Aquaman Paved the Way for Namor’s Introduction in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Director Ryan Coogler Say

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Marvel Studios 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler has credited Aquaman for paving the way for Namor's introduction.  

Marvel Studios 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The director recently discussed in an interview how the creative team at Marvel aimed to distinguish their underwater antihero from DC Comics' god-like counterpart, trying to understand what the superhero fanbase might respond to.  

Marvel Studios 

“I do think that having Aquaman out in the world, in film language, and being successful in the marketplace, I think it was a great bit of indirect guidance for us to lean into the things that made Namor different from Aquaman,” he said. 

Marvel Studios 

Coogler went on to suggest that antiheroes like Namor, also known as the Sub-Mariner, had been collecting dust for years, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe prioritised other characters. 

Marvel Studios 

While both Jason Momoa's Aquaman and Tenoch Huerta's Namor are rulers of their individual submerged realms, there are a few aspects that separate the two. 

Marvel Studios 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

For starters, the latter is an antihero, sporting winged ankles and separated by two worlds — the surface and underwater — adding an extra level of inner conflict. 

Marvel Studios 

“He has to be very confident and dangerous,” Coogler explained. “It's always interesting. He has to be charismatic. Namor, in the comics, is very romantic. He hits on other people's wives, you know what I'm saying?” 

Marvel Studios 

However, adding a romantic flair to the character would mess with the tonal aspects of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which to an extent, serves as a sentimental tribute to the late lead from the original 2018 film, Chadwick Boseman 

Image credit > Unsplash

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