Relationship Spotlight: Namor & Shuri (Black Panther)

*Wakanda Forever spoilers.*

Weirdly, I couldn't find any actual pictures from the movie of Shuri and Namor in the same shot. I suppose that will be remedied soon enough once the film hits Disney+ and people start taking screenshots, but for now, I'm using this fanart from @MiaJus.

It’s not often that I do a Relationship Spotlight about a hero and their antagonist—usually, it’s only when they have a pre-established relationship outside of any superhero clash, a la Shang-Chi and Wenwu. But Shuri and Namor really light up the screen together. I don’t know where the MCU is taking Namor next, but I hope his future appearances involve plenty more encounters with the Wakandan princess/scientist.

Shuri meets Namor in the context of a threat. He urges Ramonda and Shuri to bring him Riri Williams, whose vibranium-detecting device puts Talokan in danger of discovery, and promises no mercy for Wakanda if they don’t meet his demands. Everything about him suggests that he can make good on these threats. But after Shuri and Okoye find Riri and the Talokanil are on the brink of taking her by force, Shuri tries to look out for this girl she barely knows, offering herself as a hostage to accompany her.

In the grotto that serves as a Talokanil outpost, Namor shows Shuri a different side to him. He’s now the regal host, charming and open as he tells Shuri the story of his life and the origins of his people. And in turn, she doesn’t come in swinging or plotting to escape. Even though she’s being held under threat, she positions herself more as a royal diplomat, listening to Namor’s story with interest and expressing her desire to see Talokan proper. With the aid of a deep-sea suit, she’s the first person from the surface world to receive an invitation to the underwater kingdom.

And yes, you go, “Wait, are Namor and Shuri kind of vibing?” I’m not usually one to go for heroine/villain ships, regardless of how physically attractive or charismatic the villain might be, but with these two, I’m kind of into it—at least at this point. Namor hasn’t done anything yet that can’t be undone, and Shuri sympathizes with the trauma his ancestors experienced to create Talokan. They almost make you think there’s going to be a peaceful solution to this conflict, that Shuri will make Namor see reason and convince him to let her leave with Riri.

But of course, then, the movie would only be an hour long. Shuri learns that Namor’s ruthless vision goes far beyond killing Riri to keep her invention out of greedy hands. He wants to strike at the colonizers before they can come for Talokan, and in his mind, the colonizers are the entire surface world. He offers to spare Wakanda if they don’t intervene, but he’ll make no further concessions.

Shuri refuses, obviously, and escapes, and that’s when things get really personal. That’s when Namor leads a Talokanil attack on Wakanda, when he kills Ramonda. In the wake of this further devastation, Shuri is consumed with rage, hell bent on avenging her mother’s death. But even in this, as mortal enemies, there’s still this tug between the two characters, and that’s because of how similar the vengeful Shuri is to Namor. During their brutal one-on-one fight, Namor recognizes game, thinking that this Shuri might be one to accept his invitation to burn the world together. And as he sees his rage in her, she starts to see her pain in him. She realizes the path she’s laying for herself and is able to pull back from the brink, leaving Namor alive in exchange for a ceasefire between Wakanda and Talokan.

I mean, it’s just electric! And Namor gets it—even after Shuri brutalizes him within an inch of his life, he goes back to Talokan with the assurance that this is a good turn of events for him. He’s glad that neither of them killed one another, because he foresees a time in which the rest of the surface world will turn on Wakanda and Shuri will come to him for help. He’s envisioning an unstoppably powerful alliance. Which, yes, is definitely in part his arrogance talking, given that he, in sound body and mind, killed her mom, but it’s also reflective of how much remains between Shuri and Namor. Despite everything they do to each other in this film, Namor isn’t ready to be done with Shuri, and as much as I’m sure Shuri will hate to admit it, it’s inevitable that she will one day call on his aid. And I for one can’t wait.

Favorite Characters: Namor (Black Panther)

*Some Namor-related spoilers.*

In addition to all the other fantastic things the Black Panther films have going for them, they’re now 2 for 2 with their antagonists. How many Marvel franchises can say that? I knew that Wakanda Forever was going to be sad, but with Tenoch Huerta Mejía coming onto the scene as Namor, I also knew we were in for a good time. The mutant underwater god-king with the winged ankles is every bit as awesome as Killmonger in the first film, but in very different ways.

Namor isn’t actually the first Talokanil we see in the movie. Some of his subjects/warriors make their appearance first, showing off their creepy-as-hell skills in the water as they take out some scientists searching for vibranium deep in the ocean. This scene only gives us a tease of the regal, proud Talokanil ruler, but his official introduction with Ramonda and Shuri smacks us in the face with how cool this character is.

One of the first things we see about Namor is how self-assured he is. He’s got that kingly swagger and the surety of coming from a place that closed itself off to colonizers centuries ago. He knows who he is and what he wants, any of his people would willingly die for him, and when he makes demands of the Wakandans, it’s in a calm, measured voice. And come on! He’s functionally immortal, sits on a throne made from the mouth of a giant shark, and can fly thanks to his awesome, physics-defying ankle wings. The man doesn’t need to rattle sabers to get your attention—everything about him pulls your gaze to him.

He's single-minded about his efforts to protect Talokan and his people, which, to him, means keeping them hidden from the surface world. Long ago, he saw the genocide and erasure that conquistadors wrought against his mother’s homeland, and he’s ruthless in his commitment to ensure that Talokan never experiences that. He thinks little of killing Riri Williams to prevent her vibranium locator from being replicated, or of going to war with Wakanda if he doesn’t get his way. As the leader of the only nation that could reasonably match Wakanda technologically, this makes him dangerous.

But like the best antagonists, Namor isn’t merely “evil.” Despite the trauma that understandably informs his motives, what he’s doing is wrong, but that isn’t all he is. Some of my favorite scenes in Wakanda Forever come after Shuri convinces the Talokanil to abduct her along with Riri. While the Wakandan heiress is certainly held as a hostage, Namor relates to her as one monarch to another, treating her with deference as he tells her the story of Talokan’s origins and shows her the beauty of his nation. Before she knows the full extent of his plan, Shuri in turn respects Namor and is likely charmed by him, and seeing Talokan, she understands why he’s determined to protect it. Huerta Mejía’s performance is magnetic, drawing you in with his charisma and quiet self-assurance. In his hands, Namor is an antagonist that you hope can be persuaded to see the light, not one to be killed.

To be sure, the film takes him down some dark roads, and the blows he lobs at Wakanda are nothing to be trifled with. I completely get why Shuri decides he needs to be taken down. But I’m very glad that, in the end, she chooses mercy, sparing Namor’s life in exchange for securing his vow that Talokan will leave Wakanda alone. He’s smart enough to take this deal, recognizing that Talokan would be better off with Wakanda as an eventual reluctant ally rather than an eternal enemy.

So, by the end of the film, he’s down but not out, back in Talokan and readying for the future. Marvel has an unfortunate habit of killing their best villains too quickly, but Namor is way too cool to be a one-and-done. I’m excited to see what the MCU has in store for him next.