Who is Namor in Black Panther 2? Wakanda Forever villain explained
Marvel StudiosNamor is the villain in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He’s also one of the oldest and most popular characters in Marvel history. Here we explain who Namor is, and how he fits into Black Panther 2’s storyline.
The first Black Panther movie had a fantastic antagonist in the shape of Erik Killmonger. As played by Michael B. Jordan, he was likable, sympathetic, and much of his villainous plan made sense.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever pulls off a similar trick, with Namor talking as much, if not more sense for much of the movie, even if his actions are somewhat extreme.
The film marks the celluloid debut of this beloved character, who has a long and storied history in Marvel comics.
Who is the comic book version of the Sub Mariner?
Created by writer-artist Bill Everett, Namor – aka the Sub-Mariner – first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics #1 in October 1939. Namor’s parents were a human sea captain, and a Princess of Atlantis, and he became known as “Marvel’s first mutant.”
Sometime a hero, Namor was more frequently an anti-hero, waging war against those on the surface who pose a threat to his underwater kingdom.
Namor’s powers include super-strength/speed/agility/durability/reflexes and the like, while he has wings on his ankles that enable him to fly. He also thrives underwater, and can communicate with marine life via telepathy.
Through the years, Namor has worked with or been a part of the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Defenders, and the Illuminati.
Who is Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
Namor is the chief antagonist in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, though while he is being marketed as the film’s villain, Namor would doubtless see himself as the story’s hero.
Rather than being Atlantean like the comic iteration, movie Namor is the King of underwater civilization Talokan, and has a very different back-story, inspired by both Mesoamerican history and Spanish colonialism. We’ll post full and spoilery details of that backstory here on Friday, when the film is released, but sufficed to say, he’s still a mutant.
Talokan possesses Vibranium, which the surface-world wants, and which Namor will protect at any and all costs. He looks to team up with the Wakandans, which is how he enters Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While on other occasions he takes a more violent approach, turning to terror tactics to defend his home.
Who plays Namor in Black Panther 2
Namor is played by Tenoch Huerta in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Born in 1982, Huerta is a Mexican actor of Aztec and Purépecha origin.
He started out in Mexican movies and television, while his English-language credits include Nomads, Get the Gringo, The 33, and The Forever Purge. His most high-profile role was playing Rafael Caro Quintero in Narcos: Mexico, while he also appeared in modern Mexican classic Tigers Are Not Afraid.
Huerta is sure to be in demand after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where we called him “the star of the show, slowly peeling back the layers of Namor as he becomes an ever-more complex and multi-layered antagonist.”
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