There have been plenty of comparisons between Namor and Aquaman, especially after the former made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, one person who isn’t playing the comparison game is Namor actor Tenoch Huerta. Both Namor and Aquaman are rulers of underwater kingdoms, with Aquaman having a much larger profile thanks to his membership in the Justice League in animated projects, and Jason Momoa’s portrayal in the DC Extended Universe. The release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is most likely increasing the membership in the Namor Fan Club, but Huerta isn’t pitting the characters against each other; though he would side with Namor in a fight.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Tenoch Huerta was featured in a Rolling Stone story that discussed his infamous Namor Speedo bulge, and those Jason Momoa comparisons. Huerta was flattered to be compared to the Aquaman actor, but also explained how Namor and Aquaman are quite different.
Tenoch Huerta Reponds to Jason Momoa Comparisons
“[I’m] honored to be compared with that guy. He’s a wonderful actor, a fantastic human being. He’s a Hollywood movie star and they are comparing me with him. It’s like, ‘Oh my, God, Mom! Mom! They are talking about me and Jason!’ It’s fantastic! I love it,” Tenoch Huerta told Rolling Stone. “But, yeah, talking about the characters, I think they are totally different. It’s like trying to compare Shazam and Superman, or, I don’t know, Thanos and another villain just because they are villains, you know? For me, it’s like, okay, they are two superheroes, they come from the water, and that’s it. One is Mayan, Mesoamerican, and the other is Atlantean, from a Greek myth, but it’s different cultures, different backgrounds…even different powers, you know? Aquaman can communicate with animals, with whales and everything and Namor can’t.”
When pressed further on if Namor could take Aquaman in a fight, Huerta laughed and replied, “Yeah.”
Does Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Lead to Namor Solo MCU Movie?
Despite his illustrious history, Namor has never properly appeared in live-action prior to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due in part to his movie rights being tied up at Universal Pictures. As Marvel producer Nate Moore recently revealed, that arrangement with Universal actually had an impact on how Namor could be used in Wakanda Forever‘s marketing — and while Namor “can return,” that deal currently stands in the way of Marvel Studios potentially producing a Namor solo movie.
“It honestly affects us more, and not to talk too much out of school, but in how we market the film than it does how we use him in the film,” Moore said. “There weren’t really things we couldn’t do from a character perspective for him, which is good because clearly, we took a ton of inspiration from the source material, but we also made some big changes to really anchor him in that world in a truth that publishing never really landed on, I would argue, in a big way.”
Moore also praised Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler for how the film recontextualized Namor and his world, leaning into Mesoamerican elements that were never among the canon in the comics.
“I’ve read every Namor comic ever written and I love them, but the world of Atlantis is a little vaguely drawn,” Moore added. “It’s maybe kind of Roman maybe. And so, Ryan is such a detail-oriented filmmaker that he wanted to anchor into something that felt as tangible and real as hopefully Wakanda fuels for people. And I think there was nothing from a business side anyway that was preventing us from doing that, which is great.”
Who are you taking in a fight between Namor and Aquaman? Let us know your pick in the comments.
