As exciting as watching a character develop on screen, it is even more entertaining to see how they were envisioned and developed in concept art. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever character Namor is depicted in never-before-seen concept art by Marvel animator Joshua James.
The abandoned concept art reminds us of Namor from John Romita SrSub-Mariner .’s #67 from the 1970s. It features a regal-looking Namor holding his trademark golden staff while wearing his recognizable black and blue attire and golden gauntlets. It is interesting to see how the Talokan emperor was initially imagined, even though director Ryan Coogler chose James’ Namor appearance with Mayan influences instead.
Tenoch Huerta Meja, who plays Namor, expressed displeasure with the Speedo-style shorts he had to wear for the movie. Huerta referred to his Speedo as his “shame shorts.” At the same time, Wakanda Forever was being filmed because of the humiliating trek he had to make to his trailer. Whether Huerta was dressed in a Speedo, a Mayan-inspired costume, or an Anthony Francisco-created warrior persona, he submerged himself fully in the character’s role.
Tenoch Huerta plays Namor in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie from Marvel Studios.
One of the first Marvel Comics characters is Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Throughout his comic book career, he has been portrayed as a hero, a villain, and an antihero. But in Wakanda Forever, he makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. Whether Namor is a hero or a villain in the movie is up to the audience to determine. They are encouraged to share his determination to defend his underwater realm even though they disagree with his choices and tactics, such as his desire to capture and kill Riri Williams and to drown Queen Ramonda pointlessly.
Coogler has been commended for letting the viewer sympathize with Namor’s position “even if the radicalism inside that argument makes his decisions inherently problematic.” At the same time, Ross Bonaime, writing a review of Wakanda Forever, likened Namor’s complexity to Killmonger in Black Panther.
On February 1, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be available on Disney+, and on February 7, it will also be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD. Examine James’ Instagram for the concept art for Namor that was never used.
