The upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” sees the long-awaited screen debut of the character Namor the Submariner.
Tenoch Huerta takes on the role of the undersea-dwelling mutant who, in this version, is the ruler of the underwater Talocan kingdom, which comes into conflict with the land kingdom of Wakanda.
Though Namor debuted in the comics several years beforehand, rival DC property “Aquaman” made it to the screen first with the 2018 James Wan-directed film starring Jason Momoa. Inevitable comparisons are already being readied, but Huerta spoke with Total Film (via Games Radar) about the key differences:
“Namor is very different from Aquaman. Jason is a fantastic actor, and he’s great at making that character. These two characters are so different. Their motivations are the opposite. I mean, it’s an honor to be compared with different actors, but I think that, this time, people are going to find that we are speaking about different things.”
He reveals that they have made some changes to elements of his character from the comics, such as his character having a fiery temper:
“But at the same time, he’s [also] sensitive. He has this philosophy that the king is not a ruler. The king is the first servant of the people. He has to serve his people. He has to protect his people. This aspect is new for the character.”
This leads to the conflict with Wakanda, which opened up to the world at the end of the first film. Producer Nate Moore explains to the outlet some of the ramifications of that decision:
“These two isolationist nations that are incredibly powerful – probably more powerful than any other nations in the world – [are] figuring out how they can both co-exist. The film is very much about Wakanda opening up its borders to some degree, and impacting Namor’s world in a way that’s unexpected. Namor kind of comes to Wakanda with a proposal that’s not unlike, you know, one of the five families coming with a proposal. And Wakanda is having to figure out how to negotiate with this world power that isn’t afraid of it, frankly.”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will hit theaters on November 11th.
