Black Panther vs. Namor: This is a duel that carries with it a certain comedic tradition, as there, too, the two Marvel characters clashed once or twice. In “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” the duel is very different from the comics – because firstly, Shuri (Letitia Wright) is in the Black Panther suit and secondly, Namor looks completely different than in the comics (apart from perhaps the winged knuckles). But why exactly?
Atlantis becomes Talokan
This was stated by Ryan Coogler, who also returned to the director’s chair after “Black Panther” for “Wakanda Forever”, already in the framework of the theatrical release of “Black Panther 2”. His explanation: “If you google lost cities or lost continents, you will find the idea of things sinking and disappearing into the sea, or even sagas and myths of people living in water all over the world. That encouraged us to find our own way and do it differently.”
So that explains why in “Black Panther 2” Namor is not the king of Atlantis, as in the comics, but the ruler of the underwater nation of Talokan., which is reminiscent of the indigenous civilizations of South America, from the architecture to the language to the clothes and jewelry of the inhabitants. Fittingly, the Talokan characters were cast with Latin American actors, especially Namor actor Tenoch Huerta.
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But they also wanted to give audiences a new experience, as Coogler further explained: “There are many images and creative interpretations of Atlantis that […] based on the Greco-Roman concept of a city lost in the sea. […] We wanted our movie to exist alongside those movies and be different. We really wanted to show respect to the viewers and not give them something similar to other films that have been made for us.”
Namor against Aquaman
Without specifically mentioning the superhero league, Coogler is probably focusing on this in the first place another movie, namely the DC blockbuster”Aquarius” of Jason Momoa. It grossed a fantastic $1.15 billion worldwide and probably had a lasting impact on the image of a futuristic, lost underwater civilization in the minds of many people.
Not only are the characters Namor and Aquaman quite similar (until their backstory), Aquaman also rules Atlantis. A second Atlantis in the Marvel Universe would have caused a lot of confusion. With the change to Talokan, Marvel was able to avoid that – while also shining a spotlight on a culture that is far too rarely seen. And that marked the first “Black Panther” movie…