The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) thrives on the popularity of its main characters. In the beginning there were the original Big Six, the OG Avengers. But after more than a decade, Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow are out of the picture, while Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye are seeing diminishing returns in their starring projects, like the recent Thor movie and She-Hulk TV show.

The MCU is in need of a new set of starring characters to rally the franchise around. One character who has the potential to be the next Thor or Hulk is Namor (Tenoch Huerta), the main villain of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Let us look at the ways Namor can be a game-changer for the MCU if legal issues don’t get in the way of his growth.

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Namor is the Original Antihero

     Marvel Comics

Namor is a late entry in the MCU, but the character is actually one of the oldest creations of Marvel Comics. First debuting in 1939, Namor is often considered the original antihero of comics, a character who is neither the hero or villain, but possesses shades of both.

In the comics, Namor hails from the underwater city of Atlantis, and his status as ruler of the city and the oceans often brings him into direct conflict with the surface world. This means Namor can be a help or a hindrance to the Avengers depending on the specifics of the situation.

Namor Makes the Jump to the Big Screen

     Marvel StudiosDisney

After years of anticipation, fans cheered when it was finally announced that Namor would be making his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film has wrought some changes to Namor’s backstory from the comics to update the character and continue with the franchise’s theme of introducing diversity into their roster of heroes.

The Namor who appears in the movie is the ruler of the underwater city of Talokan, based on real-life Mayan culture. After certain actions taken by the rulers of Wakanda threaten the safety of Talokan, Namor emerges from the depths of the ocean to attack Wakanda. This triggers a massive war between Talokan and Wakanda that threatens the safety of the entire world.

Namor: As Royal as Thor, as Powerful as the Hulk

The Namor who has shown up in the MCU possesses many of the same powers as his comics’ counterpart. He can fly, and is blessed with fantastic strength. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler has noted that Namor’s power can rival that of the Hulk if he stays in contact with water. There is also the intriguing fact that he is a mutant and the possibility of crossing over with the X-Men that information conjures up.

As ruler of Talokan, Namor is the head of an incredibly powerful empire that rivals Wakanda in terms of technological progress. As befitting his status, Namor is a headstrong leader who is not afraid to cross people in the interest of keeping his nation safe. Much like Thor at the start of his first movie, Namor can be a compelling hero who does distinctly unheroic things like starting wars for the sake of protecting Talokan.

The MCU’s New Power Player?

With so much power at his command, and his royal heritage pulling him in different directions, Namor can easily be a strong, major player in the MCU going forward. As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever proved, Namor is not afraid to make enemies if they seem to threaten the safety of his people. But he is also not an out-and-out villain. Namor has a solid conscience and is capable of doing heroic deeds when the occasion demands it.

It would be interesting to see such a character in the new lineup of Avengers that the MCU is planning to unleash in a few years. Much like Thor and Hulk, Namor’s presence could be a game-changer for the superhero team, provided the ruler of the oceans can keep his temper in check and play well with the other heroes.

Low Chances of a Solo Namor Movie

With so much potential, you would think Marvel Studios is rushing to give Namor his own solo franchise. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Not because the studio does not want to, but because they cannot, as revealed by The Wrap. Because the rights to Namor belong to Universal Studios at the moment, and the MCU can only borrow the character for supporting roles instead of making him a full-fledged protagonist.

This is similar to the setup that the MCU has in regard to the Hulk, which is why the character never got his own solo franchise. Spider-Man was similarly tied up with Sony for a long time until Marvel Studios managed to bring him into the MCU in 2016. Hopefully, Namor will also someday become a full member of the Marvel Studios roster so that the franchise can do justice to the character with his own solo movies, giving competition to DC’s immensely successful Aquaman series.