'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Villain Namor's Origins and Powers Explained

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has introduced a new villain that will prove to be a worthy adversary for Earth's mightiest heroes: Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Played by Tenoch Huerta, the character is an iconic villain from Black Panther's rolodex of enemies, and so it makes sense that he makes his MCU debut in the sequel, Wakanda Forever.

Here is everything you need to know about the character and his powers.

Where Is 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Villain Namor From?

In the comics, Namor hails from the underwater city of Atlantis and is the son of a human mother and an Atlantean father, but this origin story has been changed for Wakanda Forever.

The Black Panther sequel sees Namor explain to Shuri (Letitia Wright) that his mother was an Indigenous woman from Yucatán, Mexico. Her entire village became infected with smallpox when the Spanish conquistadors began colonizing South America.

To protect the village, their shaman sought out a medicine and discovers a flower that grows underwater and is infused with Vibranium, the metallic ore that originates in Wakanda.

The shaman makes a potion with the flower and Namor's mother, who is pregnant with him, eats a small portion of the plant when persuaded it wouldn't impact her baby. Except it does, more on that later.

The flower changes Namor's mother and her fellow villagers, turning their skin blue and making it impossible for them to breathe normal air, they can only breathe underwater, so they head into the ocean and create the Talokan nation where they continue to speak Yucatec Maya.

Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler has explained why he chose to alter Namor's backstory, telling Inverse that the tale of Atlantis had been interpreted so many times before that it felt right to do something different.

"We wanted our film to exist alongside those movies and be different," Coogler told the publication. "It was really out of respect to the audience, not wanting to give them something similar to other things that have come before it.

"If you Google lost cities or lost continents, this idea of things sinking into the ocean and disappearing, or even people that live in the water, you'll see that idea represented in myths all over the planet. So that encouraged us to try to find a way to do it differently."

What Are Namor's Powers in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'?

As previously mentioned, Namor's mother eats a flower infused with Vibranium that does impact her son's physiology.

He explains that he is a mutant, and the flower gave him winged ankles and the ability to breathe both underwater and on land. His wings give him super speed both whilst flying and swimming as well.

Namor also has super strength and can withstand most attacks, and he was also gifted with a long lifespan. By the events of Wakanda Forever, he has already lived several centuries.

The powers he has earned him the title of K'uK'ulkan in Talokan, which means the Feathered Serpent God and he is seen as the protector of the empire.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is out in theaters on Friday, November 11.