Long before there was a Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were attempts to make movies based on Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who is one of Marvel’s oldest and most complex superheroes. A Namor film was under consideration as early as the late ’90s; filmmakers like Philip Kaufman and Chris Columbus were involved at various points during its long stay in development hell.
Obviously, the film never happened and now the character will join the MCU as the antagonist in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where he’s played by Tenoch Huerta Mejía. This may be hard to believe, but the actor very much would be interested in following up his Marvel debut in Wakanda Forever with a solo Namor film of his own.
In an interview with Digital Spy, he responded to a question about whether fans will soon get a Namor movie with “I would like it but I don’t know.”
He added:
It depends on what Kevin Feige says he wants. It depends on the inbox. It depends on the people, and how many tickets they buy. So please: buy a lot of tickets.
Perhaps Wakanda Forever will be a massive success, and audiences will really respond to Namor, who is a central figure in the film. It’s not impossible that Namor could get his own movie. (A Disney+ show seems like too costly a proposition.) But I think Namor’s destiny probably lies more in appearing in other Marvel projects, like the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty or Fantastic Four. Namor has history with both teams, and his fiery personality always makes him work well in group dynamics.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in theaters this Friday.
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