Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler Reveals Surprising Hidden Namor Detail

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Director Ryan Coogler shared a surprising Namor detail this week. During a sit-down with Skywalker Sound, the filmmaker revealed that the Talokan leader's wings are modeled on a specific sound from the animal kingdom. A lot of people might expect something like a hummingbird, but Namor's iconic wings sound like rattlesnakes when you listen closely. Supervising Sound Editors Steve Boeddeker and Benny Burtt talked about when Coogler came to them with the suggestion. Surprisingly, it was pretty late in the game as far as production goes. They said that it was just about two weeks from completing the sound components of the film. However, when a good idea comes in, the designers and engineers were down to explore any and all options for Namor. Clearly it worked and is something everyone is proud of. The detail is a sly nod toward the Feather Serpent God, but also the region that Talokan is inspired by. Check out the conversation right here!

"While we were always trying to make things believable. He was always in the emotional," Boeddeker and Burt explained. "For example, Namor's wings. At one point Ryan was just like, 'have you tried rattlesnakes? This may sound like a bad idea, but what about rattlesnakes.' So we did, we did a combination of all of them. But, the rattlesnakes were the things that made it ominous and scary. It made him dangerous sounding. That was honestly late in the game too. In the last two weeks, and idea that was thrown out and changed a lot for us."

Coogler Thanked Fans For Their Continued Support

Recently, the filmmaker also credited fans for their support of his vision with Wakanda Forever. A letter posted to Marvel Studios' social media showed his gratitude.

"Thank you," Coogler's letter said. "Thank you to the people who bought their tickets early and camped out opening weekend. Thank you to those of you took their families out- young ones and elders in tow. To those who organized youth screenings and afterparties, who bought out theaters for communities and friends. To all of you who watched multiple times, and encouraged other folks to check it out. Our film is over two and a half hours long, so thank you for holding those bathroom breaks. Our film has 6 languages spoken in it." 

"Thank you for bearing with the subtitles. And our film deals with the inescapable human emotion of grief. Thank you for opening yourself up to the emotional journey of this film. We made something to honor our friend, who was a giant in our industry, and we also made something to be enjoyed in theatrical setting with friends, family, and strangers," he continued. "Something to be quoted and discussed. To be debated. Something to make people both physically and emotionally feel seen. This medium wouldn't exist without an audience, and I thank you for giving me professional purpose, and an emotional outlet. I look forward to bringing you more stories in the future."

Are you surprised by this small detail? Let us know in the comments!

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