Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grows more mysterious by the minute. While speaking in an interview, Tenoch Huerta revealed that Namor will not, in fact, be a villain in this year’s Black Panther film, and further praised what this means for Latin American representation on film.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has remained shrouded in secrecy. While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever debuted a trailer and new details at Disney's D23 celebration, much of the plot is still unknown. The story appears to center on a war between the Wakandans and the Talocans, an underwater empire that’s inspired by Mesoamerican cultures and fills the role of Atlantis from the comics. Talocan is based on the Aztec mythological paradise of Tlālōcān and is headed by Namor, its mutant ruler, who is played by Huerta.
Huerta gave an interview to Empire magazine in which he is quoted as saying, “Latin-Americans are always the bad guys in Hollywood movies. And now we are the heroes – or an anti-hero, in this instance.” His quote indicates that Namor will be staying true to his comic book roots, in which he plays the role of an anti-hero and even outright villain depending on his incarnation. In the same interview, however, director Ryan Coogler does clarify that Namor is still the central antagonist, just not a villain.
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Namor has been portrayed as a complex character in the comics. He is an iconic part of Marvel and is often labelled as their “first mutant” character, though several nameless mutants had appeared before him in one-shots. He is more often than not on the heroes’ side but has occasionally done some damaging and cruel acts. In one storyline, he flooded the streets of New York, while another saw him flood Wakanda while at war with the nation.
Huerta, who is an activist for Latin Americans and for the Indigenous peoples of Latin America in particular, recognizes the significance of making Namor a morally complicated character. In Hollywood, there is a stark tendency toward making Latin American actors and actresses play mustache-twirling, irredeemable villains devoid of sympathy or humanity.
By depicting Namor as a morally gray character, and as a prominent one, the character is a step forward for Latin American representation. All too often, Latin Americans are not depicted as characters with an agency of their own, that is if they're even depicted, egregious considering Hollywood exists in a state with a Latino majority. Namor and Talocan represent a strong, Latin American culture and character that will exist and thrive in the cultural zeitgeist.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in theaters on November 11, 2022.
Source: Empire