A fan artist has re-imagined Namor from the upcoming MCU film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as a swimsuit pinup model. Namor, AKA The Sub-Mariner, was originally introduced by Marvel Comics in 1939. A half-human mutant who lives in the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, he is one of the earliest examples of a comic book antihero. While he frequently desires revenge for various reasons against those who live on the land, he has worked with a number of groups of superheroes, including the Avengers, the X-Men, the Defenders, and the Fantastic Four.
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which comes to theaters on November 11, 2022, will mark the first time that Namor has appeared in a live-action film. The Forever Purge's Tenoch Huerta will portray the role in the film, which sees original Black Panther director Ryan Coogler returning to the MCU. While the trailer for the film makes it seem like the primary conflict in the film will be defending the nation of Wakanda from an Atlantean invasion, there is still some question as to whether Namor will actually be the primary antagonist.
On Instagram, Brazilian digital artist Rodrigo Marques has made a habit out of reimagining various characters from popular franchises as pinup models, particularly characters from comic books and the TV shows and movies based on them like The Boys, X-Men, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. This week, Marques shared a brand-new interpretation of Namor as a swimsuit model playfully posing in the surf. This time, it wasn't necessary to make the outfit skimpier, so it's a rather faithful interpretation of the character. Check out the post below:
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Artwork like this is certainly in keeping with the sensibility of the MCU. While some of Marques' works are too ribald for the ever-so PG-13 franchise, the films have made a habit out of including shirtless scenes that show off their lead actors' sculpted muscles. These scenes have peppered projects like Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Captain America, Shang-Chi, and even the new Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness over the last decade, with Avengers: Endgame even going so far as to have a recurring joke about Captain America's ass.
Namor is certainly going to be one of the biggest sources of fan thirst from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Unless Michael B. Jordan returns as Killmonger, he may very well be the biggest. Considering the fact that fans were already tremendously excited by Huerta's appearance in a half-second clip of the trailer, enough to even inspire art like this, Marvel has certainly struck gold yet again.