Black Panther 2’s Namor Actor Reflects On Chadwick Boseman’s Legacy

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actor Tenoch Huerta reflects on Chadwick Boseman’s legacy. Huerta plays Namor in the Black Panther sequel, a new character who is expected to be the villain of the MCU movie, though plot details are still under wraps. Black Panther 2 is directed by Ryan Coogler and stars returning actors Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Guria, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, and Martin Freeman.

Boseman led Wakanda as its king, T’Challa, in the original Black Panther. The actor debuted the MCU character in 2016 with Captain America: Civil War, and went on to appear in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame alongside his fellow heroes. While T’Challa was originally set to appear in Black Panther 2, Boseman tragically passed away in 2020 after suffering with colon cancer, leaving the sequel without his character. Thus, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was tasked with crafting a new storyline and power structure in the absence of Boseman’s Wakandan hero. The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer pays tribute to both T’Challa and Boseman through a black-and-white wall mural of the character, and also teases his so-far mysterious successor for the role of Black Panther.

In a recent interview with Black Girl Nerds, Huerta explains how Boseman’s legacy has impacted the cast of Black Panther 2 and his own character, Namor. The actor spoke highly of the late actor, saying his legacy is “powerful” and “extraordinary.” Huerta went on to say that the cast could “feel [Boseman’s] presence” during filming. While briefly addressed Namor’s relationship with T’Challa, Huerta said their comic book dynamic imitates his real life awe of Boseman. Read Huerta’s full comments below:

“My character, and personally, it is fun because my character has a deep admiration for Black Panther, T’Challa. But me as an actor, and as a simple human being, what Chadwick means is so powerful, so deep. It’s extraordinary. And it’s, yeah, it’s a big inspiration. So in different levels, in the fiction and in real life, to be part of this, feel his presence and the legacy through the people that was involved in this project is fantastic. As I mentioned a moment before, it’s like his shadow is in the wall. So you line the shadow and then you put a lot of colors and music and love and you are a part of that, because it’s your colors as well. You know, your culture, your music is there, and it’s beautiful to be part of that, you know what I mean?” 

Given that Namor is likely the main villain of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it is interesting to hear Huerta specifically cite his character’s admiration of T’Challa. In the Marvel comics, the pair experience both friendship and rivalry, but perhaps Huerta’s specific focus on the positive hints at a differing take on Namor and T’Challa’s backstory in the MCU movie. Of course, it makes sense that Huerta himself would have deep respect for Boseman’s legacy, who made a potent mark on the film industry before his death. Before taking on Black Panther, Boseman played some of the most iconic Black figures from history, including Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get on Up.

With Huerta stressing Namor’s admiration of T’Challa, it will be interesting to see how his character is shaped in the film, and how that may differ from the comics. Perhaps Huerta merely expressed Namor’s love of T’Challa because he was speaking in conjunction with his own feelings of respect for Boseman. Alternatively, this could indicate that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could be slightly altering Namor from the source material. With T’Challa not appearing in Wakanda Forever, that relationship dynamic will have to be at least slightly, if not entirely, different from the pair’s interactions in the comics. As more Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailers are revealed, viewers might get a better sense of Namor in advance of the sequel’s November release.