There’s been a rivalry and comparisons between DC and Marvel for decades now, starting with the comics and eventually expanding to the two shared cinematic universes. This trend continued with the recent release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which introduced a new population of the MCU with the Talokan. Although all the underwater action is definitely inspiring comparisons between Ryan Coogler’s movie and Aquaman. Namor actor Tenoch Huerta is digging the comparisons to Jason Momoa, but could his Marvel antihero actually win in a fight against Aquaman?
Namor the Submariner finally made his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and was a massively powerful figure that will seemingly have a big impact on the shared universe moving forward. But given how he and the Talokan reside in a secret underwater society, fans are debating how he’d stand up against DC’s own aquatic hero, Aquaman. Actor Tenoch Huerta’s performance in the movie has been universally acclaimed, and he recently spoke to Rolling Stone about the way fans online are comparing him to Jason Momoa’s DC hero. He reacted saying:
[I’m] honored to be compared with [Jason Momoa]. He’s a wonderful actor, a fantastic human being. He’s a Hollywood movie star and they are comparing me with him. It’s like, ‘Oh my, God, Mom! Mom! They are talking about me and Jason!’ It’s fantastic! I love it.
Talk about a class act. While some actors might be touchy about constant comparisons to another performer, that’s not how Tenoch Huerta explained his feelings. Instead, he’s seemingly thrilled to be spoken about in the same sentence as Game of Thrones alum Jason Momoa. It’s too bad that a DCEU/MCU crossover can’t happen, because it would be awesome to see how these two underwater comic book characters might interact on the big screen.
Tenoch Huerta’s comments to Rolling Stone come from a larger conversation about his role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While also addressing the viral conversation surrounding whether or not his bulge was digitally edited, eventually the conversation turned to the chatter about Namor and Aquaman. After all, they’re both super powerful and have a somewhat similar origin.
Later in that same conversation, Tenoch Huerta further mused about both the differences between Namor and Aquaman. So while he’s glad to be compared to Jason Momoa, he doesn’t really think that they’re all that similar. As the 41 year-old Mexican actor put it:
But, yeah, talking about the characters, I think they are totally different. It’s like trying to compare Shazam and Superman, or, I don’t know, Thanos and another villain just because they are villains, you know? For me, it’s like, okay, they are two superheroes, they come from the water, and that’s it. One is Mayan, Mesoamerican, and the other is Atlantean, from a Greek myth, but it’s different cultures, different backgrounds…even different powers, you know? Aquaman can communicate with animals, with whales and everything and Namor can’t.
Points were made. And although the Talokan were seen riding whales and seemingly living in harmony with underwater creatures in Black Panther 2, it doesn’t seem like Namor can actually communicate with them. Meanwhile, DC’s Aquaman typically has the ability to communicate and control fish and other creatures living beneath the sea. It’s also worth noting that Namor can fly, which is an ability that Jason Momoa’s character has never had on the screen or page. Although not flying has never stopped Aquaman from being a badass in the DCEU, as we saw in the final battle of Justice League.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still in theaters now and continuing to make money at the box office. The next installment in the MCU is Ant-Man 3 on February 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. We’ll just have to see exactly how/when Namor and the Talokan return to the MCU.
