A new Iron person, a possible secret villain, and Namor earning his wings. What other secrets
are hiding in the new trailer for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?"
56 seconds into the trailer, we get a great look at Namor in all his winged-foot glory.
He's introduced via a voiceover from M'Baku and will supposedly serve as
the film's primary antagonist. Marvel Studios decided to give the character a
Mayan spin for his MCU introduction. Namor's updated look for the MCU looks incredible,
and the inclusion of his winged feet is enough to get any fans of the Sub-Mariner excited.
"They don't call him general or king, they call him K'uk'ulkan, the feather serpent god."
The trailer also makes it clear that killing him would risk eternal war. In the comics,
Wakanda and Atlantis almost never see eye-to-eye,
and it looks like "Wakanda Forever" perfectly sets up that relationship.
Marvel Comics introduced Namor in 1939 in "Marvel Comics #1" from then-publisher Timely Comics. He
is the son of an Atlantean princess, although due to his human father, he doesn't share the
same blue-tinted skin as most Atlanteans. In the comics, he's also usually the King of Atlantis,
though his MCU debut will include some changes according to Namor actor Tenoch Huerta. His powers
include underwater breathing, superhuman strength, and the ability to fly using the wings on his
feet. Because of his first publication date, he is sometimes considered Marvel's first mutant.
Interestingly, Huerta confirmed to Empire that the character is a mutant in "Wakanda Forever."
Namor isn't the only new comic character popping up in Wakanda Forever;
in a quick shot in the trailer for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," viewers can see
none other than Riri Williams, who in the comics is known as Ironheart.
This is a fitting character to be introduced in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," considering
that the mantle of Black Panther has also changed hands. In the comics,
Williams is a genius-level intellect by age five. She crafts her own Iron
Man suit after reverse engineering pieces from an Iron Man armor design. Chances are,
Williams is constructing her own armor suit from whatever Tony Stark armor she's been
able to find – which shouldn't be too hard, since it's not like he's been super careful with them.
By the end of the trailer, we see Williams' Ironheart persona in flight,
so it doesn't look like it will take her long to step up to the proverbial Iron Man plate.
We get a small glimpse at Attuma in the first teaser for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,"
where he appears on a bridge ready to fight what looks to be Okoye. We're getting a better look
at that moment in the trailer, where the villain launches himself into the air before slamming down
on the bridge. Attuma's inclusion in the Phase 4 film is very important, as the character is
the archnemesis of Namor in the comics. We fully expect to see a battle for power between the two.
The history between Namor and Attuma is lengthy, and there are any number of stories we could see
adapted into the new movie. With Namor being more of an anti-hero than an outright villain,
we might see Attuma play a little more of the bad guy role than his nemesis
counterpart. Attuma plans to flood the surface world in the comics, and since we
see Wakanda getting flushed out in the teaser, perhaps it was all his doing and not Namor's.
And finally, we get a "Black Panther" throwback in the trailer's final moment
when the new mantle wearer does their superhero landing from high
above. While it's not fully confirmed in the preview who is behind the mask, all clues,
and recent LEGO releases, point to it being T'Challa's sister, Shuri. The only question
is how she will handle the new role and the throne that could potentially come with it.
As Namor says at the beginning of the trailer,
"Only the most broken people can be great leaders,"
Seems like with T'Challa gone, Shuri would fit the bill. With that in mind, though, how long will it
be in the film before she steps into the role and takes up the legendary mantle? And will it
be enough to take on whoever's setting Atlantis and Wakanda against each other? We'll have to
wait and find out when "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" arrives in theaters on November 11.