We’re just 10 days away from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiere, but leaks have already revealed some new details about the movie. And as expected, new details continue to trickle out ahead of the movie’s release, including some that relate to mysteries from the film. Like the significance of the name Namor, the villain of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Names don’t always have to mean something in superhero movies. But when you have superhero names like Iron Man, Spider-Man, or The Invisible Woman, you will wonder about every other name out there. The names of villains do not always have to have any hidden meaning. Thanos is one example. But for Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the meaning of the name might be essential to understanding the character.
Before we get to all that, you should know that some spoilers might follow below.
The Black Panther 2 villain
Until recently, there was a belief that Namor would not be the main villain of Wakanda Forever. He’ll be the main antagonist, sure. But someone else might be pulling the strings, pitting Talocan against Wakanda. Rumors said that Doctor Doom was that person, and Marvel would tease him in a credits scene.
But the studio made it abundantly clear in recent comments that Doctor Doom wasn’t meant to appear in Wakanda Forever. Namor is the real villain of the movie. That disclosure came from Marvel producer Nate Moore, who also touched on how Namor is pronounced.
Namor is a Latin superhero, but not everyone in the movie (or real life) will say it correctly. That’s something that happens in real life, and Moore touched on that.
Moore explained that the intention was to highlight this part of our culture, the way name pronunciation can change depending on where you are and who is talking to you. Moore also teased that Namor got this name from someone in the movie.
“But there is certainly a way a Spanish speaker or even a Mayan speaker would say ‘Namor’ versus the way an English speaker or someone who is a bit Western in slant [would say the name].”
What does Namor mean for Wakanda Forever?
Interestingly, Namor says in an extended Wakanda Forever scene that he has different names. Namor isn’t what his people call him. It’s the name his enemies use.
This brings us to Marvel’s Victoria Alonso and her interview with Deadline from the Wakanda Forever Red Carpet premiere. She explained that Namor is short for “El niño sin amor.” That means “the boy without love” in Spanish. The boy who grew up without love.
Namor would translate to “No love.” And that’s the kind of name that should make some of his enemies tremble.
As Moore said, we’ll discover the origin of the Namor name once we watch Wakanda Forever. But now that we know what it means, it’ll be interesting to see how Marvel’s story will evoke this character’s love-less past.
Finally, we’ll remind you that name meaning aside, Namor is a mutant in the MCU. And this is a fact, not a rumor, making the whole character all the more exciting.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres on November 11th, at which point we’ll know everything about Namor and what happens to this antihero in the sequel.
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