Winston Duke used the sudden burst of “Black Panther” press swirling around Comic-Con to settle a question fans have asked him for years: yes, he really did make up that line himself.
The actor, who plays M’Baku, confirmed once again that his character’s memorable insult toward Danai Gurira’s Okoye in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was not written into the script. During the scene, M’Baku bursts into the Wakandan war room and trades barbs with the Dora Milaje general, capping the exchange by calling her a bald-headed demon.
Duke has said the line grew out of his approach to the character, describing M’Baku as a release valve for a film otherwise carrying heavy emotional weight following Chadwick Boseman’s death. He credited that instinct for several of M’Baku’s off-the-cuff moments, not just the one line fans quote most.
Duke’s comments arrived amid a packed weekend of Marvel press, with the actor making the rounds at San Diego Comic-Con following the studio’s announcement that David Jonsson will take over as the new Black Panther in a third film. Duke spoke about welcoming Jonsson into the franchise and described the atmosphere inside Hall H as electric, part of a Marvel Studios panel that also confirmed Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider and set a December 2028 release for “Black Panther 3.”
M’Baku has grown into one of the MCU’s most reliable scene-stealers since Duke’s debut in the original 2018 film, later appearing in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” before his expanded role in “Wakanda Forever.” That 2022 sequel ended with M’Baku positioned as a serious contender for the Wakandan throne, a thread Duke has said he’s eager to see the franchise pick back up. With Jonsson stepping into the title role for the next chapter, how M’Baku factors into Wakanda’s future remains one of the bigger open questions heading into production.
Duke’s talent for improvisation has become part of his identity within the franchise, giving him a reputation among fans and castmates alike for finding moments the script didn’t anticipate.
