Rumor: Namor the Villain for Black Panther 2

A new rumor suggests Namor aka The Sub-Mariner will be the villain in the upcoming Black Panther sequel.

There’s been a kerfuffle ever since a certain scene in Avengers: Endgame, where Okoye notes some seismic activity on the ocean floor. She says that sometimes an earthquake is just an earthquake, which could be a nod to viewers that whatever she’s saying might just be a ruse. But if it isn’t, as a number of viewers have posited, then we could be seeing the rise of Namor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And since then, the rumor and speculation mill has been going full speed at not only when the Sub-Mariner will finally make his live-action appearance, but where.

And the rumored first appearance will revolve heavily around the denizen who first brought it to attention – Okoye and Wakanda. The rumor comes from We Got This Covered, who note their sources tell them that “the studio has chosen Namor to be the main antagonist of Black Panther 2.” They add that the sequel will see Namor “trying to take control of Wakanda and become its ruler.”

A previous rumor indicated that Namor would appear in Black Panther 2 or the Doctor Strange sequel, now officially titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In fact, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson even hinted at the appearance of Namor when he tweeted out an image of Black Panther and Namor from the comic book series Fear Itself: The Deep.

Two Kings

Given the rumored next Black Panther film would introduce the Sub-Mariner as the villainous opposition to Wakanda. This could very well open up the possibility for the Atlanteans and the lost city of Atlantis, and be Marvel’s answer to DC’s Aquaman.

Namor being the villain is nothing new for comic book fans. And it just plays off stories that are classic to Namor’s origins in his sometimes antagonist views of land-dwellers and their treatment of the oceans.

But the rumor has only come so far. There has only been confirmation that Ryan Coogler will return to direct the sequel, as the first film garnered critical and box office success. However, as revealed at San Diego Comic Con just a few weeks ago, Black Panther 2 will not be part of Marvel’s Phase 4 of films and television. So we could be seeing this film as part of Phase 5, when Blade and the rumored Deadpool 3 are slated for release.

Classic Namor

Namor is the first character to appear in Marvel Comics #1, then published by Timely comics, the predecessor to Marvel. The sea-dweller’s first appearance predates even Captain America (1941). Namor was one of two characters conceptualized by writer Bill Everett. The only other character conceived by Everett was the blind hero, Daredevil.

But Namor served as a villain/anti-hero ever since the character’s inception in 1939. He first appeared in a planned giveaway comic “Motion Picture Funnies Weekly,” produced by comic book packager Funnies Inc. Unfortunately, the project fell through and Everett used the character again in Marvel Comics #1.

And he was an enemy of the United States in his earlier days.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe might tweak his origin a bit to make him more an enemy of all land-dwellers. They’ll probably take up some of the story from the pages of Fantastic Four #4 in 1962. This is where the Sub-mariner learns that Atlantis is destroyed by underwater nuclear testing. And then he lashes out at humanity in general. But the nearest location that has some tech that’s been monitoring his home land is: Wakanda.

The character has made his way into many cartoon shows over the years. But he has yet to be seen in live-action. There were attempts to get a script out when the character was the property of Universal films for a time. However, the film company couldn’t get a movie out featuring the Sub-mariner to showcase their usage of the IP in a timely manner. And so the rights reverted back to Marvel proper. Now the MCU can use the character in one of their films. And all signs indicate they will use the character in Black Panther 2.

But what do you think about Namor appearing in the Marvel’s Cinematic Universe? Sound off in the comments below or let’s talk about it on social media!

Share: 
Mentioned This Article:

More About: