When some sort of underwater volcanic eruption was mentioned in Avengers: Endgame by Okoye, fans immediately started speculating about whether that could have been a nod to Atlantis.
Since then, we've learned that Narcos: Mexico star Tenoch Huerta is playing Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's lead villain, and while no official casting details have been shared, it's been widely claimed he will take on the role of Namor the Submariner. The premise of the movie is said to be a war between Wakanda and Atlantis, while Namora and Cadmael are also rumoured to appear.
As with any rumour, we're not banking on anything until Marvel Studios shares some official details. Adding further fuel to the fire, however, is a photo from the Atlanta set of the movie.
The photo, shared on Instagram, confirms that a water tank is being used for the Black Panther sequel. While the person who shared this would later clarify that "I'm not actually on [Black Panther] we’re just using their tank I’m on another movie next-door," it looks like we're definitely getting some underwater scenes. That's only going to increase speculation about Namor's debut.
It would certainly make sense to pit Wakanda against Atlantis, especially if T'Challa's death creates a power vacuum. We'll have to wait and see, but it's fair to say Namor's live-action debut is long overdue. We'd have loved to see him clash with Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther, of course, but it should be just as much fun seeing him go to war with whoever inherits the mantle here.