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‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever After’ | Meet Namor, Underwater Prince and Rival of Wakanda in the sequel

Published

2 years ago

November 21, 2022

One of the highlights of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever After hitting theaters is anti-hero Namor, the first character in Marvel history. In this article, we will talk a little more about its origin in the comics and also its cinematic version, but rest assured, there will be a spoiler warning before there is any revelation on the plot, ok?

Created by legendary cartoonist Bill Everett, Namor was created to be a character in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, a comic strip offered by a packaging company that would be given away as a gift to children when it came out of theaters in 1939. Unfortunately , the magazine was never published, but the eight-page story of ‘The Submarine’ caught the attention of Timely Comics – the future Marvel – which eventually brought the story into its first comic book, Marvel Comics. #1, released in April 1939, making Namor the “original superhero” of this empire that dominates cinemas today.

Namor has its origins tied to the legendary lost land of Atlantis. In the comics, he appears as the son of Fen, the heiress to the throne of Atlantis, who fell in love with Captain Leonard McKenzie, a sailor who dropped explosives in the Antarctic Sea while searching for Vibranium, unaware that it was actually exploding. . part of Atlantis. Princess Fen was therefore sent to figure out what was happening and stop the destruction. The problem is that she fell in love with the expedition leader, married him on the ship itself, and they ended up having a baby. While on a mission, Leonard ended up being seriously injured by Fen’s father, King Thakorr, who took the princess home, where she discovered she was pregnant.

Back at sea, Fen gave birth to a tiny baby who could breathe underwater, had small pointed ears and very wing-like tips on her ankles. However, he attracted attention even because of the color of his skin.

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Unlike other Atlanteans, the child did not have the characteristic blue skin, he was a white baby, just like his own father. Thus, he was named Namor, which means “Avenging Son” in the Atlantean language, and was raised as a real underwater prince, acquiring all the training and special education. Additionally, he was able to breathe out of the water without needing the aid of water masks, which gave him the ability to act as a diplomatic agent, functioning as the perfect union between earth and the sea.

Then, with the start of World War II, Namor was sent to the mainland, where he intended to avenge the destruction caused to Atlantis by the constant naval battles that took the oceans in the 1940s. the original Human Torch. However, like virtually every face-off between heroic Marvel characters, the sub eventually comes to be convinced that the real villains are the Nazis.

Aware of the threats of war, Namor again assumes a more diplomatic than military role and receives an invitation to join The Invaders, the group of superheroes led by Captain America, who have made life hell for Adolf Hitler and the agents. of the Axis during World War II. Great War. With the end of the war, he becomes part of the captain’s second team, the Victorious Squadron.

And since the life of a hero is not easy, Namor even manages a peaceful life on the surface, but ends up being banished by his native land (or would that be the water?). And to make matters worse, when he manages to return to Atlantis, his kingdom is destroyed in a battle that turns him into a wanderer, seized with memory loss. This is of course the justification given for the general decline in comic book sales in the post-war period.

So, in the 1960s, Stan Lee begins the rescue of iconic characters from the Golden Age, and sets the new Human Torch, teenage Johnny Storm, of the Fantastic Four, to recognize him roaming the streets. Aware of the persona he had found, Johnny helps him remember who he really was, which leads Namor to return in despair to Atlantis, where he finds only the ruins of what his empire once was. Disgusted by what he has seen, Namor assumes his kingdom has been destroyed by the surface and returns to Earth seeking revenge. He is prevented by the Fantastic Four, starting one of the biggest rivalries and most contentious relationships in the comic world. This is because, during his invasion, he fell in love with Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, wife of Reed Richards. Defeated by the Quartet, he tries to join the Hulk, but ends up being stopped by the Avengers.

While scouring the oceans for surviving Atlanteans, Namor encountered a group of Eskimos worshiping an ice totem. Angered by the adoration, as his subjects question his preference for the earth, Namor takes the block in his hands and throws it into the water. What he didn’t know was that this rock of ice housed the frozen body of his old friend, Captain America, who was left in suspended animation after falling into the ocean during an aerial battle.

At the time it was thrown, the Avengers were on an underwater mission and found the body thawing. Startled by this underwater figure, the team brought him inside the submarine and ended up reviving Captain America in the middle of the Silver Age.

mutant

Over the years, Namor’s path has also crossed that of the X-Men. Due to his arrogant and intemperate behavior, he was never 100% on the side of any of them, but he was a member of both the X-Men and the Mutant Brotherhood, fighting the students of Charles Xavier. However, seeing how Magneto treated his team, especially the Scarlet Witch, Namor leaves the group. However, during the 1980s, Namor saw his origin partially altered, recognizing the Underwater Prince as a carrier of the mutant X gene, earning him the nickname “The First Mutant”, even though he recognized himself as an Atlantean and do anything to protect themselves. .. protect your empire.

The Terror of the Married

While not exactly a fan-favorite character, Namor is certainly known for his obsession with Sue Storm, which has earned him a nickname similar to “married sensor,” but in a less polite way of putting it.

This comes from his #1 appearance in the Fantastic Four comics, in which he fell in love with Sue at first sight, and never gave up on having her as his queen. And that’s very significant, because The Four comes out as “The Marvel Family.” They are an exemplary group that maintained this aura for a while. However, since Reed has one of the greatest minds in this universe, he has often paid more attention to his plans and ideas than to his family. And that prompted some cartoonists to suggest a possible betrayal. In alternate universes, then, the creative teams are tired of stuffing Mister Fantastic’s head with horns.

Recently, for example, a miniseries called Fantastic Four: Life Story was made, which reimagines the group’s trajectory in the comics and, influenced by the feminist movement of the 70s, Sue Storm realizes that Reed had it put in the role of maid-wife and ended up turning to Namor, who respected her, for the attention she needed.

And even harboring undying desires for Reed Richards’ wife, Namor joins the Illuminati with Mister Fantastic. They make decisions that directly influence the multiverse, but even though he was known for his temper, Namor proved to be a very reasonable leader while on the team.

At the movie theater

Despite being Marvel’s first character, Namor won’t be making his big screen debut until Thursday (10) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever After. Inhabited by Tenoch Huerta Mejía, the underwater prince has undergone some modifications in its origin.

According to the director and screenwriter of the film, Ryan Coogler, in an interview with Inverse, said that these changes were due to the fact that there have been many different depictions of Atlantis, always based on Plato’s Greek myth, and out of respect for the public, he wanted to give it a new interpretation”. And so was born Talocan, an underwater kingdom inspired by Mesoamerican culture.

Beyond the kingdom, the Namor of the cinemas is called Kukulcán by its devotees. In the Mayan culture, the Kukulcán is a very powerful deity represented by a feathered serpent, which explains the crown that Namor wears. He somehow represents the “God of the Atmosphere”, because he combines the attributes of a sun god, a thunder god and an air god.

Despite the official justification, it seems more consistent to assume that the director wanted to distance himself from Aquaman. Although DC’s rival was inspired by Namor himself, released two years later in the comics, Jason Momoa’s version, which brings an origin very close to Namor’s, came before the movies. So, in order not to generate criticism from unsuspecting fans, creative freedom was unleashed for Namor to come to the Mayan-inspired MCU.

SPOILER ALERT

From now on, there will be a brief plot reveal about the movie. We therefore suggest that you read it only after watching it.

Namor or Namor?

For years, this doubt about the pronunciation of the character’s name has permeated fans. For some, it was read “Nâmor”, for others “Namor”. Now, with the arrival of the movie, the name of the Underwater Prince has been reinterpreted and acquired a correct pronunciation: Namôr.

The film shows his Vibranium-related origins in his Mayan tribe. Then, after moving to the bottom of the sea, the prince’s mother tells him of her desire to be buried on the surface when she dies. This takes place at the time of the colonizations of America. Thus, when he arrives flying past the Spaniards, the boy is considered a demon by the Spaniards, who attack him to no effect.

Disgusted with the situation, the boy retaliates and massacres the colonizers. When he goes to kill a Jesuit, the priest curses him by calling him “demonio sin amor”. The boy then takes his name from this sound, “Namor”, the “Demon without love”. It has a much stronger meaning than “The Avenging Son”, the Atlantean meaning of his name in the comics.