Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will bring Namor the Sub-Mariner to the MCU, and the aquatic anti-hero’s introduction could have come at a better time. While far from the first superhero to appear in the MCU film franchise, Namor is Marvel’s first comic book superhero, debuting in 1939. Namor is also connected to almost all corners of the Marvel universe, fighting alongside (or against) The Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men, so his MCU debut is fittingly coming at a time when the latter two are joining the franchise as well.
The Marvel Comics universe (Earth-616) began in 1939 with Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, whose first story was the origin of Namor the Sub-Mariner. Namor’s origin story was later reprinted in the more widely-available first issue of Marvel Comics, which also includes the first appearances of the Golden Age incarnations of The Human Torch and Ka-Zar. While perhaps not well-known to mainstream filmgoers, Namor the Sub-Mariner is one of the most important superheroes in Marvel’s comics.
Tenoch Huerta will play Namor the Sub-Mariner in Black Panther 2, where he appears to be opposing Shuri and the nation of Wakanda. This is consistent with Namor’s comic counterpart, who is often regarded as an anti-hero due to his inconsistent allyship and opposition to the Marvel universe’s heroes. Since Namor frequently finds himself at odds with the Fantastic Four, who will kick off the MCU’s Phase 6, Namor’s introduction is particularly fitting. Moreover, Namor is not only an Atlantean, but also half-human and a mutant, who was at various points a member of the X-Men, Avengers, and Illuminati, among other Marvel superhero teams. This link to multiple MCU properties makes his arrival in Black Panther 2 ideal for the future of the franchise.
How Namor Is Connected To The Fantastic Four & Mutants
In the Marvel Comics universe and likely the MCU as well, mutants are humans who are born with superpowers due to the X-gene. Although neither of Namor’s parents (a human father and Atlantean mother) are mutants, he was born with the X-gene, making him a mutant. Mutants have already been introduced to the MCU via Ms. Marvel, and while the MCU’s inevitable X-Men adaptation has yet to be officially announced, Namor will likely be the franchise’s second mutant character who will no doubt play a role in the MCU’s X-Men property.
The Fantastic Four movie is set to be the first installment of the MCU’s Phase 6, and the famous team has a long history with Namor in the comics. After a hiatus between the Golden Age of comics and Marvel’s resurgence in the early 1960s, Namor was brought back into the Marvel universe in an early issue of Fantastic Four, where he often opposed the titular superhero team (and infamously created a love triangle with Sue Storm and Reed Richards). It’s easy to imagine Namor returning in the MCU’s Fantastic Four movie after his debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
- The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
- Captain America: New World Order (2024)Release date: May 03, 2024
- Fantastic Four (2024)Release date: Nov 08, 2024
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2025)Release date: May 02, 2025
- Avengers: Secret Wars (2025)Release date: Nov 07, 2025