M'Baku, the Man-Ape
M'Baku, the
Man-Ape, was one of T'Challa's best friends. So good in fact that
while Black Panther was off being an Avenger M'Baku was put in
charge of Wakanda. Apparantly the power went to his head. M'Baku
gained superhuman strength from eating the blood and flesh of the
sacred white gorilla, and waited to beat Panther and win
leadership of Wakanda.
Avengers #62- T'Challa, the Black Panther,
returns to Wakanda with fellow Avengers Hawkeye, Vision, and the
Black Knight. Panther stays in the ship for a moment while the
others get out. They are trapped inside a plexigalss cage that
Vision breaks. The guards fire, but harm nothing as Vision
increases his hardness. T'Challa comes out and asks what the
meaning of this is. T'Challa reminds them that they were not to
use their weapons except by royal order. The guards say that the
royal order was given by M'Baku. A guard informs M'Baku that
T'Challa has returned. M'Baku feigns relief to be relieved of the
burden of leadership, but whispers to his friend N'Gamo to make
the "necessary preparations". At dinner M'Baku explains
away the trigger-happy guards by saying that he had heard Klaw
was about. M'Baku proposes a toast, but the wine is drugged and
even the Vision goes unconscious. M'Baku tells N'Gamo to prepare
the final phase. When Black Panther awakens M'Baku is 
wearing the forbidden guise of the white gorilla. M'Baku
tells T'Challa that he is going to destroy the image of the Black
Panther, and replace it with the newly carved statue of the white
gorilla. M'Baku swings and purposely misses T'Challa to smash a
tree in two. T'Challa jumps onto M'Baku's face, but M'Baku grabs
him by the feet and neck and holds him above his head. M'Baku
throws him, but T'Challa catches a tree and stops his flight. As
T'Challa drops to the ground M'Baku hits him in the stomach
knocking him over. Two servants root T'Challa on. M'Baku lifts
them into the air and knocks their heads together. M'Baku uproots
a tree and throws it at T'Challa, but Panther dodges it. Panther
thinks that taking the fight into his darkened control center
will push the fight to his advantage. With one punch M'Baku
knocks down the stone door. M'Baku mentions that like the herbs
that gave Black Panther his superhuman reflexes, M'Baku was
enhanced by the blood and meat of the fabled white gorilla.
Panther lands on Man-Ape. Panther goes thinking him defeated, but
as he goes Man-Ape traps him in the room, and turns the lights
on. Man-Ape begins hurling machinery at Panther. When Panther
dodges and land Man-Ape opens a trap door below him that drops
Panther to an atomic fire. Panther catches himself so Man-Ape
comes down to finish him. Panther nearly knocks Man-Ape off the
machine, but decides to pull him up for the sake of their dead
friendship. Man-Ape pulls an electrical wire as he comes, and
knocks Panther out with the charge. When Panther awakens he is
bound before the giant Panther statue. M'Baku plans to push it
over, but instead it collapses on him killing him…right.
Avengers #78
- Captain America lands on the roof answering the
Avengers' call, but it wasn't the Avengers that called him but
Man-Ape. Man-Ape pounds on Cap. As Man-Ape throws Cap off the
roof the other Avengers come out on the roof. Vision catches Cap.
Goliath hits Man-Ape in the back of the head staggering him.
N'Gamo drops a metal handle onto Goliath's head from a ship
above. M'Baku hits Goliath and grabs the handle to escape. After
the Panther takes his leave of Monica Lynne to report to the
Avengers Man-Ape breaks through her wall and kidnaps her. When
Panther learns Man-Ape is alive he figures N'Gamo must have used
herbs to resuscitate him after carrying his dead body off. Just
then M'Baku's face comes on the Avengers' monitor. Man-Ape shows
them Monica and calls out Panther alone. Panther flies to the
Wakandan ship. Panther knocks Man-Ape down, but when he goes to
check on Monica he sees it is only a mannequin. The mannequin
explodes knocking Panther out. Man-Ape calls the Avengers again
to gloat. Man-Ape carries a chained Panther while N'Gamo carries
Monica. Man-Ape throws Panther down, and when he looks up he sees
Living Laser, Power Man, Swordsman, and the Grim Reaper. Together
with Man-Ape they are the Lethal Legion.
Avengers #79-
Vision goes, in his human mask, to T'Challa's school to
tell them he won't be teaching today. M'Baku attends the Lethal
Legion's meeting. M'Baku is upset because Grim Reaper made him
wait to kill Panther until all the Avengers are captured. Reaper
allows the Panther to believe he is calling the Avengers, but he
only used him to lure them into his trap. Man-Ape and Living
Laser are sent to where Captain America and Quicksilver are
coming from. M'Baku shreds the stairs they walk down. Power Man
and Swordsman defeat Goliath and Scarlet Witch. Living Laser
beats Quicksilver. Man-Ape knocks Cap out by knocking him down
with water pressure. Grim Reaper delights in the Avengers, his
brother's murderers, being held in an hourglass and gassed. Power
Man returns from Avengers mansion with an unconscious Vision, and
files on the Avengers. Reaper looks at Vision's file and sees
that the android possesses Simon William's' brain pattern. Reaper
smashes open the hourglass. Man-Ape hears "Vision' talking
and realizes that it wasn't Vision in the hourglass. Vision
reveals that he really defeated Power Man and was in disguise as
him. Vision defeats Swordsman, Captain America knocks out M'Baku,
Quicksilver beats Laser, and Panther knocks out Grim Reaper.
West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #1- As part of Grim Reaper's group M'Baku and Ultron go to free Goliath and capture Wonder Man. The compound alarm goes off. While the others in the team go to investigate Tigra remains with Goliath. M'Baku arrives to break out Erik Josten. Tigra holds her own against Man-Ape until Ultron knocks her out from behind. Having seen Hank Pym Ultron tells M'Baku that he and Goliath must deal with Wonder Man. M'Baku protests, but Ultron just blasts him one. Goliath, M'Baku, and Ultron take on the West Coast Avengers. M'Baku trips Wonder Man and Goliath knocks him out. Ultron blasts Hawkeye and Mockingbird. Goliath grabs Wonder Man and M'Baku. Ultron with Hank Pym over his shoulder and picks up Goliath and flies away.
West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #2- M'Baku listens as Grim Reaper tells Wonder Man his plan to make a new Simon Williams. Ultron goes to capture Vision. When Wonder Man awakens M'Baku comes in to inform Reaper. Reaper yells at M'Baku calling him stupid and racial slurs. M'Baku storms out to talk to Black Talon saying he can no longer work for a racist.
Vision and Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #2- M'Baku stands with the group as Reaper gloats. Ultron has captured the entire West Coast Avengers save Mockingbird. When they go to take Wonder Man's mind Wonder Man attacks Reaper. Mockingbird shows and releases the team. M'Baku and Black Talon abandons reaper for his racist remarks.
Fantastic Four #336- At a congressional hearing to see if super-humans should be required to register with the government a small purple machine keeps calling lower grade super-villains to the courtroom. Ben Grimm, Sharon in her She-Thing form, and the Human Torch go to deal with them. M'Baku is seen passed out presumably beaten by Torch or She-Thing. He is later seen being arrested.
Some Avengers book- I don't know it yet, but M'Baku sits in jail because of a failed fight against the Avengers.
Wonder Man #24- Lotus recruits Black Talon to stand with Mephisto's side against Blackheart's demon- Wonder Man. Talon calls out to M'Baku while he sits in jail. Black Talon uses his voodoo to give M'Baku added strength. M'Baku rips the wall apart and leaps out to join Black Talon. Later the Black Talon brings Goliath and M'Baku to "Zemo, Enchantress, and Executioner". He suggests they reform the Masters of Evil.
Wonder Man #25- M'Baku, Goliath, Black Talon, Enchantress, Executioner, and Baron Zemo storm in on Wonder Man, Beast, and Gloria. M'Baku says he wasn't told he would be fighting Beast. Beast leapfrogs M'Baku. Beast then reaches behind him to grab M'Baku under the arms, and then brings him forward and smashes his head against the ground. When M'Baku wakes up he sees Blackheart, Grim Reaper, and Reaper and Wonder Man's parents. He sees Reaper and knows that he has been used. He says that he was never going to get to kill Wonder Man, and that Mephisto was always going to take him.
Thunderbolts #33- flashback- Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil find their new headquarters.
Black Panther vol. 3 #32- Ramonda, Black Panther’s mother, and Chante are flying from Wakanda to New York at T’Challa’s summons. He is worried about his loved ones, as Malice is killing or hurting the women in his life one by one. Chante hears something loose in the cargo bay and heads back to see what is thumping. Elsewhere Omoro and Wakandan soldiers are freeing T’Challa from Malice’s restraints. Omoro shows T’Challa another little problem they are having. He shows him a totem of the white gorilla clan. He says that this was hung on the corpse of T’Challa’s cousin that they found stuffed in a water heater. Chante finally opens the door and is struck down by M’Baku. M’Baku also knocks out Ramonda. He turns the autopilot off. Inside Talon-2 M’Baku shoots down the other two jets that were escorting them. He starts to land the plane. Later Chante wakes up from what she thought was a nightmare. M’Baku grabs her in one hand and says that it is a nightmare and that it is just beginning.
Black Panther vol. 3 #33- M’Baku holds Queen in his hand. He says that there will be a new dawning in Wakanda, and that it will begin there in the Crystal Forest. He says that Malice got him out of prison in exchange for the deaths of T’Chaka’s alien wife and her bodyguard. He says that after that it will be the day of the Man-Ape, and blood will flow in the streets. Chante gets free by kicking M’Baku with her vibranium soled boots. She runs off, but comes face to face will dozens from the White Gorilla clan. N’Gamo, M’Baku’s faithful assistant, rushes to his side and asks if he is injured. M’Baku says that only his pride is injured. He says that it doesn’t matter as she is going to be dead in a few minutes. N’Gamo says that he can’t do that. M’Baku says that he is the Man-Ape, chieftain of the White Gorilla clan, but N’Gamo interrupts and says that she is not to be touched as she is “the one”. N’Gamo says that Chante is Okoye of the J’Kuwau tribe. She is their queen. Chante is running and she falls off the crystal limbs. The people from the White Gorilla clan catch her. M’Baku approaches. Instead of attacking her Man-Ape bows down before her. All of the people from the clan begin to bow as well.
Black Panther vol. 3 #48
Black Panther vol. 3 #49
RETURN TO BLACK PANTHER VILLAINS
