Marvel Studios Boss Kevin Feige Officially Confirms Atlantis Does Not Appear In ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’
Spencer Baculi
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In further confirmation that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Namor is only the classic hero in Latin-accented-name-only, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige has officially confirmed that the underwater kingdom protected by the wing-footed-warrior in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is explicitly not Atlantis.
Source: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Marvel Entertainment
Feige revealed the change to Namor’s homeland while speaking to Marvel Entertainment on the red carpet at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s October 26th world premiere.
Kevin Feige is ready to introduce you to Talokan. 🌊 #WakandaForever pic.twitter.com/vAsMpMU6uN
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) October 30, 2022
Asked for his insight into the creative process behind bringing the Sub-Mariner to the silver screen, Feige explained, “Namor, as the Marvel fans know, is of one, if not the original [Marvel hero- He and Human Torch, right? Almost the same time – So forever, it’s been on our lists.”
“I remember 18 years ago putting together – I think we even commissioned a script 18 years ago – and the timing was never right and the idea was never right,” he continued.
Source: Avengers Vs. X-Men Vol. 1 #8 “Avengers vs X-Men (Part Eight)” (2012), Marvel Comics. Words by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Adam Kubert.
“[Then] Ryan Coogler, on the first movie, started pitching a war between kingdoms,” Feige further recalled. “And [the idea of] actually adding a cultural specificity to Namor. And that’s certainly what he’s done in this movie.”
Source: New Avengers Vol. 3 #8 “What Maximus Made” (2013), Marvel Comics. Words by Jonathan Hickman, art by Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Martin Jr. and Joe Caramagna.
To this end, the the baseball cap-clad producer concluded his thoughts on Namor by clarifying, “And it’s not Atlantis. It’s Talokan.”
“And I can’t wait for people to meet the Talokaneal [presumably the name for the kingdom’s people] and Namor,” he asserted.
Source: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Marvel Entertainment
RELATED: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Producer Claims Namor “Is The Voice Of The Colonized”
Though the name Talokan has previously used by the film’s promotional materials to refer to Namor’s kingdom, its use by Feige in his red carpet interview marks the first instance of it being used in any sort of official capacity.
Source: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Marvel Entertainment
Likely done in order to bring the character more in line with his new Mesoamerican background, this change to Atlantis is not the first such alteration made to Namor’s backstory in his leap to the silver screen.
Marvel’s first mutant has also seen his appearance take on a more ancient Aztec/Mayan-inspired look, his origin as the half-blooded son of an Atlantean and a Scottish-American sailor completely removed, and his name even given a new, more Latin pronunciation.
Source: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Marvel Entertainment
Rather than being pronounced ‘Nay-More’ like in the original comics, it will be pronounced ‘Nah-Morr’, in order to bring the character more fully in line with his new Aztec/Mayan origins.
“I have many names,” explains the wing-footed mutant in a clip from the film shared by Marvel. “My people call me Kukulkan. But my enemies call me Námor.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11th.
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