- NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Namor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe film series. The mainstream version can be found here: Namor McKenzie.
| “ | I have many names. My people call me K’uk’ulkan. But my enemies call me Namor. | „ |
| ~ Namor's most famous quote. |
| “ | His soldiers did not call him "general" or "king". They called him "Ku'Kul'Kan": the feather serpent god | „ |
| ~ M'Baku |
| “ | You are queen now. | „ |
| ~ Namor to Shuri after Ramonda's death. |
Ch'ah Toh Almehen, better known as Namor or K'uk'ulkan, is the main antagonist of the 2022 Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
He is a mutant king of Talokan, having been born in the early 1570s after the Yucatán Mayan natives consumed a vibranium-enhanced herb to adapt their bodies to underwater life. He has been in eternal conflict with the people of Earth's surface, eventually engaging in an all-out war against Wakanda. He is also the former arch-nemesis of Shuri.
He was portrayed by Tenoch Huerta, who also portrayed Lil Mago in Sin nombre.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Ch'ah Toh Almehen was born in 1571 as the son of Fen and an unnamed father in Yucatán, Mexico. Prior to his birth, Fen, pregnant at the time, and her fellow tribesman of Mesoamericans became inflicted with smallpox brought by Spanish conquistadors. To survive, the tribe consumed a blue plant found underwater in an attempt to alleviate their sickness. However, the plant was laced with traces of vibranium, altering the tribe's anatomy and biology in the process, changing their skins blue and making them breathe underwater.
The tribe became the first Talokanil, retreating to the ocean to start their new lives there, away from the threats of the surface world. Shortly afterward, Ch'ah Toh Almehen was born, with the effects of the plant Fen consumed causing him undergo abnormal mutations such as small wings on his ankles, pointed ears, the ability to breathe air/underwater and a human appearance. K'uk'ulkan would be recognized as the firstborn son of Talokan, as well as a mutant.
By the time his mother died, she asked him to bury her in her former home out of genuine nostalgia. Ch'ah came to the surface with other Talokanil to bury her. They saw many Mayan people being treated poorly as slaves, so Ch'ah sent the Talokanil with him to attack them. A spanish priest called Ch'ah "El Niño sin Amor", meaning "the child without love," so Ch'ah took that as his name, "Namor".
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever[]
In 2025, Namor, determined to protect his people from the surface world, felt threatened when the United States came close to discovering his country while searching for vibranium. Namor came into contact with Wakanda and proposed a military alliance, but the Golden Tribe resisted waging war against the world. In response, Namor led his people against Wakanda, claiming the life of Ramonda. He then threaten to return in one week with his entire army, and would wash Wakanda off the face of the Earth if they don’t help him against the surface world. He was ultimately defeated by Shuri, now the new Black Panther, and was forced to yield, still expecting that eventually Wakanda would ask for his help.
Personality[]
Namor is a complicated character, to say the least. Being of Mesoamerican descent, his mother Fen and her people were forced to live underwater due to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors who brought diseases with them, infecting and killing many of Fen's people. Unable to return to the surface, Fen eventually died of grief, which developed Namor's contempt for the conquistadors because of what they did and how they displaced his people.
When he first came to the surface to bury his late mother, seeing the atrocities committed by the conquistadors and the way they enslaved the local people, it angered him and made him kill all the conquistadors, after which he took the name "Namor" as a warning to his enemies. Namor is remembered as an isolationist ruler of Talokan, harboring a deep hatred of surface-dwellers and a strong determination to protect his people by any means necessary and at any cost, even risking a final war with other nations. His hostility towards the lands on the surface reached its apogee when a machine capable of discovering underwater Vibranium ores threatened the safety of Talokan and risked exposing its underwater kingdom. Namor is ready to kill people on the surface who dare to find Vibranium that’s deposited underwater, and even risk war with Wakanda if they don't hand over Riri Williams, the scientist responsible for creating the technology. He also warned the Wakandans against revealing the existence of Talokan to outsiders, thus showing his isolationist nature.
Namor can be very brutal. Though initially friendly to Shuri and politely introducing her to Talokan, Namor immediately warned her of Williams' protection, stating that he would destroy Wakanda first if they resisted, while proposing that both nations, affected by the aggression of other world powers, form an alliance to fight with surface forces. As Wakanda insisted on Williams' protection, Namor did not hesitate to invade the country and flood the city with water bombs, killing Queen Ramonda along with many innocent civilians in the process. He and his army also ruthlessly killed all the soldiers and workers on the Vibranium mining ship.
Namor initially seems to know how Shuri and the Wakanda people feel, understanding that Wakanda is the target of the surface nations and conflicts between them, similar to how Talokan's ancestors were forced to move underwater due to the aggression of other nations. He feels Shuri's pain and anger towards the surface world due to the similarities between them, and Namor prefers war as a second option as he first convinced Shuri and Ramonda to hand over Williams, giving them the opportunity to end the conflict peacefully, and wanted Shuri to empathize in his life and the lives of the people of Talokan later when she was held hostage and taken on a tour of Talokan.
However, all of his extremist methods are fueled by love for his people and nation. Despite being the ruler of Talokan and the literal god of his people, Namor is friendly and close to his people, not trying to force his distance from others, as shown when he welcomed his subjects to the underwater kingdom. He even created an underwater light source to illuminate the capital city for the people of Talokan.
When a Talokan was killed during the Wakanda's attempt to save Shuri, he comforted her as she died and later started a war in Wakanda seeking revenge. Eventually, after losing a duel to Shuri who had gained the powers of the Panther God, he immediately relented after the latter proposed an alliance between Wakanda and Talokan, showing that he cares for his people and realizes that an eternal war between the two powers will weaken both of them. All his actions serve the interests and well-being of Talokan, which reflects his loyalty and total devotion to his people. This earned him respect among his subjects and other Talokans.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Mutant Talokanil Physiology: Being a mutant, Namor can breathe air and underwater.
- Superhuman Strength: To be added
- Superhuman Durability: To be added
- Superhuman Speed: To be added
- Superhuman Agility: To be added
- Superhuman Stamina: To be added
- Superhuman Reflexes: To be added
- Enhanced Vision: To be added
- Regenerative Healing Factor: To be added
- Aquatic Adaptation: To be added
- Superhuman Longevity: Namor was born in the late 16th Century, but has not aged after reaching adulthood despite being over 400 years old.
- Flight: Namor was born with wings on his ankles that grant him the ability to fly.
Abilities[]
- Master Combatant: To be added
- Spear Mastery: To be added
- Master Tactician: To be added
- Multilingualism: Namor is fluent in his native Yucatec Maya, as well as English and Spanish.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Earth-838 version of the Illuminati was originally going to feature Namor as a member in Michael Waldron's first draft for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, Marvel Studios nixed the idea as they had plans for Namor, likely his appearance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
- In preparation for the role, Tenoch Huerta Mejía learned a Mayan language and how to swim.
- Namor is the first true mutant to appear in MCU, fittingly since his comic book counterpart was also one of the first mutants to appear in Marvel's publication history.
- Namor has the distinction of being the final main antagonist in a Phase Four film.
- Namor is additionally the third MCU main antagonist of Phase 4 to kill a family member of the main character after Dreykov and the Green Goblin.
External Links[]
- Namor on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki
