The twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago might have just given the Marvel Cinematic Universe its first Caribbean-born superhero!

Well, not quite, but reports are that Tobago-born actor Winston Duke is set to take over the mantle of Black Panther in the sequel to the billion-dollar Marvel blockbuster, after the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman last year.

Duke, as you might recall, played Jabari tribe leader M’Baku, who was the first to challenge Boseman’s T’Challa for the crown in the fictional, technologically-advanced African state, Wakanda.

After M’Baku’s defeat, he eventually became an ally to the King of Wakanda, helping him defeat Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger by the end of the film.

With subsequent appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it seemed M’Baku would continue to be a sidekick in future Black Panther projects – even after Boseman’s death – as Letitia Wright, who plays T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, was first rumoured to be the next Black Panther.

Now, with indications of trouble on the set with Wright, reports online have been quoting Marvel Studios sources as revealing that the decision has been taken to have Shuri hand over the title of Black Panther to M’Baku at the end of the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Duke, who since Black Panther has also appeared in horror film Us and the more recent Nine Days, was born in Argyle, Tobago, and moved to the United States with his mother, Cora Pantin, and sister when he was nine years old.

He graduated from Brighton High School in Rochester, New York in 2004 and attended University at Buffalo, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. He then moved on to Yale School of Drama where he received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Acting and graduated in 2013.