The trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hints that Namor is a mutant submariner in the MCU. For a long time it was a poorly kept secret that the Avenging Son would make his debut in a live action movie in the sequel to “Black Panther”. And with the appearance of the trailer at Comic-Con 2022 in San Diego, Namor’s appearance in the MCU was finally recognized by Marvel.
How he will cope with his introduction, teased footage from the trailer for “Black Panther 2”, which also involves the main characters of Namor-submariner Attum and Namor. It seems that for the MCU, Marvel will abandon its ties with Atlantis and completely exclude the mythical kingdom from its history. Instead of presenting Namor as the royal family of Atlantis, it seems that the Submariner and his people come from an underwater civilization near South America. According to the merchandise for the film, the Namora kingdom is Talokan, a kingdom associated with Aztec mythology. Obviously, Marvel reinventing the character as an Aztec god will make his MCU backstory dramatically different from the source material.
Related: Black Panther 2: Why Wakanda is at War with Atlantis
One thing Marvel may not be changing about Namor the Submariner’s origin is his mutant DNA. Initially, it was assumed that Marvel would avoid Namor’s ankle wings or make them part of his costume, but the trailer confirms that this is not the case. One frame shows a baby Namor with wings on his ankles. In the comics, it was the unique nature of his physiology, since the rest of his people didn’t have them. From head to toe, the looks at his allies in the film prove that this distinction will be carried over to the MCU as well. Namor, the only member of his race with wings on his ankles, testifies that he is indeed a mutant. In Marvel comics, the ability to fly, granted to him by wings, was considered his main mutant strength.
That Namor will be a mutant for the MCU and the X-Men
Marvel confirming Namor’s mutant origin, as the MCU canon will continue the X-Men setup started by Ms. Marvel. In the last episode of the show, Kamala Khan became the first MCU mutant. Then “Black Panther 2” could continue this by making Namor, who in comics is usually referred to as the First Marvel Mutant, the second MCU mutant. A move in this direction would be huge, especially because it would help make mutants more visible in the MCU before their official introduction. In particular, establishing Namor as a mutant may also be important, given that Namor does have ties to the X-Men at Marvel Comics. In the 2000s and 2010s, Marvel teamed him up with the team and made him interact repeatedly with key characters such as Wolverine, Cyclops and Professor X. Marvel will open the door to some of these stories taking place in the MCU if it keeps Namor’s connection with the mutant. .
Also, Namor being a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would also make sense for Tenoch Huerta’s character as a whole. Due to the fact that Namor does not have blue skin, Namor most likely has one human parent (like his comic parent), but his hybrid origin can explain a lot. Perhaps this explains his enormous strength, but not his wings, since they clearly do not belong to any of the races. That’s where an explanation similar to Ms. Marvel’s “mutation” might come into play.
