schneefink

The combat didn't read as ceremonial to me. To me, it read that everyone who didn't challenge was opting not to do so because they respected T'Challa and felt that he would make a good king, but that if they hadn't felt that, they would absolutely have felt both free to challenge and morally obligated to do so. Whereas the surprise about M'Baku wasn't that anyone challenged, but that he showed up and that he chose to do so with a king whom everybody figured was a shoo-in for unchallenged coronation.

I agree about T'Challa's intended age being very unclear, though. I assume not actually 40ish, but is he supposed to be in his 30s? Early 30s? 20s?? He doesn't look like he's in his 20s, but... Hollywood.