Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - despite being one of the most-anticipated films on the MCU slate - is a film that has been shrouded in controversy. The project tragically lost leading man Chadwick Boseman back in 2020, and star Letitia Wright has been the cause of plenty of headaches because of her stance on COVID vaccination. This is all on top of injuries sustained during filming.
And all this has muddled what should be one of the most exciting projects to come from Marvel Studios. Black Panther 2 is set to follow up the groundbreaking first film while introducing a whole new vertical of the Marvel world to the big screen.
It has been long rumored that the Black Panther sequel will welcome the introduction of the underwater realm of Atlantis and the famed hero Namor the Submariner. Now, some new images suggest that these aquatic rumors may hold a little more water than initially thought.
Under the Sea with Black Panther
Twitter account Atlanta Filming shared an image of what looks to be a new underwater set being fashioned for use in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The image sees a crew working neck-deep in a large pool with a blue composite screen as a background. The tweet revealing the set was up on the social media platform for only a matter of minutes before promptly being removed.
All Aboard the Namor Train
It has been all but confirmed that Namor and the kingdom of Atlantis will come to the MCU in some form, but this pretty much solidifies it. Unless the cast of Black Panther 2 see themselves fancying an elaborate swim in the upcoming sequel, this take is likely the place where Atlantis will take shape on the big screen.
There is not much to glean from the image itself, but it will be interesting to see just how Marvel Studios incorporates the life aquatic into their already ever-expanding super-powered world.
Namor and Atlantis have already been teased in MCU projects, including in the upcoming Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. But what could the studio have up their sleeve in actually taking a dive into the deep end?
One thing that will have fans glued to the silver screen if/when Namor does make his first MCU appearance is his mutant lineage. On the comics page, the character is closely tied to the mutant world of Marvel, so could he be the key in ushering in this next generation of mutant storytelling from Marvel Studios.
Fans will have to wait to see, as all will be revealed when Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in theaters on November 11, 2022.
