A rumor has been making the rounds recently that Namor the Sub-Mariner will finally be making his way to the MCU as the villain in Black Panther 2. A corresponding rumor pegs Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding as the actor who will dive in to the role for Ryan Coogler’s sequel. These are just rumors for now, but that hasn’t stopped people from imagining the possibilities. Take a look below to see what Henry Golding could look like as Marvel’s Namor:
Henry Golding is fairly new to Hollywood, with Crazy Rich Asians being his first feature film credit, so a lot of audiences and people who didn’t watch that romantic comedy, may not know his work or have an idea of him in this kind of role. As always BossLogic helps us visualize an actor in a superhero role and if you weren’t sure about this rumored casting before, this fan art makes a strong case for Henry Golding as Namor.
Just as Jason Momoa made Aquaman a badass you wouldn’t want to mess with, Namor looks fierce and intimidating in this image. That menacing stare really sells him as a villain and although it’s just fan art, Henry Golding definitely looks the part. Although it remains to be seen whether or not he has the kind of eyebrow dexterity on display in BossLogic’s Namor. Maybe call Emilia Clarke for pointers?
Like all comic book characters, the Sub-Mariner has went through different looks and costumes over the years and I really like the one BossLogic uses here and it seems in line with what I think we would probably see from the character should he come to the MCU. The battle armor establishes him as a warrior king and definitely seems more practical and cooler looking than the older depictions of him wearing a green and yellow Speedo and nothing else.
Having the ‘X’ on his belt is also a nice touch that has been seen in the comics and references Namor’s status as a mutant. Should he show up in Black Panther 2, he could become the MCU’s first mutant, pending they don’t do a Scarlet Witch retcon of course. BossLogic also proposed a title for Black Panther 2 here, choosing Black Panther: Two Kings. That’s a pretty cool title that would really set up the clash between the King of Wakanda and the King of Atlantis.
All in all I think fans would be stoked to see a Henry Golding Namor that looked like this show up in a future MCU film, although some fans have also thrown out future Sub-Zero Joe Taslim's name for the part and Brian Tee has campaigned for it in the past. So will it happen?
As stated, the Namor/Black Panther 2/Henry Golding stuff is all just rumor at this point. Namor has been rumored to be coming to the MCU for years now and it hasn’t happened, but in the past there were some rights issues preventing the possibility. Those seemingly have been cleared up, paving the way for an MCU Namor. Although Kevin Feige has said he isn’t sure if or when Namor would show up, some fans suspect he was already teased with the underwater earthquakes referenced in Avengers: Endgame.
There is precedent for Black Panther and Namor being at odds in the comics, but I wonder if Marvel will want to do an underwater hero given that DC did it first onscreen with the wildly successful Aquaman and as seen with the villains in the MCU Spider-Man films, Marvel doesn’t want to repeat what’s already been done. Namor is different from Arthur Curry though and introducing him as a villain first would help him stand on his own.
Black Panther 2 is coming but it seems not until Phase 5 so we may be waiting a little while to find out if Namor will make his anticipated MCU debut and if so, who will be playing him. Even so, just seeing this image fuels the imagination at the possibilities.
We’ll keep you updated on everything going on in the MCU now and in the years ahead and check out our guide to see when all the Phase 4 films are hitting theaters.
