The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now playing in theaters.
One of the toughest jobs Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has is juggling its enormous cast. Director Ryan Coogler has to focus on Princess Shuri working through the grief of her brother's passing, Queen Ramonda fending off the threat of Namor, and the faces many people were speculating to take up the Black Panther mantle.
For the most part, Coogler does a great job, with Okoye getting her time to shine as a Midnight Angel and Nakia further reminding audience members of her skill in the field. Interestingly, another figure from the first film, M'Baku (Winston Duke), returns to action. He's leading the Jabari -- a strong voice in the royal council -- and, eventually, works directly in the ire of the Talokan. Unfortunately, while M'Baku elicits a lot of laughs, his character is completely squandered.
Black Panther 2's M'Baku Is Just Comedic Relief
Throughout Wakanda Forever, M'Baku has quite a few funny moments. One of these includes his munching on a carrot to remind people how he joked about being a cannibal when he's really a vegetarian. He later has a hilarious scene ridiculing Okoye's bald head and her anger issues. This is, of course, Duke improvizing and harnessing his laid-back Caribbean flair with insults that come off as tough love. Sadly, however, this is mostly what he's relegated to.
This development is in stark contrast to how M'Baku was portrayed when he was a direct foe of T'Challa, then later the savior the royals turned to when Killmonger had his coup. Apart from the jokes, M'Baku merely comes off as scared of Namor and gets one scene where the Sub-Mariner knocks the wind out of him. These are again blended with humor, making the Jabari leader a punchline when he should be a badass helping Shuri lay strategy down.
Black Panther 2 Had the Perfect Role for M'Baku
Eventually, Shuri powers up and defeats Namor, forging an uneasy alliance. She later sends M'Baku to the waterfall ritual, hinting he could take over the throne. This development would make sense had M'Baku gotten more important roles in the sequel. He could have been perfect to work with Nakia on rescuing Shuri and Riri from the Talokan. Seeing as he's hot-headed, him killing the captors would have created a powerful arc, with him feeling responsible for the war and setting up a rivalry with Attuma -- the powerhouse of the sea nation.
This would have tied into how M'Baku counseled Shuri on T'Challa's death and made it clear he'd be her big brother and protector when Ramonda fell, too. Instead, the film gives Nakia the big rescue and pushes Okoye as the main rival for Attuma when that feud didn't amount to much. She could have been used for Namora, with M'Baku, on the other hand, going at it with Attuma in a veritable clash of titans. Even in the initial mission to bring Riri over from America, M'Baku would have made sense. Instead, he just doesn't spend quality time with Shuri, coming off more style than substance. Ultimately, this detracts from their bond and makes the ending inorganic in terms of his future and the trust Shuri has in him.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now playing in theaters