In the wake of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s release, all Marvel fans can think about is what’s going to happen with Namor in the future of the franchise. Tenoch Huerta Mejía’s merman mutant monarch has made a big impression on audiences, instantly winning them over with his sympathetic backstory, despite the heinous crimes he commits over the course of the movie. But let’s not allow our Namor-mania to distract us from another of the sequel’s villains who could likewise make a big impact on the MCU.
The villain in question is Namor’s right-hand woman in the film, Namora, as played by Mabel Cadena. Cadena’s character doesn’t get a whole lot of screentime in Wakanda Forever, but she’s actually someone with a rich history in the comics who could have just as interesting a redemption story as the Sub-Mariner himself. In particular, her presence here could even bring us one step closer to getting yet another superhero team on screen.
Real name Aquaria Nautica Neptunia — do you get the impression she lives underwater? — Namora gained her nickname as a reference to her more notable cousin. Like Namor, she is also a mutant half-human/half-Atlantean (or, in the MCU, Talokanil) and is just as strong as he is. Most notably, Namora is a member of the Agents of Atlas in the comics, the group of mostly Asian heroes headed by Jimmy Woo and also featuring the likes of Ms. Marvel, Shang-Chi, and Amadeus Cho in its roster.
In Wakanda Forever, Namor is portrayed very much as a dutiful lieutenant to her kingly cousin who is even more rigid in her hatred of surface-dwellers. So she would need to undergo quite a character shift if she was to join the Agents of Atlas. Nevertheless, Cadena has made clear that she would love to get the opportunity, echoing Randall Park’s own excitement over forming the AoA one day.
We’re bound to see Namor again in the MCU long before then, but Marvel shouldn’t waste the opportunity to do something with his fellow fish-like family member too.