One of the stars of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has revealed the identity of the new King of Wakanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The closing moments of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hinted that M’Baku is now the King of Wakanda, something that’s been oficially confirmed by Winston Duke, the actor who plays the fan-favorite character. As seen in the movie, Letitia Wright’s Shuri seemingly made the decision to step away from the throne despite the fact that she is now the Black Panther.
“Yeah, it’s kind of cool to be revealed as the King of Wakanda at the end of the movie,” Duke told Esquire. “That’s huge. So whatever that entails, it’s gonna be a fun one.”
M’Baku is the fifth on-screen ruler of Wakanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following in the footsteps of T’Chaka, T’Challa, Killmonger and Ramonda. The character was at one point rumored to take over the mantle of Black Panther following the death of T’Challa actor Chadwick Boseman, but that obviously didn’t end up happening.
“You know, I love the support that I’ve gotten from the fans,” the actor added. “I think the strength of Black Panther has always been the ensemble. It’s always been [that] Black Panther [has] had to lean on everyone around him. Whether M’Baku’s the next anything, it’s still gonna be a great ensemble piece.”
Disney’s official synopsis for the film reads as follows: “In Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.”
Directed by Ryan Coogler from a script he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole, Wakanda Forever stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman and Angela Bassett.
