Black Panther 2 Art Imagines a Face-Off With Doctor Doom & Namor

A new piece of fan art for Black Panther 2 imagines Namor and Doctor Doom as the villains of the movie. The first Black Panther starring Chadwick Boseman was released in 2018 and was a huge success for Disney. The film broke multiple records, including highest-grossing solo superhero movie, and scoring three Academy Awards. Disney was quick to announce the sequel, with Ryan Coogler returning to write and direct the sequel.

Little is known about Black Panther 2‘s story, but Namor the Sub-Mariner has long been rumored to be the villain. Namor is one of Marvel’s oldest superheroes, with the character dating back to 1939. The character is often considered a Marvel anti-hero, and Namor has been teased in the MCU a few times. The character was first teased in Iron Man 2 back in 2009, before being hinted at again in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Agents of SHIELD, and Avengers: Endgame. Avengers: Endgame actually had the clearest tease of Namor, with Okoye talking about underwater earthquakes near Africa.

Now, digital artist ApexForm has imagined how he will finally be introduced to the MCU. The artwork showcases Black Panther going up against Namor, while Doctor Doom looms in the background. ApexForm’s original piece can be seen below:

While Marvel seems to be sprinkling clues of Namor’s existence into the MCU, they have yet to tease Doctor Doom. This is mainly because, until the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, they didn’t have the rights to the character. Now, there is a strong possibility fans could see Doctor Doom in the MCU very soon. Thanos was defeated at the end of Avengers: Endgame, and Marvel no doubt knows who the next big bad of the MCU is going to be. Many fans think Doctor Doom could fill that role, especially since a new Fantastic Four movie is officially in development.

At this point, it’s anybody’s guess what the story of Black Panther 2 will be, and Coogler obviously had to make major adjustments to the script after Boseman tragically passed away last August. Narcos: Mexico star Tenoch Huerta will play the main villain in Black Panther 2, but in typical Marvel fashion, it hasn’t been announced who he will be playing. Many superhero movies suffer from stuffing too many villains into a single movie, but Black Panther 2 could benefit from having two villains if Namor is involved in the script. Given Namor’s role in the comic books, Namor may turn from villain to hero to join the Avengers and could even help fight against a larger threat. However, all of this is purely speculation at this point, and fans will have to wait until next year to find out what Black Panther 2 will really be about.