What Language Does Namor Speak in Black Panther? Answered

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the anti-hero Namor, hailing from an ancient Mesoamerican nation, speaks an unfamiliar language with the people of his underwater realm. What language is Namor speaking, you may ask? Here is everything you need to know.

Is Namor’s Language Real in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?

Namor speaks in a Mesoamerican Mayan language, specifically Yucatec Mayan, one of the 69 varieties of the Mayan languages mainly spoken in Eastern Mexico. In the comics, Namor comes from Atlantis, but in an interview with the New York Times, director Ryan Coogler has “a reimagined version” naming the nation Talokan and that he was “deeply inspired by Mesoamerican cultures, specifically from the Yucatán and the Mayan postclassic period,” prompting the usage of the language.

Namor and his people come from a fictional nation called Talokan. Although the nation is Mayan in the movie, it was inspired by Tlālōcān, an Aztec myth. In mythology, Tlālōcān was a marvelous underworld nation ruled over by the water deity Tlāloc and could be accessed by people who died from drowning, lightning, or an illness associated with water.

When Did Namor Debut in Marvel Comics?

Bill Everett created the character, which debuted in Marvel Comics No. 1 on August 31, 1939, by Timely Comics, a forerunner of Marvel. Everett came up with the character’s name by writing the word Roman backward and was depicted as having Ancient Greek origins and hailing from the lost kingdom of Atlantis. This incarnation of the character hailing from Mesoamerica brings a different facet of the world’s various cultures into the mainstream and separates the character (who is actually older) from his DC counterpart Aquaman who also hails from Atlantis.

Namor’s presence is sure to be felt in the future of the MCU, but at least you can safely say you know what language Namor is speaking. Check out our other Black Panther: Wakanda Forever content, such as, who are the Midnight Angels, is Namor a Mutant, and the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever mid-credit scene explained.