Notable Cast: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai
Gurira, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Angela Bassett,
Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena
With a smoldering look in his eye and a defiant and yet
somehow caring lilt to his voice, Tenoch Huerta Mejia’s Namor, the antagonist
of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, practically purrs when he’s speaking
to Shuri, played by Letitia Wright. His presence is a massive burning sun in
the film even as he sits having a heart-to-heart with the big hero. Yet, when
he makes his big request to the Princess of Wakanda, he states it as a matter
of fact. He asks her to burn the world with him.
You know what? Say no more, Namor. I’m with you. Burn this
piece of shit planet to the ground.
Granted, his request in the film is far more loaded with
contextual matter than his simple line of dialogue. This isn’t a young man
passing a folded-up note to his crush in study hall. Or sending a text message.
Or whatever kids do these days. Maybe TikTok. This is a man burdened with the
knowledge and memories of a people driven to the sea by Spanish conquerors as
they plundered his land for resources. And plundered his people as resources.
Once again, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever proves that director and
co-writer Ryan Coogler is far more interested in the gray areas of emotional
and social commentary provided by the villains than the heroes in his Marvel
movies.