Though the movie is in the can and it’s due out this fall, Marvel is keeping much about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever under its hat for now. That said, one major thing about the sequel has leaked out. It’s yet to be officially confirmed, but all the signs are pointing to Narcos: Mexico star Tenoch Huerta joining the MCU as Namor the Sub-Mariner in the film, finally marking the King of Atlantis’ live-action debut.
In the wake of chatter about the Atlanteans entering the MCU heating up over the past week, thanks to some leaked merchandise art, Huerta has finally broken his silence on all the Namor talk — and he’s done so in the perfect way. “Tenoch images are leaked…” the Mexican actor’s message reads in English, but the accompanying image isn’t our first look at him as Namor. It’s actually Mermaid Man from SpongeBob SquarePants. Same difference, right?
You’ve got to hand it to Huerta, he played this well. If fans want, they can take this as a tacit admittance from the star that, yes, he is playing Marvel’s underwater monarch. However, there’s nothing in the tweet that actually spells this out so he’s still not breaking any NDA Marvel might have made him sign.
The merman is essentially out of the bag anyway thanks to all those leaks. The aforementioned merch art teased that the MCU’s Atlanteans will be influenced by Aztec and Mayan culture, which adds up with Huerta’s revelation in an interview that he learned Mayan for his Black Panther 2 role. That same interview explicitly labelled said role as Namor, although it’s important to note Huerta himself is not quoted as saying the name.
Also starring Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, and Dominique Thorne as Ironheart, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever roars into theaters this Nov. 11. Until then, we just have one big question: if Huerta is Mermaid Man, who’s playing Barnacle Boy?