The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been filling itself up with gods lately, hasn't it? The latest Disney+ series Moon Knight introduces Khonshu, God of the moon, and the rest of the Ennead, while Thor: Love and Thunder is set to introduce a whole plethora of gods and goddesses, including Black Panther's own Bast in the flesh.
So, it seems only fitting that the sequel to Black Panther, which properly introduced audiences to Bast and Wakanda's history, would include even more mythology into the MCU through Namor and his own kingdom. It was initially speculated and rumored that Namor and his home would be based on Mayan or Aztec culture, which now appears to have been confirmed.
After production wrapped for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever the crew were given gifts and one of them gave fans a big clue in the shape of a jaguar.
Another God Introduced into MCU?
As is traditional, the crew of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were given merchandise to commemorate the wrapping of production: a hat and hoodie. The hoodie itself is standard, dyed with a beautiful shade of purple to match the color motif of the franchise.
The front of it is embroidered with Marvel Studios' logo and the subtitle of the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever.
The back of the hoodie has Wakandan text that translates to "Wakanda Forever."
However, the most interesting of the two gifts is the hat embroidered with Aztec iconography. The figure depicted is a feline, likely a jaguar due to the yellow fur, which means it can't be anyone other than Tepeyollotli, the Aztec God of darkened caves, earthquakes, echoes, and jaguars.
Another possibility is that it's Tezcatlipoca, the central deity of the Aztec religion. He was the God of not only providence, but discord, temptation, jaguars, war, and much more. In myth, Tezcatlipoca would often disguise himself as Tepeyollotli to hide from and trick the other gods.
A Rival to Black Panther's Goddess Bast?
It's curious and undoubtedly not a coincidence that Namor and Wakanda's deities are a jaguar and a panther, perhaps foreshadowing the eventual conflict between the two nations. Regardless, it's exhilarating to see the number of gods being added to the MCU so quickly, even if it's just so that Gorr the God Butcher has more immortal fodder to kill.
Thus far, fans have been introduced to the Norse gods (what few remain), Egyptian deities, and soon the Greek pantheon. Now, audiences will see a glimpse into the world of the Aztecs and their various gods. It'll be interesting to see if this Aztec god will play any kind of role in Wakanda Forever or if, like Bast, he will remain simply as a staple of Namor's religion in the sequel.
Fans will find out for sure when they see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theaters on November 11.
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