Namor's Mutant Powers In The MCU Explained Properly

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced Tenoch Huerta to the MCU as Namor the Sub-Mariner, a mutant from the underwater city of Talokan, raising the question of the extent of his mutant abilities. Namor was first introduced to Marvel Comics in 1939, making him one of the first Marvel characters in history. Originally from the underwater city of Atlantis, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever shifted Namor's culture to align with ancient Central American history, renaming it Talokan, despite still keeping much of Namor's mutant abilities the same from the comics.

In the MCU, Namor self-identifies as a mutant to Shuri while explaining his complicated history. While divulging how his people came to be, as well as the origins of their underwater abilities from a plant similar to Wakanda and the Black Panther's Heart-Shaped Herb, Namor mentions that he is a mutant among his people. Namor's origin is slightly different from the comics, in that both of his parents are human, and his underwater abilities came from the plant his mother ingested while pregnant. His mutant gene also, as stated by Namor, endowed him with wings on his ankles and his pointed ears.

What Mutant Powers Namor Has In The MCU

The wings Namor was born with on his ankles led to his people calling him K'uk'ulkan, the Feathered Serpent God. This mutation, which provides Namor with the ability to fly, alongside his pointed ears differentiates him from other Talokan citizens. Additionally, because the MCU slightly changed Namor's origin, his more human abilities also count as a mutation. Namor is able to breathe both on land and in the sea, unlike the other people of Talokan. Namor's skin also remains human-colored, as opposed to the blue skin of the others who ingested the mysterious plant. The reason why these abilities count as a mutation, when they did not in the comics, come from the slight changes to Namor's comic book origins.

How Namor's MCU Powers Compare To The Comics

In the comics, Namor's ability to breathe above and below water comes from the fact that his father was a human, and his mother, an Atlantean. This shows Namor's similarity to Aquaman, despite their obvious differences in other ways, which further explains why Marvel Studios chose to change Namor's origins slightly. In the comics, Namor's differences from other Atlanteans are explained using his half-human genealogy, with his underwater abilities being explained by his Atlantean side.

However, the MCU shows that Namor was born to two human parents, and it was only the plant that gave his people underwater abilities. Because Namor's mother was pregnant with him upon ingesting the plant, its effects altered him somewhat. Namor was born without blue skin, with pointed ears and wings on his feet, as well as both human and underwater abilities unlike others of his race that now need to use water masks to go to the surface. This slight origin change makes Namor's duality more of a mutant ability than the comics, as it cannot be explained by his genealogy alongside the wings and his different appearance.

On top of Namor's ability to fly, and his ability to survive both above and below sea level, Namor retains his superhuman strength, durability, agility, senses, and reflexes that are present in Marvel Comics. While not explicitly explained in the film, Namor and other Talokan residents also have empathy and telepathy with, as well as control over, marine life. Despite all of these powers being the same, there are some notable differences. In the comics, Namor is somewhat fireproof, something that cannot be said for the MCU's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever version after he is badly burned in the film's climactic final fight scene.

Can Namor Regrow His Foot Wing After Black Panther 2?

There has been one instance in the comics in which Namor lost his ankle wings. During a fight with a pollution-based being named Sluj, Namor's wings were burned off. Namor then went without his ability to fly for a time, before the comics introduced a villain named Suma-Ket. During the battle with Suma-Ket, Namor was defeated, only to be brought back to life by Neptune, Atlantis' deity. In doing so, Neptune restored Namor to his former strength, restoring his wings in the process.

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the final fight sees Shuri, as the new Black Panther, cutting off the tips of one of Namor's wings. While it is unlikely that the MCU goes the same route as the comics to restore Namor's wing, it is still likely that it will be restored. One thing that Black Panther 2 put a huge emphasis on, in terms of Namor's abilities, was his healing factor when exposed to water. It is likely that this healing factor extends to his wings, and they are simply healed over time upon Namor's return to Talokan.

How Powerful Is Namor Compared To The MCU's Strongest Characters?

Another thing heavily emphasized in the MCU is Namor's sheer strength. At multiple points throughout Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor shows incredible feats of strength and power. From throwing entire vehicles including helicopters and Wakandan ships with ease to going toe-to-toe with Shuri as the Black Panther, Namor's strength goes beyond many others in the MCU leading many to question if Namor is possibly as powerful as Thanos. While this is unlikely, M'Baku himself even compares Namor's strength to the Hulk's at one point in the film, exemplifying just how strong Namor is.

In the MCU's history, only Hulk and Captain Marvel have been shown to easily overpower vehicles much bigger than themselves with those two characters often considered the MCU's strongest in terms of sheer strength. Thor was also seen to have immense strength when placed in direct combat with the Hulk and Thanos, as well as holding open a forge powered by a star which puts him in a similar tier of power. Because of this, it can be assumed that Namor's strength rivals that of Captain Marvel, Hulk, and even Thor, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever potentially introducing one of the strongest MCU characters going forward.

Next: Does Namor's Talokan Exist In Marvel Comics?