By now, Marvel fans will know that the character of Namor in the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is going to be much different than the character from the original comic books. Yes, he is still a mutant, but today’s Namor, played by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta, is no longer the ruler of Atlantis. Instead, he is the leader of another underwater kingdom, this one with Mesoamerican roots, known as Talocan.
During a recent interview with Deadline on the red carpet, Marvel executive Victoria Alonso revealed another change to the character – this time regarding his name. According to Marvel, Namor’s name originally meant “Avenging Son” in Atlantean. However, since Namor doesn’t hail from Atlantis in Wakanda Forever, it makes sense that the meaning of his name has changed, too.
“El niño sin amor,” Alonso said, offering the meaning of Namor in Spanish, which translates to “the boy without love” in English. “That’s why they call him Namor.”
During a previous interview from the red carpet with Variety, Huerta gave a reason as to why changing Namor’s background was a significant decision for the highly anticipated film.
“It’s important for people to see themselves in the movies in this way,” Huerta said. “It was made with a lot of respect for the Mesoamerican culture, especially Mayan culture. It’s the roots of almost everybody in Latin America. We have indigenous roots, Black roots, we have a few white roots, but it’s fantastic to be here and represent this kind of movie and I think Wakanda is the best place to make it.”
Plenty of social media users seemed to be on board with the change. “It’s so beautiful,” one Twitter user said. “I’m gonna love Wakanda Forever, and Namor.”
So, now that we know what Namor means and how to pronounce it, who’s ready to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever when it hits theaters nationwide on November 11, 2022?