Is Namor a Mutant in the MCU? & How Does He Set Up the X-Men?

Namor was finally introduced as an MCU character after he made his debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. However, the thing that we noticed about him was the fact that he was different from the rest of his people, as he was a blend of both human and Talokanil. But the thing is that he could fly, as he himself said that he was a mutant. So, does that mean that Namor is a mutant in the MCU?

It is possible that Namor is a mutant in the MCU, but it is also possible that he was simply referring to himself as a mutant because he was different from the rest of the Talokanil. Still, there is a good possibility that he is a mutant, as Namor has always been called the first mutant introduced in Marvel Comics.

The thing about the mutants is that they aren’t mainstream in the MCU yet, even though we all know that they exist in different universes. This implies that there is a good reason that Namor is a mutant in terms of the Marvel and X-Men sense of the word as the day that the mutants become mainstream in the MCU draws near. That said, let’s look at what we know about Namor and his “mutant” properties.

Is Namor A Mutant In The MCU?

In Marvel Comics, Namor has always been said to be the first mutant to be introduced in this fictional universe because he has been around since the 1930s and was actually classified as a mutant in later years. Of course, Namor is a mixture between a human and an Atlantean in the comics, and that’s why his physiology is the best of both worlds. On top of that, he is also a lot stronger than any other Atlantean. But the thing that was never explained was the fact that he could fly, and it was concluded that he developed this ability due to the recessive mutant gene found in his father’s human genetics.

But things aren’t exactly that simple in the MCU because neither the mutants nor the X-Men has been revealed in Universe-616. Still, there is something quite intriguing about the fact that Namor’s physiology when he was introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever because he is almost the exact copy of his comic book counterpart except for the fact that he is now Talokanil instead of Atlantean. That means that he has both the genetics of a human and a Talokanil but is still capable of flying because of his winged ankles.

Of course, the most interesting part was the fact that Namor told Shuri that he was a mutant while he was explaining his backstory and how he came to be. So, does this actually mean that Namor is a mutant?

In the Marvel Comics universe, the word “mutant” almost always refers to humans that have undergone a mutation due to a recessive mutant gene that can be found in every human being. As such, the ones who underwent this mutation develop unique abilities that are far beyond what ordinary humans are capable of. And the most popular mutant group in Marvel is the X-Men.

Then again, we do know that the X-Men and the mutants are yet to be revealed in the MCU’s Universe-616, but we also know that Disney now has the right to use the X-Men after the Fox acquisition. We even saw Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when he found himself in Universe-838. As such, while the mutants are yet to be mainstream in the MCU’s Universe-616, they have already come out in public in the other universes. 

In that regard, there is a good chance that Namor was referring to himself as an actual mutant in the Marvel meaning of the word. After all, there is no way to explain why he has wings on his feet, as neither his human nor his Talokanil side has this trait. There is also the fact that introducing Namor as the first character to ever refer to himself as a mutant is in line with the fact that Namor was the first mutant comic book character in terms of real-world time. 

Of course, there is still the possibility that he was simply referring to himself as a mutant because he was different from the rest of his people. This possibility is still out there, but the only thing we need to do right now is to wait for Marvel Studios to formally introduce the concept of mutants into the MCU.

How Does Namor Set Up The X-Men?

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wasn’t the first time that mutants were implied to exist in the MCU’s Universe-616. That’s because Ms. Marvel teased the possibility that Kamala Khan could be a mutant. Nevertheless, she was never referred to as a mutant in the entire movie.

Now, in Namor’s case, there is a good possibility that he could be one of the characters that could lay the groundwork needed to introduce the mutants to the MCU, as we know for a fact that Marvel Studios is trending toward that direction. After all, the X-Men have always been popular characters in the comics and the animated series, and that means that introducing them as MCU characters would mean gold.

It is possible that Namor could actually be the first mutant in the MCU in terms of chronology, as there is a chance that the mutant gene was awakened within her when she ingested the Vibranium-infused herb that changed her people into the Talokanil. But this doesn’t explain why other people have mutations in their genes. Still, the possibility is that this event that happened to Namor might have awakened the dormant recessive mutant gene that all humans have, as there is a good chance that the recessive gene only needs a trigger to wake itself up and cause a mutation within a person. 

That means that Kamala Khan’s genetics must have also undergone a similar trigger that allowed her to develop a mutation that none of her other family members have. For Namor, the trigger was the herb. But the trigger might be different for Kamala and the other mutants that may exist all over the world.

Of course, it is also possible that Namor was indeed the only person to develop a mutant gene. As such, because he has been around for hundreds of years, he might have spread his genes by impregnating women whenever he visited the surface world. And it was heavily implied in Wakanda Forever that he often visited the surface world, as it is possible that it was through his trysts with surface-world humans may have allowed the gene to spread from one generation to another and from one location to another.

At this point, the possibilities are everywhere, but there is a good chance that Namor is the catalyst for the mutant race in the MCU. This probably doesn’t explain why the mutants have been hiding for a very long time after several universe-level events have already happened in the MCU. But if there’s anything we know about the people in Marvel Studios, it’s that they know how to fill in plot holes and answer questions.