Namor Nails Being a Hero and Villain in 'Wakanda Forever'

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a lot to live up to with its villain, Namor. Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) was the sinister antithesis of T'Challa, an exact foil to a hero dedicated to his people and doing the right thing no matter what. 2018's Black Panther used Killmonger not only as an adversary T'Challa had to defeat with strength, or a person with shaky morals and questionable reasoning, but as a character with depth and a relevant background that made T'Challa question everything he knew about his family, his goals, and his relationship to the throne.

Thankfully, Namor delivers much of the same challenges for Shuri in Wakanda Forever. But rather than question what it means to rule, Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta) makes Shuri question what it means to grieve. Namor is a formidable foe, with incredible strength both in and out of the water, and a terrifying army behind him to boot. In fact, the guy doesn't even need armor. He's best known for his simple costume of scaled green shorts with a gold belt and nothing else.

Namor's introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an exciting prospect. Although more casual fans may not know of him yet, he's linked to multiple superhero teams, and will no doubt have a major role later on the Multiverse Saga. He's also more anti-hero than villain, meaning he'll likely follow his own interests as he's integrated into the rest of the Marvel universe, which will no doubt cause conflicts for the many altruistic superheroes we know and love.

Namor is the powerful King of Atlantis.

Although this is not his explicit origin in the MCU (Marvel decided to tie Namor and his people to the Mayans instead), Namor (whose name translates to "Avenging Son") is a half human and half Atlantean (renamed to Talokan in the film) hybrid. His mother was the Princess of Atlantis who one day met an explorer searching for vibranium and the two fell in love. He first appears in 1939's Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1– which is a title that is definitely not still in print.

Namor's upbringing largely consisted of him going on various adventures, including fighting in World War II alongside Captain America. Namor also has had brushes with the Fantastic Four, notably harboring feelings for Sue Storm. He's also fought both for and against the X-Men on various occasions, and at a time was part of the Avengers. In fact, it's worth mentioning Charles Xavier seeks Namor out to inform him he's a mutant, in case you're looking for yet another tie to the upcoming X-Men MCU appearance. His changing loyalties are a testament to his devotion to the Atlantean people. he doesn't care much for what's going on with humans unless it threatens his kingdom.

Due to his hybrid genetics, Namor can fight on both land and sea, but gains an extreme advantage when touching water. He can also manipulate water and telepathically speak to both sea creatures and other Atlanteans. And unique to his physiology, he has wings on his ankles which gives the ability to fly unlike other Atlanteans.

Tenoch Huerta plays Namor in Wakanda Forever.

Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta plays Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. According to IMDb, the actor is most familiar to American audiences for his role in Narcos: Mexico, a spin-off the popular Netflix show Narcos. He's also appeared in Mozart in the Jungle and had his first major acting role in 2006. But even if you weren't familiar with him until Wakanda Forever, you'll definitely recognize the actor now; Namor will return.

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