In “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Namor the Sub-Mariner appears. Who is the Marvel character reminiscent of DC’s Aquaman? Here’s what you need to know about the antagonist!
Black Panther – Wakanda Forever: Namor (Tenoch Huerta) takes his seat on his throne in the underwater kingdom of Talokan. (Source: Disney)
- Namor the Sub-Mariner is introduced as an adversary in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
- Namor is Marvel’s counterpart to DC’s Aquaman. In the movies Namor is the ruler of Talokan, in the comics of Atlantis.
- As the king of an underwater kingdom, Namor is not always on good terms with humans. Is he good or evil?
With “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” a Marvel hero enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), who has been a favorite in the comics for decades: Namor the Sub-Mariner. In “Black Panther 2” the role of Tenoch Huerta is embodied and represents the antagonist of the story.
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Black Panther: Who is Namor in the Marvel Comics?
In the comics, Namor is the king of Atlantis. He is the Marvel counterpart of DC’s Aquaman. What many do not know, however, is that Namor is older than Aquaman. While Aquaman first appeared in a comic in 1941, Namor appeared two years earlier.
Like Aquaman, Namor is able to talk to sea creatures. Not only can he breathe underwater, he is also incredibly fast, agile and superhumanly strong. It shares many of these traits out of the water, including small wings on its ankles that allow it to fly.
Namor’s mother is an Atlantean princess, his father a human. Namor’s loyalty is to Atlantis, so at least early in his Marvel storyline he holds a grudge against humans. In fact, in the comics, he wants revenge on the humans after an atomic bomb test destroyed part of Atlantis.
Black Panther 2: Who is Namor in the movie?
In the film, Namor is not the king of Atlantis, but of Talokan. This was probably changed to blur the parallels to Aquaman a bit, but also to add a bit of Aztec/Mayan mythology to his story. So Namor is also named after the feathered serpent god K’uk’ulkan.
The abilities remain the same and so does Namor’s conflict with the humans of the surface world. Namor isn’t necessarily a villain in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but rather an adversary with other goals. But the king of Talokan does not have a clean slate.
Black Panther 2: Is Namor really a villain?
Is Namor really a villain? Yes and no! In the Marvel Comics, Namor has existed for a very long time and has fought on various sides. Over time, Namor has been used in Marvel Comics stories as a villain and superhero, and has even been a part of the Avengers.
However, in every comic story it doesn’t matter which side he’s on, because for Namor the well-being of Atlantis/Talokan always comes first. As king of a kingdom, he naturally has conflicts of interest with other kingdoms and countries, including Wakanda.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ends the fourth Marvel phase on November 9, 2022 in Germany and makes room for Marvel Phase 5, which will be launched with “Ant-Man 3” and “Secret Invasion” in early 2023. We list you all Marvel new releases!
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