Namor Being A Mutant Is Huge For The MCU's X-Men Introduction

The decision to make Namor a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an important step toward introducing the MCU’s take on the X-Men. It’s been confirmed that when Marvel brings the Savage Sub-Mariner to the big screen in the Black Panther sequel, Tenoch Huerta’s character will share his comic counterpart’s mutant origin.

Even though Marvel has already confirmed that mutants exist in the MCU via a reveal in the Ms. Marvel finale, what Black Panther 2 is doing with Namor has huge implications for how the studio plans to approach the X-Men. When Ms. Marvel confirmed that Kamala Khan is a mutant, there was some confusion over how they acquired their powers. Since her abilities were triggered by her grandmother’s bracelet, it was suspected that Marvel had created a new requirement for a character’s mutant abilities to be activated. But it would seem, based on Black Panther 2, that this won’t be the case. Apparently, mutants like Namor have been living on Earth in secret for decades.

It Should Be Easy To Introduce The MCU's X-Men

Namor flies in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

What Marvel appears to be doing with Namor the Sub-Mariner is exactly the way it should be for the rest of its mutant characters. Marvel doesn’t need a complicated explanation for the mutants’ absence from the MCU. Instead, Marvel should keep the solution simple by having it understood that mutants have been laying low or just not doing enough to justify references or any sort of acknowledgment in the Infinity Saga. It makes sense that they’ve always been around. After all, there doesn’t need to be a special reason for why the X-Men suddenly forms, whether it be in the next few years or sometime in Phase 7.

Avoiding a more complex route is for the best, primarily because it’ll allow Marvel to casually introduce new heroes and villains whenever it wants. Perfect examples of this are She-Hulk: Attorney At Law’s El Aguila and Mr. Immortal, who are most likely MCU mutants. Marvel didn’t explain how they got their powers, nor did that ever seem necessary. Similar to how She-Hulk brought these characters into the fold, Marvel can bring in more mutants and future members of the X-Men whenever the situation calls for it and without having to provide individual origin stories for every character’s powers.

Do The X-Men Already Exist In The MCU?

As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s approach to Namor has proven, several X-Men heroes and villains may be living quietly in the MCU. There’s no evidence that the team itself has formed, of course, but it is possible that characters like Cyclops, Storm, and Angel have already discovered their mutant abilities and are currently dealing with them in their own way. One X-Man in particular, Wolverine, already seems to be causing trouble in the MCU. A headline that mentioned a man with “metal claws” fighting in a bar in She-Hulk certainly gave the impression that Wolverine is already out there somewhere.