Namor officially joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it’s possible he’s been lurking in the background for years. Ever since Avengers: Endgame, some fans have speculated that Marvel was quietly laying the groundwork to bring the Sub-Mariner to the MCU, and now fans may have spotted another Easter egg that’s been hiding in plain sight.
Avengers: Endgame and Black Panther 2
Back in 2019, one line from Endgame sparked a thousand fan theories about Namor and the lost city of Atlantis (which Marvel replaces with Talokan in Wakanda Forever). The relevant scene depicts a meeting of the remaining Avengers after Thanos wiped out half the universe’s population. Okoye (Danai Gurira) mentions that an underwater earthquake just happened near Africa, and while the superheroes don’t seem too worried, fans were quick to wonder if this was caused by Namor and Atlantis.
It was such a popular theory that The Hollywood Reporter even asked Endgame’s co-screenwriter Christopher Markus if it was an intentional Easter egg. “I wish we were that smart,” he replied. However, in another interview, co-director Joe Russo reportedly responded “maybe” when asked if the earthquake was a clue.
Fast-forward three years, and the emergence of Namor seems to disprove these theories. For one thing, Talokan appears to be located somewhere off the coast of Mexico, not near Africa. But maybe that earthquake wasn’t the only clue hidden in Avengers: Endgame.
As TikTok user @thestudentofthegame points out, Namor could have visited New York long before he made the trip to Wakanda in Black Panther 2.
Namor and Captain America?
This is an extremely flimsy fan theory, but it’s also a fun one. Fans may recall that in Endgame, Captain America tells Black Widow that he saw a pod of whales in the Hudson River. In the moment, it’s played off as an example of Cap’s endless optimism (sure, half of humanity is gone, but fewer ships in the ocean mean the return of sealife to New York’s harbor). But in the context of Wakanda Forever, this observation could take on a deeper meaning.
As noted by Okoye in Black Panther 2, Namor and his soldiers travel on the backs of whales throughout the movie. So is it possible the whales in Avengers: Endgame were from Talokan?
If the answer is yes, it would mean Namor and his people were checking in on New York during the Blip, either to potentially offer support or plot an attack. Either way, we assume they never actually made contact, since the existence of Talokan is a secret until the events of Wakanda Forever.
Of course, it’s also possible that Captain America’s whales are just whales, not part of some underwater army. But it’s reasonable to assume that Namor had been observing the surface for a long time before Black Panther 2, and this may prove it.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in theaters now.
