A showdown between the Black Panther and Namor is imminent as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters in ten days. Along with paying an ode to late actor Chadwick Boseman, the film is also a celebration of cultures and wraps up the MCU Phase 4 on the big screen by introducing some new characters who will eventually play a big role in events to come in Phase 5 and 6. In a new featurette, director Ryan Coogler, along with the cast and crew of Wakanda Forever, talks about the new antihero Namor (Tenoch Huerta).
After the untimely demise of Boseman, who played T’Challa aka the Black Panther, the studio decided not to recast the character, rather Coogler with, co-writer Joe Robert Cole, decided to take the story in a new direction by delving into the mythos and mysteries of Wakanda. The director reveals that introducing Namor was “really an opportunity to introduce another sovereign ruler of a group of people," as he shows up representing Talocan. As producer Nate Moore notes, in Marvel publishing Namor was “one of the first superheroes.” In the comic Namor is the son of a human sea captain and the princess of Atlantis. While being an anti-hero on occasion, he’s also been a part of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, the Invaders, the Defenders, the X-Men, and the Illuminatis.
In the trailers, M’Baku referenced him as K’uk’ulkan (also spelled Kukulkan), the Feather Serpent God, which is a real Mesoamerican serpent deity that was worshiped by the Yucatec Maya people. He stays a mutant, nonetheless. For Huerta, the character and Talocan holds a deeper meaning as “part of my personal heritage, as a Mexican, and as an inhabitant of Mesoamerica.” He further revealed that, “Namor loves his people, and he’s gonna protect them because to be a ruler you have to serve the people.” By playing the character he feels that, “Finally [he] could find a more powerful representation of [his] culture, with dignity and respect.”
In Wakanda Forever, the conflict between the afro-futurist nation and Talocan arise after T’Challa decided to open the nation to the world, which has now made the Submariner’s nation vulnerable to outsiders. Our only insight into Namor’s character comes from the line featured in the trailers, “My ancestors would often say, only the most broken people can be great leaders.” As a leader, the Submariner now sees Wakanda as a threat. Actor Letitia Wright says, “I cannot wait for everyone to see Talocan. I am excited about how we’re gonna see the world come alive. Both Nations want the same thing, which is to preserve and to protect their people, but they’re willing to go about it in different ways.” Angela Bassett adds, “Namor is very much concerned with what he needs and what he wants. This delicate dance between the two of them, I get chills thinking about it.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters on November 11. You can check out the featurette below: