Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Tenoch Huerta’s Namor in the MCU, even claiming he is as powerful as Hulk, whom Tony Stark named the strongest Avenger. But Marvel changed the meaning of the antagonist’s name in the MCU, and for good reason.
The sequel compared the Talocan king to the Feather Serpent God of old myths, but did you know he actually ruled another underwater kingdom in the Marvel comics? According to the comics, Namor, half-human and half-Atlantean, was king of Atlantis, coining his name by flipping the world “Roman.”
Black Panther 2 changed his kingdom, mutation, origins, and even his real name Kulkulkan. In Marvel’s continuity, Namor’s name meant “the avenging son,” but the film changed it to imbue some of Huerta’s roots into his character.
In the film, his human mother and her people ingested the potion from a flower grown underwater in vibranium-rich soil.
The brew made them the first ancestors of the underwater Talocan tribe. When Namor’s mother gave birth to him, he was born with his mutation, which gave him his ankle wings, pointed ears, slowed aging, and the ability to breathe underwater and on land.
But why did his enemies end up calling him Namor? Well, when he returned to his mother’s country to bury her, he saw the enslavement and torture his people had to endure at the hands of the “surface people.” Namor burnt everyone and everything to the ground in his rage, and with his last breath, a dying priest called him “El Niño Sin Amor.”
The Spanish phrase translates to “a child without love,” and Kulkulkan accepted that he didn’t have any love for the enslavers and thus decided that from that day on, his enemies would call him Namor, someone without love.
The new meaning fits the character’s origins in the film and even gives a good backstory, which pays homage to Huerta’s ethnicity.
But even if the MCU had stuck with the “avenging son,” it would’ve been justified through Namor’s childhood story since he did avenge his mother and her homeland. But it was a nice and fresh addition to the character.
The MCU’s version of Namor may be slightly different from the comics, but his importance definitely doesn’t change. After his debut, his significance will only grow more in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently being screened in theaters worldwide.
About Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an upcoming American superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will serve as the sequel to Black Panther (2018) and will be the 30th film in the MCU. The film is being written and directed by Ryan Coogler.
Wakanda grieves the loss of their King T’Challa as the nation deals with opening up their technology to the world. But apart from the diplomatic agencies’ onslaught, Wakanda must face yet another danger as the king of Talcon, an underwater nation like DC’s Atlantis, Namor, has declared war on Wakanda.
Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett will star in the film, which will premiere on November 11, 2022.
Source: Screenrant
No Comments on Here’s Why the MCU Changed the Meaning of Namor’s Name