Tenoch Huerta: Namor Is Rumored For At Least One More MCU Film

Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse. 

As the main antagonist in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," Tenoch Huerta's Namor proves to be a mighty challenge for the new Black Panther Shuri (Letitia Wright), and his Atlantean forces are more than enough to challenge the might of Wakanda. As first impressions go, the character makes a huge impact — and his moral ambiguity makes him fascinating and complex enough to potentially challenge or ally himself with any Marvel Cinematic Universe character going forward. Still, while the character's introduction in the MCU has been smooth sailing, things haven't been quite as simple behind the scenes (via the Los Angeles Times). On June 11, saxophonist María Elena Ríos accused Huerta's entertainment industry anti-racism collective Poder Prieto — which she's a former member of herself — for a series of misdeeds, from benefitting from her work and media appearances without permission or rightful compensation to outright violence. She also alleged that Huerta had assaulted her, and called the MCU star a "sexual predator."  

The story around Ríos' allegations is still developing, and as such, whether the situation could impact the future of Huerta's Namor is still unclear. While it's worth noting that Namor's MCU future seems hardly set in stone, writer Jeff Loveness has teased that the ruler of Atlantis will make an appearance in "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." In fact, he specifically name-dropped the character in a February 24 interview with ComicBook. "Namor, man. I'm excited to write Namor," he said.

Emmy-winning "Rick and Morty" screenwriter Jeff Loveness made his MCU writing debut with "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," and in his capacity as the "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" writer, he's jokingly teased characters like Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner and/or Hailee Steinfeld), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) as part of the next Avengers lineup. However, his comments about Namor seemed to be far more earnest, and the powerful but relatively new MCU character's inclusion in the movie would make plenty of sense given the titular character's (Jonathan Majors, who's currently dealing with legal woes) multiversal threat ... which is exactly what Loveness has said he's going for.  

"[...] The impetus of an 'Avengers' movie or story is like, this is a day where we need these guys, and this is a threat that we cannot handle alone," he described his take on the super-team, going on to confirm that we'll indeed see plenty of next-generation characters in the movie. "And this is a seismic shift in the world. This is a generational event. And our old generation is gone or retired or scattered. So it compels a new generation to step up."

Of course, it's worth noting that Loveness gave his interview before the allegations against Huerta surfaced. It remains to be seen how the situation may potentially affect Namor's rumored presence in "The Kang Dynasty."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).