"Wakanda Forever" features a villain who is sometimes an Avenger in the comics,
but is that switch really going to happen in MCU? Not anytime soon.
Any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows that the script for the "Black Panther" sequel
changed dramatically after the death of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020. Rumors and whispers soon
surfaced about potential antagonists for the revamped "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022,
the antagonist was revealed to be Namor the Sub-Mariner, played by Mexican actor Tenoch
Huerta. Introducing Namor and his people on the big screen is a huge deal for Marvel.
Namor was one of the first heroes to ever be published by the comic book company back
in 1939. Technically, based on the publication date, he's the first Marvel mutant ever. Namor
and Black Panther also have a complicated history. Both have been a significant part
of the Avengers and the Illuminati comic history. The two heroes' personalities are similar as well
and they often clash. This makes Namor a great choice for "Wakanda Forever."
Kevin Feige and Ryan Coogler altered Namor's origin a little for the film,
but a lot of who Namor is as a character remains,
which ultimately proves that he isn't ready to be part of the Avengers just yet.
In "Wakanda Forever," Namor and the people of Talokan start causing trouble when they kill
members of a United States operation that is searching for vibranium. Although they do this
out of protection for their home, Namor's approach is aggressive, even for Shuri and Queen Ramonda.
"My mother told stories about a place like this. A
protected land with people that never have to leave."
Namor willingly disrespects Wakandan borders to essentially intimidate Shuri and the Queen into
helping him track down the scientist that created the device that could search for
vibranium. This happens to be none other than Riri Williams, a genius 19-year-old college
student who didn't know that her plans for such a machine were abused by the U.S. government.
Shuri, the Queen, and Okoye clearly see that this is a conflict of morality,
but Namor doesn't consider any ethical repercussions.
While Namor holds Shuri captive later on and shows her Talokan, he explains how their people came
to be, out of struggle and desperation. When his mother died, she wanted to be buried back on land,
and when he took her there, he saw the people that were still there had become enslaved.
Enraged, he killed them all and vowed revenge against the surface world. He tells Shuri that
his ultimate goal is to wage war on the whole of the surface world with Wakanda as their ally.
This vendetta seems to be Namor's driving force in "Wakanda Forever."
This anger built up inside Namor ultimately leads him to kill Queen Ramonda and attack
Wakanda toward the end of the film. After facing an incredible amount of loss,
Shuri herself is more like Namor than ever near the end of the movie too.
She seeks out Namor after becoming the new Black Panther, intending to kill him for what he did to
Wakanda and her mother, but ultimately chooses a path similar to her brother,
T'Challa. She makes Namor yield instead of killing him. Namor ultimately tells
the people of Talokan to stand down and return to the seas. This may have
been taken as a gesture of growth for Namor, but things didn't change much.
When Namor speaks to Namora in the film's final scene, he explains that his decision
was strategic: he wants Wakandans to develop empathy for Talokan in the future when they
seek allies in a battle against the surface world. Namor has not overcome his grief,
and he is far from joining the surface-dwelling Avengers. Only
time will tell if Namor will ever join the Avengers as we move into Phase 5 of the MCU.