Movies - TV
Ryan Coogler Basically Called Dibs On Using Namor In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
By ERNESTO VALENZUELA
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" looks to differentiate itself from its incredibly successful predecessor, not only with a new character taking up the mantle of the Black Panther but also with a new antagonist, Namor, portrayed by Tenoch Huerta. Director Ryan Coogler’s fascination with the king of Talokan goes back even before the release of the original movie in 2018.
In /Film's interview with "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" producer Nate Moore, he said, "Ryan is a huge fan of comic books, and in publishing, Namor and Atlantis often would come in conflict with Wakanda and the Black Panther. And so even as early as in post-production on the first movie, he was like, 'If we get so lucky, could we maybe, could I just raise my hand and make sure no one uses Namor?'"
Calling dibs was effective for Coogler, who will be the first MCU filmmaker to bring Namor and the Mesoamerican imagery associated with the character to life. More than that, though, Namor's portrayal would be one that viewers could easily empathize with, similar to the previous villain Killmonger, for whom Coogler had written and directed.