Thisarticle contains spoilers forBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.Ever since it was announced that the originalBlack Pantherfilm would be receiving a sequel, fans eagerly anticipated a potential showdown between the Black Panther and Namor the Sub-Mariner, one of T’Challa’s fiercest rivals in the comics. Sure enough, Namor proved to be the main antagonist ofBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, and he’s been widely hailed as one of the best parts of the movie.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the Namor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — played by Tenoch Huerta — is very different from his comic counterpart in a few key ways. But while changes to the source material can often draw the ire of die-hard comic fans, these alterations arguably improve the character for the purposesofWakanda Forever’s story.
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King of the Deep
Making his comic debut all the way back in 1939, Namor was one of the first Marvel Comics characters ever created. Introduced as the prince of Atlantis, Namor’s origin story revealed that he was the son of an Atlantean princess and a human sea captain named Leonard McKenzie, with later stories establishing that his trademark ankle-wings are the result of a genetic mutation, like those of the X-Men. And while this backstory may sound a bit derivative to Aquaman fans, it’s worth noting that Aquaman didn’t appear on comic pages until 1941. Namor would walk the line between hero and villain over the years,serving as both an enemyof humanity and a sympathetic defender of his people. He often clashes with the likes of the Fantastic Four and Avengers due to his prideful, belligerent personality, but he’s also aided Earth’s heroes as a member of the X-Men and the Illuminati.
InWakanda Forever, Namor is naturally still the ruler of an undersea kingdom. However, the Atlantis of the comics is reimagined as Talokan, named after the underworld realm of Tlālōcān of Aztec mythology. Indeed, the MCU’s Namor trades his original Greco-Roman influence for a Mesoamerican aesthetic. Not only is he played by a Mexican actor, he’s also given the title of “K’uk’ulkan” by his people, a reference to the Feathered Serpent deity in ancient Mesoamerican religion. However, these are farmore than just surface-level changes— they tie directly into Namor’s new backstory.
Rather than being half-human and half-Atlantean, the Namor inWakanda Foreveris instead the first newborn child of the Talokanil, a tribe of 16th-century Maya who escaped Spanish conquest with the aid of a Vibranium-infused herb. The herb turned their skin blue and granted them the power to breathe underwater, allowing them to flee beneath the waves and found the new civilization of Talokan. Namor was born a mutant with the power to breathe on land and sea alike, and even fly with his ankle-wings. But when he returned to the surface to bury his mother, Namor saw her people enslaved and oppressed by the Spanish colonizers. When the Talokanil attacked the Spanish in retaliation, one priestcalled the young prince“El Niño sin Amor”, meaning “the child without love”. The boy took this moniker as his own to show his hatred for humanity, inspiring the name Namor.
Friend or Foe?
A skeptical viewer might assume that this new backstory for Namor is simply a cheap attempt at added diversity, or an effort to avoid comparisons toAquamanand its depiction of Atlantis. And while there is likely some truth to that, writer-director Ryan Coogler uses this new interpretation of Namor and his people very deliberately to further the themes of the film. While the Namor of the comics was originally an enemy of humanity due to their mistreatment of the sea and its wildlife, theMCU’s Namor has a much morepersonal grudge, being a direct descendant to victims of colonization.
Like Killmonger before him, Namor is driven by vengeance against the evils of colonialism. But while Killmonger resented Wakanda for its past inaction, Namor resents the entire surface world for its history of injustice and oppression. And after seeing his backstory, it’s hard to blame him. Plus, his hunger for revenge following the death of his mother makes him an effective foil for Shuri, whose own struggle to deal with her grief forms the emotional and thematic core of the entire film.
However, arguably the biggest change to Namor’s character is in his personality.In the comics, Namortends to be more pompous and hostile in demeanor, behaving with unconcealed scorn towards the surface dwellers. Meanwhile, Tenoch Huerta portrays the character with a more soft-spoken, diplomatic attitude — he initially treats Wakanda with respect and courtesy, even offering Shuri an alliance out of what seems to be genuine admiration. However, it’s clear from the start that Namor’s politeness hides an undercurrent of menace, and that he won’t hesitate to crush the Wakandans if they refuse to play by his rules. The ending of the film hammers home Namor’s duplicitous side, with him ultimately surrendering to Wakanda, but still plotting to use their new alliance to his advantage.
Ultimately, while the MCU’s Namor may seem at first to be a far cry from his comic counterpart, these changes all serve tomake him a stronger characterwithin the narrative ofWakanda Forever. Meanwhile, the core premise of the character — a proud, powerful king who distrusts and opposes humanity while dutifully protecting his people — still remains intact. Whether he’s ruling over Atlantis or Talokan, it’s not hard to see why Namor has remained such an enduring character for nearly an entire century.
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