Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduces Tenoch Huerta's Namor, ruler of the underwater kingdom of Talokan, who is set to go up against Wakanda and the new Black Panther – though why the two sides come to blows is a mystery for now.
But, considering Wakanda holds so much importance to so many people, that makes playing a character who's intent on causing the nation harm a fairly complex role. Huerta opened up on the nuances of bringing his character to life in a press conference attended by Total Film.
"It is tricky when you have a character like this, because you're the antagonist, and you are going to destroy something that is valuable, not just in the story, but the people outside. A lot of people feel identification with Wakanda," Huerta explained. "I include myself in Wakanda, the narrative and the representation and everything. So now I have to play the bad guy who destroys, or tries to destroy, that legacy.
"But at the same time, I think, Ryan [Coogler, director], the script, he found a way to make it human, to justify why the people do that kind of thing," he continued. "It doesn't mean that it's okay or not, right or not, but it explains. Maybe it's not an excuse but it's a reason, it's an explanation for why the things happen, why do people choose different reactions in front of the grief or menace or whatever – the threats in life. And that's beautiful, because it's human. So we have these two characters taking different decisions with the grief and the threats."
Plus, as Huerta explained, Namor and Black Panther have common ground. "They share the same wound, historically, the representation of their cultures. But at the same time, as individuals, they share that wound. How they solve the problem is about their personality, their own history. So that's beautiful. That balance in a superhero movie and these layers are fantastic. It doesn't happen too much. It's enjoyable."
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters this November 11 as the final movie of Marvel Phase 4. In the meantime, check out our roundup of all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else the MCU has on the way.
