Namor

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seems important not only for the future of the next Black Panther but also for Namor.

As you can see from the trailer and in majority of the TV spots that have been released, the Tenoch Huerta’s Namor does seem to have a considerable amount of screen time in this movie.

In the trailer, M’Baku seems to be referring Namor as Kukulkán, the feather serpent god. This god also finds his place in some of the real world cultures. That’s what this post is about.

Is Namor a God or a Mutant?

Although, Marvel Studios currently wants the fans to believe that Namor is a God, he really must have been mistaken by the Talocans. He might be under the same kind of pressure that T’Challa was. In the trailer, you can see his birth then he’s painting on the walls and then you see him as a leader.

Namor: A Mutant mistaken as a God
Image Source – Marvel

But the way the trailer focuses on the bits of his story, it very well seems to me that this is just a Talocan Leader blinded by rage. A leader who’s willing to do anything to protect his nation from outside threats. But because of the cultural beliefs, his people see him as a God.

The biggest reveal comes from the actor Tenoch Huerta who has himself stated that Namor is a mutant. In the comics too, Namor is introduced first. The real Kukulkán debuts later on and goes against the X-Men.

Other than that, in the comics too there’s a familiar trope of mutants being mistaken as gods because of the powers they have. One more interesting hint that the trailer gives away is the fact that Phase 5 will too have Namor in it. Hence, it makes sense to give him the character arc of a mutant rather than that of a god.

You’ll probably see The Feather Serpent God struggling in the second half of Wakanda Forever.

The Dilemma over Namor might explain Mutants in the MCU

Black Panther 2 might just reveal if mutants have existed all along in the MCU. This is something that the modern X-men comics follow where mutants are just better evolved species. On the other hand, traditionally, mutants are portrayed as a group of individuals who tend to be different and hence everyone is against them.

Marvel has never officially used the term mutants before as they didn’t have the rights to those characters. But now things have changed. Ms. Marvel is already the first mutant in the MCU. Marvel will soon dive into the world of mutants.

This movie might make clear this dilemma.

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