Outside of Ryan Coogler being confirmed as the movie's returning writer and director, little is known about Black Panther 2. Sometimes with films of this caliber, the actors know what will happen but have been sworn to secrecy. During an interview with Screen Rant, Black Panther star Winston Duke admitted the cast is in the dark about the direction of the sequel, but he feels his character has enough depth to become the perfect opponent for T’Challa.
"[M’Baku] is a hero, but he has so much going on. I think what makes a really great villain is that they have the power of seeing things their own way, and they can define their own circumstances," Winston Duke said when explaining why his character would be a perfect Marvel villain.
As the head of the renegade Jabari Tribe, M’Baku does not look to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa as his leader. This creates tension between the two which was alluded to in the first film. Despite this, they formed an alliance in order to rid Wakanda of Killmonger, then to face Thanos (twice). This ability to be both friend and foe is a dynamic explored in other MCU films. Duke points to this and M'Baku's sovereign nature when making his case.
"And that’s what’s really cool about all the MCU villains so far as well. Loki always sees things his own way, and he chooses when he’s going to be an ally or an antagonist," Duke continued. "Thanos always had the power of self-definition. That’s his greatest strength. It wasn’t the rings, it wasn’t his superpower or the fighting. It’s that he made his mind up and said, 'This is how I define justice.' Because he wasn’t a bad guy; he’s just a dude who was seeking ultimate justice and balance. That’s not bad. But he defined it himself, and all the really great villains that Marvel interrogates always have that ability, so they can go anywhere."
Although he makes some strong points, it will be hard to convince fans that an M'Baku/T'Challa battle is worthy of its own film. Still, there is plenty of time for Coogler to spice up the possible match up as Black Panther 2 isn't expected to hit the big screen until May 2022.
