Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Namor Directly Sets Up Wolverine

The introduction of Namor as a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sets up more mutants coming to the MCU, including fan-favorite hero, Wolverine. Marvel Studios has been slowly integrating mutants into its roster since Disney acquired properties from Fox in 2019, so now, mutants have appeared in several MCU projects, including Kamala Khan in Ms. Marvel, 838-Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Wolverine in 2024's Deadpool 3. The abilities that Namor demonstrates as a mutant will help to create firm rules for all the MCU's mutants, perfectly setting up the likes of Wolverine for a permanent stay in the franchise.

Among Namor's mutant abilities, including flight and enhanced strength, is an elongated life span that has allowed him to live for centuries (he was born in 1571) while barely aging. This attribute could become hugely important to the future of mutants in the MCU, especially in the case of Wolverine, whose regenerative healing factor means that he also hardly ages despite being born in the late 19th century. Marvel Studios could allow more mutants to be gifted a longer life because of their mutation, which could be good news for the MCU's X-Men, most of whom have rich backstories in key points during history that would be difficult to adapt. As such, by introducing a character with an extended lifespan, the MCU is effectively setting up its Wolverine and other characters like him.

Namor Sets Up Mutants With Unusually Long Lifespans

There are several mutants featured in Marvel Comics with unnaturally long life spans, which Namor's debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever now creates the opportunity to see in the MCU. The fact that his elongated lifespan doesn't seem to be connected to an advanced healing factor also suggests that it's simply due to Namor's MCU mutation, especially since Namor states, "I was a mutant... I could age slower," implying that the other Talokanil people age at a normal rate despite being able to heal. If this is the case, then many of the MCU's mutants could have a longer life span than any normal human, whether they can heal or not.

Namor's long life perfectly sets the stage for Wolverine's introduction into the MCU, especially after realizing that Namor has been living in the background of the MCU since long before it started, meaning Wolverine probably has been lurking behind the scenes as well. The teases for Wolverine during She-Hulk: Attorney at Law seem to suggest that the character is already active, so it's only a matter of time before he shows his face. Namor's debut in Wakanda Forever has provided some incredibly important mutant lore that will inform how Wolverine, among several other seemingly ageless mutants, is brought into the MCU.

What Other Mutants Does Namor Potentially Set Up?

Namor rising out of the waters of Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Namor's long life in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could set up the likes of Selene, the Forever Man, and potentially even En Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse. Aside from them, mutants such as Magneto and Professor X, who have strong connections to very specific eras of history, could be given a longer life span in the MCU to keep their histories comic-accurate. This would certainly make stories such as Magneto's all the more powerful, since the basis of his philosophy stems from his time during the Holocaust, so Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could be one of the most significant MCU projects thanks to Namor's debut as a long-living mutant.

Next: Marvel Confirms How Long Mutants Have Been In The MCU