Tenoch Huerta’s Namor was one of the highlights of 2022 for Marvel Studios. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler was creative and clever in bringing one of Marvel Comics greatest and earliest characters to life and Huerta gave Namor a power and arrogance that seemed lifted right off the page. While it’s clear Namor will be back, it’s less clear when he’ll be seen again. Though audiences would probably be all in on a Namor-centric spinoff, Marvel Studios Parliament member Nate Moore that, as of now, Disney cannot produce such a project because the character’s live-action rights remain tied up at Universal. That means Namor, much like the Hulk, will have to appear as a supporting character in films or streaming series and Marvel Studios has plenty of those coming up. So where is the Feathered Serpent God likely to show up next? We have some ideas.
Captain America: New World Order and/or Thunderbolts
If the rumors about these two films, which are currently slated to come out back-to-back in 2024, are true then it would be a missed opportunity not to have Namor and Talokan make some sort of appearance. Of course, at present in the MCU (as far as we know) Namor’s underwater kingdom is still hidden from the wide world, with only the Wakandans being aware of its presence. But really, who knows what CIA Director Valentina Allegre de Fontaine knows? As fans have pointed out for some time now, it would make sense for Namor to have some interest in the massive corpse of a Celestial popping up in the ocean and if governments from around the world decide they want to start mining the corpse for its resources, that’s certainly going to lead directly to a more polluted ocean, something that Namor will not stand for. It’s also worth noting that part of the rumored plot of Thunderbolts includes an “evil Superman” who most believe to be Sentry. While the MCU Sentry is surely not going to have the power levels of his comic book counterpart, he might still be too strong for a group of Super Soldiers and non-powered folks to handle. Should the Thunderbolts mission lead to some sort of disruption of the ocean, it’s possible Namor could investigate and end up taking on Sentry.
World War Hulk
While this project still isn’t confirmed by Marvel Studios, the rumors around it are fascinating and there seems to be enough evidence that the trend of more Hulks (She-Hulk introduced 2 new ones in She-Hulk and Skaar) may continue. If/when that movie does hit the big screen, Namor’s presence in it could be of note. If Namor and Talokan are prepared to reveal themselves to the surface world, Namor would have an interesting choice to make. On one hand, he could emerge as a powerful ally in the fight against the Hulk. Namor and Hulk have fought many, many times in the comics and Namor has bested the Green Goliath more than once; on the other hand, he might also prove a powerful ally for Hulk, who he might see as a means to a very specific end: world domination.
Fantastic Four
Namor’s history with the Fantastic Four is so long and storied that it’s honestly hard to conceive of a cinematic universe that doesn’t prioritize their interactions. We don’t know who the villain of 2025’s Fantastic Four is, but it’s probably not Namor. That doesn’t mean, however, that some plot device or another couldn’t lead to the First Family coming into contact with Namor. Namor’s ongoing pursuit of Susan must be given its time in the spotlight!
Defenders
Marvel Studios cannot make a Hulk solo project and Marvel Studios cannot make a Namor solo project. Can Marvel Studios make a Defenders project that features both characters? With Namor now in the MCU, the founding members of Marvel’s most famous non-team are all present. To be honest, being able to throw Hulk and Namor in a movie just because it’s called Defenders instead of Hulk or Namor really seems to show how silly the whole business is, but even if it has to be called Doctor Strange and The Defenders, it still works great for me. With the rumored Silver Surfer project coming ahead of Fantastic Four, maybe he can join the fray as well. Kevin Feige waited a long time to have access to all of these characters, so not assembling them under one of their most well-known titles would seem wasteful.
Avengers: Secret Wars
When the survival of Talokan is on the line, Namor, ready or not, will have to reveal himself to the world. While the plot of Marvel Studios’ Secret Wars hasn’t been revealed yet, the film seems like it may be taking some inspiration from Jonathan Hickman‘s 2015 event where incursions threatened the existence of realities across the Multiverse. If that’s the case and Earth-616 is at risk, Namor would prove a powerful ally to Earth’s heroes. He was seen to be nearly indestructible in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (outside of Shuri’s plan), so keeping a water cooler on hand should relieve those concerns. And appearing in Secret Wars would allow Namor to interact with a handful of heroes he’s never shared the screen with due to right’s issues. Namor and Steve Rogers, anyone?
