One Of M'Baku's Best Lines In Wakanda Forever Was Not In The Script

"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is finally in theaters, and MCU fans have spent the weekend flocking to theaters for it. The sequel to one of Marvel's most successful movies, "Wakanda Forever" is already setting records of its own, having broken records for a November opening. Set in the wake of King T'Challa's death, which mirrors the real-life death of his actor, Chadwick Boseman, the movie explores how that loss affects those who were closest to the late monarch. That means "Wakanda Forever" functions a lot like an ensemble film, despite its central character arc belonging to Shuri (Letitia Wright).

For instance, actor Winston Duke gets a lot more screen time as M'Baku, ruler of the mountain-dwelling Jabari Tribe. M'Baku's role is much expanded in "Wakanda Forever" compared to the first "Black Panther," and he's become much more connected to the rest of Wakanda, even holding sessions with the kingdom's elders. But while M'Baku may have softened a bit, he's still the intimidating wall of muscle fans know and love. Though his gruffness belies kindness and humor underneath, it's still a lot of fun to watch M'Baku towering over everyone around him and throwing his weight around. Some of the most memorable lines in the film belong to him.

In fact, Duke came up with a few of those lines himself. The actor took to Twitter to reveal at least one fan-favorite line that wasn't in the script.

In a post on Twitter, Winston Duke revealed that the moment when M'Baku, using a carrot as a pointer, calls Okoye (Danai Gurira) a "bald-headed demon" was, in fact, improvised. The line has been drawing laughter from audiences, who can hardly be faulted if they thought such a fantastic bit of dialogue must have been on the page. But as Duke explained, part of his role in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was to act as comic relief in tense situations, and that aspect of the role led him to come up with some of M'Baku's dialogue.

"The intention for [M'Baku] in this film is to serve as the vent for a pressure cooker," Duke wrote in his tweet, "& that's what influenced this improvisational gem, amongst others ..." It's true that M'Baku's slightly comedic role in the film goes a long way to diffuse the heavy sense of atmosphere hanging over the proceedings. Few other characters in "Wakanda Forever" are afforded many opportunities to express their comedic sides, so M'Baku's funniest lines help to balance out the movie's darker tones. Even if the character isn't aware he's being humorous, Duke sure is.

But Duke's tweet implies that other M'Baku dialogue across the film was also his own improvisational deviation from the script, thus raising the question: which other lines did Duke come up with? That mystery is sure to prompt at least some fans to pay extra attention to M'Baku's dialogue on a second viewing of "Wakanda Forever."

Fans of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" were astonished to learn that Winston Duke improvised his "bald-headed demon" line from the film. In response to the actor's tweet revealing that bit of behind-the-scenes lore, his replies were filled with fans who expressed how much they had loved his performance and that line in particular.

Accompanied by a reaction GIF of two women bursting out in laughter, @nikkiblaire replied, "This was improved?! Absolutely hilarious! Everyone in the theatre keekee'd!" Others were even more hyperbolic, with @CarlosFreytesJr receiving hundreds of likes for writing, "It's the single funniest line in MCU history. I can't imagine anyone was able to keep a straight face the first time you said it."

"Wakanda Forever" is likely to be far from the last time fans get to spend with M'Baku. The end of the film implies that M'Baku will take over as the new king of Wakanda, at least for the time being. Whenever the MCU returns to Wakanda, M'Baku is almost sure to be part of the package deal.