Why Namor Can’t Appear in His Own Spin-off Movie

November 28, 2022

While Tenoch Huerta’s turn as Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was praised by fans all over the world, those expecting a potential spin-off film starring the character might be in for a disappointment.

The situation around Namor is similar to that of Marvel Studios’ deal with Universal Pictures with The Incredible Hulk. Specifically, the company doesn’t own the full rights to the characters to do its own standalone film, but they can appear in ensemble roles, like Namor did in Wakanda Forever. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore spoke about that, noting that stuff like that does affect the studio more in the marketing department.

“It honestly affects us more, and not to talk too much out of school, but in how we market the film than it does how we use him in the film,” Moore said. “There weren’t really things we couldn’t do from a character perspective for him, which is good because clearly, we took a ton of inspiration from the source material, but we also made some big changes to really anchor him in that world in a truth that publishing never really landed on, I would argue, in a big way.”

Despite the inability to use Namor in a standalone film, it seems like Marvel Studios does have big plans for the character. However, that will have to wait until future Marvel Cinematic Universe films, where Huerta will be able to appear once again alongside various heroes.

Wakanda Forever saw the return of most of Black Panther‘s original main cast, including Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M’Baku, and Florence Kasumba as Ayo. Joining them were franchise newcomers Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico) as Namor, Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) as Aneka, Mabel Cadena as Namora, and Alex Livinalli as Attuma.