Marvel Studios has one last movie to give to the world before the year is done, - none other than Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Based on the first trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, the movie looks like it’ll be a powerful and emotional experience. The film will also serve to introduce a massively important character into the MCU: Namor.
Played by Narcos: Mexico’s Tenoch Huerta, the iconic anti-hero and mutant, is set to be the antagonist in the upcoming movie, bringing his underwater nation toe-to-toe with Wakanda.
Taking on such a role is a huge undertaking, so it’s always intriguing when a relatively unknown actor gets the chance to make their mark on both the MCU and the world. After all, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston weren’t nearly as famous as they are now—but their performances stuck with audiences.
Now, it’s Huerta's turn to do just that with Namor—and Marvel Studios has made a big move to show faith in his new Marvel icon.
Introducing… Namor
Recently, Marvel Studios revealed a brand new poster standee for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever that celebrated the large cast of the movie.
However, for those that look closer into the poster credits, there’s actually something quite notable hiding in the text.
Namor’s Tenoch Huerta has been given an “Introducing” credit for Wakanda Forever, a first in all of Marvel Studios' history.
So what does that mean? Well, a movie and its studio will often give this credit to relatively unknown actors who they are introducing in a substantial role to a much larger audience.
Tenoch’s biggest project has been Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, but besides that, there aren’t many well-known additions to his resume. This upcoming Black Panther film will easily be his biggest role to date. Given his new credit, it seems Marvel Studios is very confident in what he has to bring to the MCU.
Other examples of “Introducing” credits are Christian Bale in Empires of the Sun, Robert Redford in War Hunt, and Johnny Depp in Nightmare on Elm Street.
Other special credits besides "Introducing" include "With" and "Featuring" credits, which are generally reserved for actors who'd normally be top-billed, but due to the story and/or cast of the movie, aren't able to. Good examples of this would in Marvel movies be Robert Downey Jr. for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Mark Ruffalo for Thor: Ragnarok, and Chris Pratt for Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel Studios knows the long-term value in properly recognizing its talent publicly and in its project credits. Earlier this year, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' theatrical poster and credits also made MCU history by being the first film to be credited the sequel as "A Kevin Feige Production."
Namor Could Make Quite The Splash
Given how passionate Tenoch Huerta has been about the role of Namor, it seems clear he is more than up for the task. He even went out of his way to learn a Mayan language for the part.
If anyone had any doubts, this sign of support from Marvel Studios should help ease any concerns.
Assuming the film does well, and Huerta’s performance shines, Namor will almost certainly go on to be one of the biggest players in the MCU. In the comics, the character is even a member of the Illuminati—which, good thing for him, that’s not the case on Earth-838.
But, it could certainly be in his future within Earth-616.
Many fans are sad they’ll never be able to see Namor and Black Panther’s legendary rivalry unfold on screen. Instead, the weight of that responsibility will be evenly distributed on Wakanda as a whole—hopefully, they’re ready for what Huerta has in store.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theaters on November 11.
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