Wakanda series could finally introduce a villain teased in Avengers: Endgame
Ryan Coogler could tie up a strange loose end.
When they said "Wakanda forever," they meant it. More than a year after Avengers: Endgame, Wakanda is coming back to screens in the form of a new Disney+ series that's currently development.
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler is attached, so fans of the Oscar-nominated original movie won't be disappointed. However, the plot of this new series remains a mystery. While there's not much to go on, a throwaway line in Endgame could be the key to the series' villain. Let's dive in.
Wakanda's majestic skyline in Black Panther.
The obvious choice for a Wakanda-set series is to take up the Game of Thrones model — a regal drama full of intrigue and internal clashes with some Marvel-style action. However, even Game of Thrones ended with an external foe to bring all its characters together. This untitled Wakanda series could do the very same, and answer a question from Endgame as well.
In one of Endgame's first scenes, the surviving Avengers gather to discuss what's been going on in the decimated Earth. Okoye points out that there have been earthquakes reported from deep underwater, but they were leaving them alone.
The earthquakes seemed to be just meant as a throwaway line, but a later watchalong with the screenwriters confirmed what many fans speculated — this line was in reference to the classic Marvel Comics character Namor the Sub-Mariner. Said screenwriter Christopher Markus, "Sometimes, you plant seeds. Sometimes, they grow."
Namor in the premiere issue of his self-titled series.
Namor is sort of like the Aquaman of Marvel, and has been appearing in various roles since 1939. As the king of Atlantis, he's ruled over the underwater kingdom and occasionally come up to the surface in order to act as both adversary and ally to various comic book heroes, from the Fantastic Four to the Avengers to the X-Men. He's best known, though, for his rivalry with Black Panther, as they both are kings of advanced but forgotten kingdoms.
Could this upcoming Wakanda series be the perfect environment for this narrative "seed" to grow? He's already established to be nearby Wakanda, so he could easily become a foe to the collected populace. He's already got a motive as well — in Endgame, Captain America mentions the reappearance of whales in New York, so the reversal of the Blip could mean things in the ocean weren't as peaceful as they once were.
Namor's anti-heroic nature as shown in Atlantic Attacks #1
Not only would Namor make a great addition to this as-yet-untitled series, he could also add to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Due to his antiheroic nature, Namor could be the Big Bad of the Wakanda series, but fight alongside the Avengers in the next flagship MCU movie.
While he may rule over sea creatures, Namor is very much a chameleon, being able to play hero or villain as needed by the narrative. In such a sprawling landscape like the MCU, this makes him a valuable asset. Hopefully, we'll see him make some waves soon.
