Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Star Says Namor Is Not a Villain

He may be “coming for the surface world,” but Namor the Sub-Mariner is not a villain in the upcoming MCU sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to actor Huerta Tenoch, who plays the character. Namor, one of Marvel’s first antiheroes, made his comics debut in 1939 and first came to animation in 1966. It’s going to be 2022 when he finally makes his live-action debut, though, and the version coming to Black Panther 2 is going to lean into Mayan culture and mythology. The Latin American connection gives Ryan Coogler a chance to envision an entire new society based on the rich cultural traditions of one that exists in the real world, just as he did with Black Panther‘s Wakanda.

Empire magazine is looking at the movie in its current issue. That’s where Huerta Tenoch drew a distinction between Namor being an antagonist for Wakanda and its protector, and being an actual villain.

“Latin-Americans are always the bad guys in Hollywood movies,” Tenoch said. “And now we are the heroes – or an anti-hero, in this instance.” He later added that “[Latin-Americans] are making something to be proud of in Hollywood.”

All we can see so far, is that Namor and his kingdom appear to be going to war with Wakanda. His motivations aren’t yet clear, and if the first Black Panther taught us anything, it’s that Ryan Coogler can make even a brutal villain pretty relatable.

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to the official synopsis, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with Nakia and Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom.

Black Panther director Ryan Coogler returns to direct Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole. The film stars Letitia Wright as Shuri, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoya, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams/Ironheart, Michaela Coel as Aneka, Tenoch Huerta as Namor, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, and Angela Bassett as Ramonda.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will open in theaters on November 11th. You can get tickets now.

h/t The Direct