Everything To Know About Namor From Black Panther 2
He's an MCU newbie, but not for long.
Like the first Black Panther film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is almost entirely self-contained. The good guys barely interact with anyone outside their immediate circle; the new characters and antagonists aren’t from groups introduced in other Marvel films or TV series. However, now that Wakanda has made contact with the kingdom of Talokan, others may also. That bodes well for Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor in Black Panther 2 and certainly deserves a more significant MCU presence.
Warning: Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follow. Up until now, vibranium, the ultra-expensive material that helps power Wakanda, was believed only to be native to that country. It was delivered via a meteorite that fell to Earth during its formative years, and on land, no one had ever found another source. Of course, it’s not easy to find, as it’s undetectable by equipment — until a teacher at MIT told RiRi Williams she couldn’t invent a vibranium sensor. So she did, to prove them wrong.
Armed with this new technology, the Americans found a second source, deep underwater. What they didn’t realize — and what Wakanda quickly learned — is that this source powers a kingdom under the waves, Talokan. Talokan is populated by the descendants of an ancient Mayan tribe, who drank a powerful herb that gave them gills to escape Spanish conquistadors.
One of those Mayans was pregnant when she drank the herb, which affected the baby, turning him into one of humanity’s first mutants. Known as K’uk’ulkan to his people, and Namor to his enemies, he is determined to take down the land dwellers to protect his underwater world. Like Killmonger in the first Black Panther film, Namor has seen the horrors and is understandably fearful and distrustful of them.
The actor who plays him, Tenoch Huerta, was born in Mexico to a film bluff family. He started his career in Mexican films, taking home some of their most prestigious awards before crossing over to English language fare, including Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico.
Huerta’s arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a timely one, as the overall world of superheroes has been expanding into more diverse characters and focusing on the stories of anti-heroes. (Black Adam’s box office receipts prove audiences are here for it.) Though Namor and Talokan are only known to the Wakandans by then end of the film, it won’t be long before the secret gets out. When it does, fans can expect Huerta’s character — known in the comics for teaming up with the Avengers when it aligns with his kingdom’s interests — to hopefully become a significant figure in the MCU.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out in theaters now.
