Warning: Spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever AheadA fan on TikTok shared picture-perfect Namor cosplay, which closely resembles the newly introduced MCU character. Played by Tenoch Huerta, the silver-screen version of Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a reimagined backstory, being the orphaned ruler of Talokan instead of Atlantis. Talokan is a mesoamerican-inspired underwater civilization, a hybrid of El Dorado and Atlantis.
TikTok user LifeLikeJay, Jay Velasquez, with a suit by user SeeJayLewis, shared two videos showing off cosplay that looks close to its inspiration. One video shows stills from a photo shoot near the beach, the other was shot indoors. In both, the resemblance doesn’t fade, as the similarity comes from not only the suit but also the cosplayer’s hair, eyes, and facial posture. In the captions, Velasquez expressed gratitude for more Latin representation in the MCU. See the videos below to see the cosplay:
How Namor Expands the MCU
To what extent does the introduction of Namor and the Talokanil expand the MCU can only be speculated. However, Namor gives a hint from a specific line in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, claiming that he has more soldiers than Wakanda has blades of grass. Considering that Talokan’s an entire kingdom and that only the capital city was shown, the rest of Talokan can be extraordinarily bigger, and the sum of its population of Talokanil exponentially grand, opening the door for countless MCU spinoffs.
Once word spreads throughout the MCU that Talokan has vibranium reserves that match or maybe exceed that of Wakanda, the surface world’s interest in finding and invading Talokan to exploit its supply of magic metal might fester. It’s more probable that Talokan will make its move against the surface world first, a plot already established in Wakanda Forever. Namor’s already shown a desire to attack the surface world solely out of fear for its vibranium reserves and sheer vengeance. The question is whether Wakanda will be by Talokan’s side or not and the kind of war and political intrigue that may follow if the answer’s no.
Toward the end of Wakanda Forever, Namora, Namor’s cousin, played by Mabel Cadena, expresses impatience and disappointment toward Namor for his seeming peaceful solution to the enmity between Talokan and Wakanda. Still, a cryptic response obscures Namor’s intentions, setting up what may be a betrayal by Namor. Either way, the cosplay displayed here is a sign that the MCU’s inspiring a diverse array of people worldwide as it expands the diversity of its representation.
Jay Velasquez/TikTok
