One recruit who won’t be able to star in his own Disney Plus show or Marvel Studios movie is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Namor due to some long-drawn legal complications that come with tiny print embroidered on his green Speedos.
Similarly to how Marvel is still suffering from the old company’s dealings that gave Sony full access to all things Spider-Man and Universal the exclusive rights to produce Incredible Hulk solo movies, Namor was caught in the same net. While Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have managed to work around those limitations to keep Bruce Banner as a core Avengers member and invite Peter Parker for a few crossovers, anyone wanting a Namor spinoff after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in for a reality check.
As covered in careful detail by The Wrap, Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore explained Namor's legal situation, essentially calling him a borrowed asset from Universal Pictures, the same studio that owns Hulk. “It honestly affects us more [...] in how we market the film than it does how we use him,” Moore said. Namor can’t simply appear alone for promotional purposes without belonging to a bigger series of posters, as was the case for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, Universal's ownership rights don’t extend to the actual story given to him in the MCU.
As many Marvel fans have pointed out, comics Namor is very different from his MCU counterpart, besides the obvious decision to change the name of his original Atlantis to Talocan to avoid issues with DC rivals. Suffice it to say, like many other Marvel heroes, between the late ‘90s and early ‘2000s, Namor was stuck in development hell. May studios scrambled to get their hands on superhero intellectual property, resulting in the setup that Feige and company had to work with when Iron Man came out.
As a result, Marvel Studios is barred from making a standalone Hulk movie, as Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk and the MCU's The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton were distributed by Universal. While it’s clear Marvel Studios has found a way to make arrangements work with Sony's Spider-Man, Universal has proven to be a more difficult partner, especially without the obligation of actually making any movies. That said, She-Hulk planted the seeds for a potential World War Hulk film that could see the MCU come to terms with Bruce Banner's rightful owner or skip past current legal restrictions.
Ironically, Namor's Black Panther 2 debut gave him canon strength matching that of the Hulk. However, to see a Namor solo movie, fans will have to wait for Wakanda to ask for his help.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently available in theaters.
Source: The Wrap