Black Panther 2 Trailer Strongly Hints Namor Is A Mutant In The MCU

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s trailer hints that Namor the Sub-Mariner is a mutant in the MCU. For a long time now, it’s been a badly kept secret that the Avenging Son would make his live-action debut in the Black Panther sequel. And with the trailer reveal at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Namor’s arrival in the MCU has finally been acknowledged by Marvel.

How it will handle his introduction was teased by the footage in the Black Panther 2 trailer, which also includes major Namor the Sub-Mariner characters Attuma and Namora. It appears that for the MCU, Marvel will scrap their Atlantis connections and drop the mythical kingdom from their story altogether. Instead of introducing Namor as Atlantean royalty, it seems the Sub-Mariner and his people will hail from an underwater civilization near South America. According to merchandise for the movie, Namor’s kingdom is Talocan, a realm tied to Aztec mythology. Obviously, Marvel reinventing the character as an Aztec god would make his MCU backstory drastically different from the source material.

One thing that Marvel may not be changing about Namor the Sub-Mariner’s origin is his mutant DNA. Originally, there was speculation that Marvel would avoid Namor’s ankle wings or make them part of his costume, but the trailer confirms this won’t be the case. One shot shows a baby Namor with wings on his ankles. In the comics, this was a unique nature of his physiology, as the rest of his people didn’t have them. Head-to-toe looks at his allies in the movie proves that this distinction will carry over to the MCU. Namor being the only member of his race with ankle wings provides evidence that he is indeed is a mutant. In Marvel Comics, the ability of flight granted to him by his wings was considered his primary mutant power.

What Namor Being A Mutant Would Mean For The MCU & X-Men

Marvel confirming Namor’s mutant origin as MCU canon would continue the X-Men setup began by Ms. Marvel. In the show’s final episode, the show made Kamala Khan the MCU’s first mutant. Black Panther 2 could then follow that up by making Namor – who is commonly referred to as Marvel’s First Mutant in the comics – the MCU’s second mutant. Going in this direction would be huge, especially since it would help make the mutants feel a bit more visible in the MCU ahead of their official introduction. Having Namor in particular established as a mutant could be important as well, considering that Namor does have X-Men connections in Marvel Comics. In the 2000s and 2010s, Marvel aligned him with the team and had him share multiple interactions with key characters like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Professor X. Marvel would open a doorway to some of these stories happening in the MCU if it keeps Namor’s mutant link.

Plus, Namor being a mutant in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would also just make sense for Tenoch Huerta’s character in general. Due to the fact that he doesn’t have blue skin, Namor most likely has one human parent (like his comic parent), but his hyrbrid background can only explain so much. It might can account for his immense strength, but not his wings, since they clearly come from neither race. That’s where an explanation similar to Ms. Marvel’s “mutation” line could come into play.