Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has proven to be a thoughtful memorial to the fallen king, King T’Challa. The heartfelt emotions bleed over into a celebration of the life of Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played and immortalized the character. But apart from honoring Boseman’s legacy, the film also plays its part as a significant piece in the larger MCU by introducing a new character from the pages of the comic books — Namor. While he ends up entering into a truce with Wakanda, his loyalty to the agreement remains doubtful.
Spoilers ahead.
Shuri struggles with the death of her older brother throughout the film. Becoming the Black Panther is her legacy, but she can’t let go of the fact that T’Challa is gone. It doesn’t help that Wakanda once again finds itself in disarray with attacks from other countries forcing the nation to share its stock of vibranium while they are still in mourning.
The situation worsens when the underwater nation of Tālocān led by Namor forces Wakanda into conflict after Shuri and Queen Ramonda refuse to hand over Riri Williams and shoot down his offer to attack the surface dwellers together. Left with the task of leading the broken nation to victory, Shuri successfully recreates the Heart-Shaped herb and becomes the Black Panther, and engages with Namor in a fierce battle that continues raging until she manages to overpower the mutant.
But as she shows him mercy when she could have easily killed him, Namor yields and accepts a truce with Wakanda where the nation would protect the underwater city from any attacks from the outside world.
But this is not the Namor everyone has come to know. He doesn’t accept truces. He doesn’t know how to back down. His rage against the surface world burns hot within him. Has Namor turned over a new leaf? Probably not.
Toward the end of the film, Namor is seen having an interesting chat with his cousin Namora where he reveals he has true intentions. He is sure that the surface world will attack Wakanda one day, especially now that it has formed an alliance with Tālocān. The latter hasn’t exactly been hiding its hatred for the outside world, which in turn worsens Wakanda’s status in the eyes of the other nations who are just waiting to ambush it for its vibranium.
This little chat opens up a whole can of worms. Having a truce with Wakanda and recruiting them to help him defeat the surface world is one thing, but will he betray that truce and one day rise to attack Wakanda again? Is his stance as an ally only for show? The MCU is wide open for such a betrayal.
But even if it does happen one day, the chances of Namor emerging victorious are slim. Shuri has burned her funeral clothing symbolizing that she has moved on from mourning. She even manages to smile as she looks out over the beach, remembering her late brother without any of the resentment she felt toward the rest of the world. Namor might come to fight one day, but he will meet a fierce Black Panther ready to lay down her life to protect her kingdom and her people. He already has had a taste of it during Wakanda Forever, so he better tread carefully if he is planning a path of treason.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in theaters.
