Man-Ape

Man-Ape's History

M'Baku was born and raised in the Jabari Village within the nation of Wakanda, Africa. He was one of the greatest warriors of the African nation Wakanda, second only to T'Challa, the Black Panther himself. While the Panther, King of Wakanda, was on leave from his royal duties to serve the Avengers in America, the ambitious M'Baku plotted to usurp the throne. The Wakandan culture evolved from a hunter-warrior society and was traditionally ruled by its greatest warrior. The Black Panther outlawed the rival White Gorilla cult from Wakanda while the Panther cult was dominant. M'Baku flouted T'Challa's edicts and revived the White Gorilla cult, personally stalking and killing one of the rare white gorillas living in the jungles near Wakanda. Bathing in the gorilla's blood and eating the gorilla's flesh mystically conferred its great strength upon M'Baku.

When the Black Panther returned to Wakanda with the Avengers, M'Baku, calling himself the Man-Ape, openly challenged the Panther's right to rule. M'Baku deplored T'Challa's technological revitalization of Wakanda and sought to have all technology outlawed so the nation could return to primitivism. After a protracted battle, the Man-Ape bested the Panther; however, when he bound T'Challa to the giant statue of a panther and tried to topple it upon his enemy, the statue instead crumbled, burying M'Baku.

The Black Panther, believing the Man-Ape was crushed, returned to New York with the Avengers. But M'Baku's chief supporter N'Gamo revived the rebel.