A new rumor may reveal who will play Namora in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
According to Murphy's Multiverse, Mabel Cadena has joined the sequel in the role of Namora, the cousin of Atlantean ruler Namor. No further details have been revealed about the potential casting, though the site pointed out that the actor has been in the Atlanta area -- where Black Panther 2 is currently filming -- and has also been showing off her progress at the gym via social media.
While the arrival of Atlantis and Namor has been rumored for years, things picked up steam when Avengers: Endgame featured Wakandan warrior Okoye mentioning an underwater earthquake. Rumors continued to swirl until word broke in June that Narcos: Mexico and Spectre star Tenoch Huerta had been cast as Namor. The rumors also mentioned that Marvel was seeking other actors of Mexican descent for two Mayan warrior roles that were reportedly Namora and the villainous Attuma.
Further evidence emerged last month of the arrival of the Atlanteans in a production piece that detailed the shared history between Wakanda and Atlantis -- something comic book readers will be very familiar with.
"Both Wakanda and Atlantis are hidden civilizations with advanced technology and increased militaristic abilities that decided to separate themselves from the rest of the world for their own safety, and in a way, out of fear," the description reads. "Wakanda feared that their technology would be abused. Atlantis feared that surface dwellers would come and desecrate the mythical city just as they did so many years ago. And yet their fears escalate even further when these two once-hidden nations clash with each other."
Created by Ken Bald, Bob Powell, and an unknown writer, Namora, also known as Aquaria Nautica Neptunia, made her debut way back in 1947's Marvel Mystery Comics #82. A powerful warrior with super-strength and -speed along with flight, Namora has also been a long-serving member of Jimmy Woo's Agents of Atlas. Cadena has made a name for herself on Spanish-language dramas like Netflix's Ingobernable and Monarcha and Amazon Prime's Hernán.
Outside of the rumored involvement of Atlantis and Namor, no details about the plot of Black Panther 2 -- and how it will address the absence of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa -- have been revealed by Marvel.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and possibly the debut of Atlantis in the MCU, arrives in theaters July 8, 2022.
Source: Murphy's Multiverse