![]() ![]() ![]() And although he is playing a villainous role, Namor is a refreshing new take on a Latino bad guy. He is a king who knows his place and acts according to his station. Namor is a king through and through, not a soldier, although he is a great warrior, or a politician, despite being a clever strategist. Namor’s headdress, in particular, is a powerful callback to the ones worn by Mesoamerican leaders, warriors, and priests and a meaningful reminder of the cultural wealth of this once mighty region. ![]() Yes, the overall product is a bit on-the-nose, Hollywood’s idea of how Mesoamerican cultures should’ve looked, but it still works within the film’s context. ![]() The cover is just as important as the book - ask any writer - and Academy Award winner Ruth Carter and her team do a beautiful job portraying and honoring Namor’s heritage with his striking and detailed costumes. What makes Wakanda Forever‘s Namor such an effective character? For starters, he looks cool. About damn time Image used with permission by copyright holder But is this really the kind of representation we need? Is a character like Namor the right way to introduce and, in many ways, act as a stand-in for the Latino community within the massive Marvel machine? At first sight, Huerta’s casting as such a crucial figure in the most successful film franchise of all time seems to be a massive win for Latinos and especially indigenous Latinos everywhere. Yet, the Latino community has been sidelined for years in the comic book genre - and things are even bleaker for indigenous people. These projects dictate the direction of the pop culture conversation, shaping it and, therefore, us as witnesses and consumers. For better or worse, we live in the age of comic book movies. ![]()
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