Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in theatres soon. Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor in the film, is making his MCU debut with Wakanda Forever. Although Namor ruled the city of Atlantis in comics, Ryan Coogler decided to introduce the character as the king of Talocan. The Mexican actor is excited about his MCU debut and shared his experience in portraying the role of the half-human prince of Atlantis.
The Forever Purge star shared that the movie came with a huge responsibility to play the character well, as it is a part of the MCU. The actor took 90-minute swimming classes to prepare for the role. He also shared that if he gets the opportunity, he would love to star in a solo film based on Namor in the MCU. Although the studio hasn’t confirmed anything so far, his first appearance would surely not be the last one.
Tenoch Huerta Wanted a Greeting Sign for Talocan
One of the things about the 2018 Black Panther that made it stand out from others was its appreciation for the African culture. From clothes to rituals, filmmakers presented everything in detail. The director also gave the kingdom of Wakanda its own greeting sign.
Director Ryan Coolger revealed that he received inspiration for the sign from the West African sculptures. The sculptures had their arms crossed over each other on top of the chest, and it represents a hug, a love in ASL.
Tenoch Huerta who is portraying Namor in Black Panther 2, shared that he also wanted a greeting sign for Talocan. The Hell star and the actors playing Talocan members went to Ryan Coogler and suggested having a greeting sign for the kingdom of Talocan as well.
Huerta said, “I’m passionate about my history, my roots in Mexican, Latin America.” The Marvel star then shared that he knew some things from ancient cultures, some signals, and how respectful they are. He further shared, “We decided to do this to find a kind of identity, cellular, and I think its really accurate.”
The Spectre actor also mentioned that there were some professionals from the Mayan community, and they provided all the information to create a background for the fantastic world in a respective way.
Talocan And Namor Are Influenced by Mesoamerican And Mayan Culture
The director Ryan Coogler impressed everyone with the representation of the African culture in the 2018 film. In the sequel, the director has introduced Namor and the underwater kingdom of Talocan which is highly influenced by the Mesoamerican culture.
He worked closely with the professionals from the Mayan community to get the details right and be respectful towards them at the same time. While improvising the character as the king of Talocan instead of Atlantis, director Ryan Coogler decided to form a civilization that shared history with the Mayans.
“I think when Ryan and all the team decided to give Namor this background, it was a fantastic move and I think now is the perfect moment to speak about it,” Tenoch acknowledged during the press conference.
Other changes made in Namor’s character include him being the first documented mutant. The MCU has not officially introduced any mutants yet. And unlike comics, Namor is introduced as a mutant in Wakanda Forever.
This opens up more possibilities for the character to be involved in the future of the MCU, as the studio is planning to introduce X-Men following phase 6.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to release on November 11, 2022.
Source: YouTube
