Warning: This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Across the world, Marvel fans are processing the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and reflecting on what is arguably the best Phase Four movie, with a compelling antihero to match. Despite the gigantic stakes for the film, Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor, had no doubts his character would resonate with audiences.
At the Wakanda Forever premiere, Huerta told ET that he knew people were going to love Namor as “a human being protecting his people.”
Namor, also known as the deity Kukulkan, is the king of Talokan, an ancient and secret underwater civilization in Mesoamerica, who is threatened when machines try to extract the vibranium present in its territory, seeking allyship from the Wakandans.
Namor will stop at nothing to keep Talokan safe from surface-world threats motivated by greed, and Huerta believes “people are gonna connect really strong with those motivations,” even if not with how he chooses to see them through.
Fans have already started comparing Namor to Black Panther‘s Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. It’s clear Ryan Coogler, who directed and co-wrote both films, has a knack for creating compelling antagonists with a very human core.
“I think the key was, when when I spoke with Ryan, it was like, trying to find the humanity in him,” Huerta revealed. Regardless of Namor’s superpowers, at the end of the day, “he is a guy who is trying to protect his people, protecting his culture, his family, and I think everybody all around the world can feel empathy for that motivation,” the actor concluded.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now showing in theaters. Read We Got This Covered’s review of the film here.
