Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

While Black Panther's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has engaging stories and complex characters, Wakanda's success is also due to the imagery crafted under the leadership of director Ryan Coogler. Above all stands the Wakanda Forever symbol, which every Marvel fan can emulate by crossing their arms. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever similarly explores the culture of Talokan, giving the underwater kingdom its own war cry and hand symbol. But what does the Talokanil hand symbol represents? The answer lies in Namor's (Tenoch Huerta) origin and Mesoamerican mythology.

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Image via Marvel Studios

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The Plumed Serpent God

The Feathered Serpent, or Plumed Serpent, is a recurring divinity in several Mesoamerican societies. For example, the Aztecs had Quetzalcoatl, the K'iche' Maya had Tohil, and the Yucatec Maya had K’uk’ulkan. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, instead of keeping Namor’s ties with the legendary city of Atlantis, Marvel Studios created a whole new underwater kingdom, Talokan. The city is inspired by the mythical Aztec paradise Tlālōcān, which explains why the Plumed Serpent is still worshipped there.

In the comic books, Atlantis is the home of the Homo mermanus, a species that evolved parallel to the Homo sapiens and ruled the Seven Seas for millennia. However, the MCU underwater kingdom is much more recent, beyond forged in the 16th century, when the Spanish ravaged Mesoamerican cultures, stole their precious minerals, and mass murdered their people. To escape the threat of the Spanish colonizers, a tribe decided to take a ceremonial plant that grew in vibranium-rich soil. The plant changes its biology, giving them gills, the ability to communicate with underwater creatures, and enhanced physical abilities. Deciding to leave the surface world behind, the first Talokanil departed to the seas, where they built the city of Talokan.

Since the MCU’s underwater people come from a Mesoamerican society, it makes sense that they still worship deities common to Maya and Aztecs. However, it’s curious to notice the Talokanils refer to the Plumed Serpent God as K’uk’ulkan, the Yucatec Maya name, while Aztec myths inspire the city. So, just like Wakanda is an amalgamation of multiple African countries’ cultures, Talokan picks up bits and pieces of different Mesoamerican nations. Even so, it’s no wonder that Talokan chose the Plumed Serpent as their city’s symbol, especially after the birth of Namor.

Namor's Mutation Led to the Hand Symbol

Tenoch Huerta as Namor in Black Panther 2
Image via Marvel

Namor was still in his mother’s womb when she ingested the sacred plant and became an underwater creature. The process activated a mutation in Namor’s genes, giving him special abilities once he was born. For starters, Namor is stronger and faster than other Talokanils. He also has increased longevity, making him age slowly; at almost 500 years old, Namor is still in his prime. Namor’s mutation also prevents him from turning blue when getting out of the water and allows him to absorb oxygen from the air, an ability the Talokanils lost. Finally, Namor was born with wings on his heels, allowing him to fly. Just like the Plumed Serpent God, Namor is a being who crawls on the earth with his people while he can still soar through the skies.

It’s easy to understand why Namor’s birth seemed like a miracle in the 16th century, leading his people to baptize him as K’uk’ulkan and choose him to guide them. So, for almost five centuries, Namor has been ruling Talokan and helping forge his people’s culture. That’s why the Talokanils join their hands to mimic a serpent’s mouth, out of respect for the Plumed Serpent God, Talokan’s leader and protector.

The Historical Origin of Talokan’s Hand Symbol

While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gives an in-universe reason for Talokan’s hand symbol, it’s worth noting that the gesture has a historical origin. As Twitter user Aztec Empire reveals, the hand symbol mimics several pictures from Mesoamerican cultures. Another curious detail is that Talokan’s war cry, “¡Líik’ik Talokan!” – or “Rise, Talokan” in English –, was not in the original script. In an interview for Cinema Blend, actor Alex Livinalli revealed that the Latinx cast of Wakanda Forever actually asked to have a symbol as powerful as the Wakandan one. So, Coogler and the film’s crew did their research to come up with the hand symbol and the war cry, a fact that underlines how filmmaking is a collective work.