Marvel took advantage of its San Diego Comic-Con panel to make several massive announcements, including its full plans for MCU Phase 5 and Phase 6. Who’s ready for Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, and Avengers: Secret Wars?
But first we have the finale of Marvel Phase 4: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is out in November. During the panel, director Ryan Coogler and the film’s cast revealed the first trailer for this highly-anticipated sequel. It introduces several new characters and sets the stage for one of the most emotional chapters in MCU history.
Before we jump into the breakdown, check out the trailer if you haven’t already:
The first and biggest news is Namor’s arrival in the MCU. Played by Tenoch Huerta, Namor McKenzie (yes, that is actually his last name in the comics) is the son of a human father and an Atlantean princess, raised to be the king of the undersea people. He was created in 1939 by Bill Everett, long before Marvel even existed, so he has a long and storied history in comics even before he was revealed to be the first mutant of the Marvel Universe. Namor was a member of Captain America’s Invaders during World War II, and was one of the first people to encounter the Fantastic Four after they gained their powers.
He’s going to be very different on the big screen, though
This Atlantis is full of Mayan imagery and clothing, and Namor doesn’t appear to be 100+ years old. We see his cute little winged baby feet as his mother gives birth to him under the water. He shows up several times throughout the trailer, at one point staring up at Wakandan ships firing energy blasts on his encampment on a beach as M’Baku jumps off a boat to bash him. One thing that shines through this trailer that definitely exists in this depiction: Namor is a badass.
Who Is Black Panther?
We get one glimpse from behind of someone in the Black Panther armor at the end of the trailer. After Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death in 2020, there was some question about what was in store for the character moving forward – would they recast or just put a new character under the mask? There was plenty of precedent for the latter in the comics: Shuri spent a lot of time as Black Panther in the late aughts and early 2010s.
What this trailer made abundantly clear was that this movie will be honoring Boseman and his character. I don’t think anyone knew exactly what to expect out of our first look at Wakanda Forever, but I’m fairly sure it wasn’t “everybody crying and watching it over and over again,” and yet… This trailer masterfully reminded us of what a tremendous loss Boseman’s passing was. I can’t imagine they’ll recast him in this movie.
Atlantis and Wakanda
Fun story: Namor’s human father met Namor’s mother while he was on a resource hunting expedition in the Antarctic. The resource he was looking for?