Summary
After starring inBlack Pantherand its sequel under the banner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one Hollywood star is ready to work with the competition, and they’re gunning for the biggest role that the DCU has to offer.
Black Pantherwas one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most successful films, launching the character into the franchise limelight and serving as a fitting cultural milestone for the talented Chadwick Boseman before his unfortunate and untimely passing in 2020. Aside from its main character, the film would also showcase a lot of stellar performances from the cast, withvery few being as well-received as Winston Duke’s M’Baku, a fan-favorite character in the film. In addition to starring in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Duke’s character also starred in the sequel filmBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever,all to fan acclaim.
WhileDuke was interested in a M’Baku spin-off post-Wakanda Foreverand fans were totally behind that, the star seems to have his eyes on another potential role, this time working with the MCU’s main competition at DC Studios. As reported bySlashFilm, Duke admitted in an interview with the platform thathe would love to take on the role of DC’s Caped Crusader, Batman, in a live-action project. “Listen, man, can you start that [campaign]?” Duke said with a laugh in response to the idea of taking on the role. “I would say I challenge you to get on all these socials and push for me. Get your community. I would love to. I would love to do that as Batman. I’d love any opportunity to explore new characters, to change narratives around some of these entrenched ideas of how these characters are supposed to look, sound, and perform. I’m all for it.”
This appeal came in response to mention of the upcoming DCU projectBatman: The Brave and the Bold,theDCU’s Batman reboot controversially left in Andy Muschiletti’s hands, in the course of the interview. While Batman is easily the most important DC character for any shared universe (arguably alongside The Flash),the DCU has yet to cast the role, and Duke seems to be throwing his hat in the ring. As noted during the interview, the star has already portrayed the Caped Crusader onBatman Unburied,an audio podcast drama that’s been renewed for a second season after a successful first run with Duke in the lead role. While Duke has been busy withThe Fall Guy(the press day of which the interview happened on), he’s certainly liable to make room in his schedule if James Gunn comes knocking.
While it would certainly be interesting for Duke to take on the role of Bruce Wayne, there are a few issues with this, most prominently that he’s a popular star from another franchise, whichmight not jibe with James Gunn’s seeming insistence on doing away with past connectionsfor the new and improved DCU. This mindset is why fans won’t seeBen Affleck’s iconically suited Batman portrayalgoing forward, and this would probably go double for an MCU star not already close to the DC Studios boss. Another issue that might arise is that the powers that be at Warner Bros. Discovery might not be as keen on changing the narratives around the company’s most prized asset as Duke is, knowing full well that a casting that could be seen as a reimagining of the character will stir up an uproar and spark online debates that don’t help the company.
Gunn has beensquashing more casting rumors surrounding Batmanthan he has done any casting for the role, soDuke might just be able to throw his hat in the ring. However, while how likely it is to be picked up and what sort of response that would garner is anyone’s guess, things are liable to not work out quite so smoothly.
Black PantherandBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverare currently available to stream on Disney+.
