baku tried a different—and more personal—approach to conquering the heroes. Targeting Black Panther this time, M’Baku kidnapped T’Challa’s lover, Monica Lynne. Luckily for the Man-Ape, T’Challa quickly sprung the trap as he attempted to rescue her, leading to another brutal battle with M’Baku. Unlike their previous encounter, however, M’Baku finally defeated his greatest rival all by himself. Also, none of the other Avengers arrived to interrupt their duel. Shortly afterwards, when M’Baku fought against the remaining Avengers with his teammates, he also finally defeated Captain America in a one-on-one fight. The mission was a complete success, as the villains captured the heroes and prepared to kill them. However, everything changed when Grim Reaper realized that Vision was created using the brain patterns of Wonder Man, GR’s (at this point) deceased brother. With the synthezoid essentially serving as the last link to his dear brother, GR freed the heroes, which gave them the chance to crush the supervillains, including M’Baku. Nevertheless, he accomplished something that few villains ever could. He bested Black Panther, one of Marvel’s greatest fighters who previously knocked M’Baku all the way across Wakanda. Not only this, but he also bested a super-soldier in peak condition, who has fought everything from WWII to cosmic threats. Further, he bested both of them essentially during his first week as a full-fledged supervillain. Many villains can become a challenge when they first start in their careers, but fewer can claim victory over a chosen hero, much less two iconic members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. 

But sometimes, the greatest accomplishments don’t include fighting a great battle or conquering an enemy. That’s what makes this next feat so iconic, especially for M’Baku’s character. In this particular case, M’Baku once discovered that there was actually another person with a legitimate claim to the Jabari throne. This was possible because, back when the Jabari were persecuted and scattered, a former Jabari leader fled to the States with his wife and had a daughter in Chicago: Ce’athauna Asira Davin—or her American name, Chanté Giovanni Brown. T’Challa eventually found and recruited Chanté to join the Dora Milaje, although she was never made aware of her heritage. M’Baku wasn’t aware of her heritage either, which is why it was easier for him to hijack a ship they were on and abduct them. However, shortly after bringing them back into their crystalline home, he discovered the truth about her. Normally, you’d think that M’Baku would reject the truth, challenge her for the claim, or even just kill her to keep his rulership, given the red in his ledger. Instead, he bows to the ground and swears undying fidelity to her. This would end up saving M’Baku’s life multiple times after this, because on the same day, a fierce battle broke out and M’Baku would be captured. But Chanté, after finally learning of her heritage, negotiated his release. Despite his oath, though, M’Baku lashed out and almost caused another war between the Wakandans and Jabari. However, through desperate attempts, Chanté managed to convince both sides to stand down. Despite this slip-up, it should be duly noted that even the prideful, reckless Man-Ape submitted to someone else not just once, but twice. This shows that, behind all the war, personal vendettas, and isolationist traditions, M’Baku is not without honor. Not that it excuses what he’s done, but this moment actually makes him somewhat respectable and even redeemable.

But unfortunately, not everything is as it seems. Even while he humbled himself and followed the leadership of an outsider with claims to the throne, there was a lot more going on underneath the surface. Just before abducting T’Challa and Chanté, M’Baku went back to the Crystal Forest to make the necessary preparations. However, he stumbled across a shocking secret hidden deep within the forest: a stasis pod containing the frozen body of an alternate dimension’s future Black Panther (from Earth-1145). It turns out that our Black Panther stored him here because he wanted to stabilize 1145 (also known as “Happy Pants” Panther because of his overly joyous outlook and disposition)’s lethal aneurysm until he could figure out a cure for him, but also desiring to keep Happy Pants’ existence a secret. Planning to take advantage of this discovery, M’Baku took the pod back to the Gorilla Palace. After swearing fidelity to Chanté and the preceding lost battle, M’Baku refused to lose without getting the last laugh. Therefore, he revealed the future panther’s existence to everyone present. Thankfully for T’Challa, that’s as far as the revelation went, but the political embarrassment and damage were already done. But M’Baku still wasn’t finished yet. When Chanté secured his release, M’Baku immediately went after the now re-secured Happy Pants within T’Challa’s palace and destroyed the pod’s life support system, which killed the panther inside. This would be what enraged T’Challa and the other tribes to go to war against the Jabari once again, and T’Challa would even wound Chanté after begging him to reconsider, which only fueled the Jabari’s anger. If Chanté hadn’t convinced both sides to stand down when she finally could, the results would’ve been devastating. Regardless, M’Baku did more damage than a war ever could. He exposed a closely guarded secret of T’Challa, then proceeded to kill the figure in the center of that secret. Not only did this undermine T’Challa’s authority, but in a way, M’Baku did kill his rival. Either way, this was a low blow, even for someone like M’Baku. 

Conclusion

M’Baku may have some honor in the comics, but he completely pales in contrast to his MCU counterpart. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked how differently they portrayed what should’ve been an iconic Black Panther villain, but now I think I prefer this version over the reckless and prideful one. In any case, it’ll be interesting to see what Winston Duke’s role will be in “Avengers: Doomsday.” After all, we saw him and Shuri walk up to Ben Grimm in the teaser trailer, which has to mean Wakanda will play some big part in this endeavor. If Wakanda fought against Thanos’s forces in “Infinity War,” who’s to say that M’Baku and Shuri won’t lead them against those of Doom?