This article is part of a directory: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Guide - News, Easter Eggs, Reviews, Theories and Rumors
Table of contents

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler has explained why Namor is the sequel's villain instead of Doctor Doom.

Speaking with the Toronto Sun, Coogler discussed the reasons behind his decision to make Namor the villain of Wakanda Forever. "[Doom is] an incredible character in publishing," the director said. "He’s one of the big ones. Unlike Namor, [there have] been several different representations of him in film. So I think that’s what excited me the most about Namor, was that there hadn’t been any representations. You didn’t have any baggage of any other actors or any other performances or any other movies, it was just publishing for Namor. I think Doom is a little different. But man, what an incredible character."

RELATED: How Black Panther 2's Take on Namor Was Inspired by Terminator 2

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Doctor Doom first appeared in 1962's The Fantastic Four #5. While he has occasionally been depicted as an antihero, Doctor Doom is usually portrayed as a villain, coming into conflict with the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the X-Men on several occasions in the comics. The character has previously appeared in all four live-action Fantastic Four films, portrayed by Joseph Culp (1994's unreleased The Fantastic Four), Julian McMahon (2005's Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel) and Toby Kebbell (2015's Fantastic Four). Despite rumors that Doctor Doom would appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studio's VP of Production & Development Nate Moore has stated that the character was never considered for the film after they decided on Namor as the film's antagonist.

The Surface World Welcomes Namor

Tenoch Huerta will portray the mutant Namor the Sub-Mariner in Wakanda Forever, who is revealed to be the leader of the Talocan, an Aztec-inspired underwater world, in the film. Although Coogler and Moore refer to Namor as Wakanda Forever's primary antagonist, Huerta has insisted that his character should be seen as an anti-hero and not a villain. "Latin-Americans are always the bad guys in Hollywood movies. And now we are the heroes -- or an anti-hero, in this instance," Huerta said. Namor was one of the first anti-heroes in comic books, having repeatedly fought alongside or against the Avengers and the X-Men. His anti-hero tendencies will seemingly continue into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's official synopsis has hinted at Namor being both an ally and an enemy of Wakanda.

RELATED: How Black Panther's Director Claimed 'Dibs' on Namor While Working on the First Film

Huerta is one of several new additions to the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is mostly composed of returning stars from the original 2018 film. Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Martin Freeman and Angela Bassett will all reprise their roles from 2018's Black Panther. Dominique Thorne and Michaela Coel also star.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in theaters on Nov. 11.

Source: Toronto Sun