Out of all of the different Talokanil that Shuri and the Wakandans faced during the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor was the most unique as he was not only the most powerful out of all of them but was also gifted with abilities that the others did not have. He was much stronger than any of the Talokanil and was gifted with long life. But what made him even more unique was that he had wings on his feet. So, why does Namor have wings on his feet, and can he fly with them?
Namor has wings on his feet because his transformation into a Talokanil was unique in that his mother transformed while he was still in her womb. In his own words, Namor also said that he was a mutant, and that was probably the reason why he could fly using the wings on his feet.
The thing about Namor is he also had the ability to fly in his comic book counterpart as he developed this ability because of the mutant gene found in his human side. Nevertheless, we don’t know if Namor is also the same kind of mutant that we know of in the world of Marvel. So, with that said, let’s talk more about Namor’s winged ankles.
Why Does Namor Have Wings On His Feet?
It was never a secret that Namor was the antagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as this served as the introduction story to one of the biggest anti-heroes in the world of Marvel Comics. In that regard, the entire movie featured Namor’s underwater nation of Talokan against Shuri’s secluded country of Wakanda. And the one thing that was clear was that, while all of the Talokanil have super-strength, Namor was in a different class on his own.
Namor wasn’t only so much stronger than all of the Talokanil because he was also able to do things that they couldn’t do, such as breathing on the surface. But the one thing that made him unique among all of his people was the fact that he had wings on his feet, particularly around the ankle area. So, why does Namor have wings on his feet?
In the comics, Namor also had winged ankles. As such, the MCU only translated this trait into the movie while also incorporating this with Mesoamerican or ancient Mexican mythology. His people called him K’uk’ulkan, which is the winged god serpent in Mesoamerican mythology.
As such, the Talokanil treated him not as a king or as a leader but as a god. This also allowed his people to believe that he was given winged feet because he was a god among the Talokanil. Of course, Namor also offered his own explanation as to why he was always different from the rest of the Talokanil.
The people of Talokan once dwelled on the surface world in the place that we know as Mexico during the 16thcentury. At that time, the Spanish conquistadors brought smallpox to their part of the world, as many of these Aztec people fell ill. As such, their shaman asked for help from the gods, and that was when he was given a sign to ingest a water-based herb that was not unlike the Heart-Shaped Herb of the Wakandans.
All of their people ingested this herb, and Namor’s mother did so while she was still pregnant with him. After that, all of them seemingly died but were brought back to life as entirely different beings that had no ability to breathe on the surface, as they would turn blue when exposed to the surface air. However, they were much stronger and more durable than ordinary human beings and had the ability to breathe underwater. As such, the origin story of the Talokanil was not so different from the origin story of the Black Panther, who gains extraordinary strength through the Heart-Shaped Herb.
Namor was born during the time when her mother was already living underwater with the rest of the Talokanil, and that meant that he was created in a way that was different from how the rest of the people of Talokan were created. The fact that he was conceived when his mother was still human gave him human traits. But at the same time, he also gained superhuman abilities that were beyond the other people of Talokan, as he was much stronger and had an extended lifespan. But he was also born with winged ankles, as he himself said that he was actually a mutant.
In that regard, the way that Namor was created was what contributed to the fact that he was different from the rest of the Talokanil. And that was probably the reason why he had winged feet, as his mother was still human when he was conceived but was subsequently transformed during the latter part of his mother’s pregnancy.
Can Namor Fly With His Winged Ankles?
While Namor does have winged ankles, these are not only for aesthetic purposes, as Namor has the ability to fly using these wings, despite the fact that they may be quite small. In that regard, Namor is capable of unassisted flight, as his tiny wings are powerful enough to allow him to fly at speeds that rival the jets of the Wakandans.
We know that Namor was capable of flight with the use of his winged ankles. But what was more impressive was the fact that he had complete control over these wings as he could change directions quickly while he was flying and was capable of outmaneuvering Wakandan jets and even Riri Williams in her suit.
But Namor needs these wings to be able to fly, as Shuri actually cut one of them to take away one of his advantages. That means that he needs both wings to function for him to be able to fly, as it was clear that one wing was not enough for him to even propel himself in the air.
Is Namor A Mutant In The MCU?
A lot of Marvel fans were excited to hear the word “mutant” coming out of Namor’s mouth when he explained to Shuri what he was. Of course, that’s because this word has always been associated with the X-Men, which Disney previously did not own. But after the Fox acquisition, Disney and Marvel Studios could now safely incorporate the mutants into the MCU. So, does that mean that Namor is a mutant?
This is the first time that a character from an MCU movie mentioned the “mutant” word. The first time we heard it was during the events of Ms. Marvel when Kamala Khan was said to have a mutation in her genes. However, this is the first time that someone referred to himself as a mutant in the MCU, as that was what Namor did when he said that he was one.
Of course, there is a good chance that Namor was only referring to himself as a mutant when compared to the other Talokanil because he was different from them. But the thing is that he is actually a mutant in the comics.
Namor’s abilities were attributed to the fact that he was a hybrid of a human and an Atlantean in the comics. However, he was considered to be a mutant because they couldn’t explain why he had winged ankles and the ability to fly. As such, he probably acquired the mutant gene from his human father’s side in the comics.
Meanwhile, in the MCU, we don’t know exactly what mutants are and where they come from, but we do know that, in the comics, mutants have been around for as long as humans have been on the planet, as every human carries the mutant gene. As such, even though Namor’s Mesoamerican mother was born during the 16th century and was not a mutant, she might have still had the mutant gene in her. And this gene probably manifested in Namor when he was also transformed while he was still in his mother’s womb.
As such, there is a possibility that Namor could actually be a mutant. Nevertheless, the possibility that he was referring to himself as a mutant because he was different from the rest of the Talokanil may still be probable as well. All we know is that the mutants are eventually going to join the MCU, and Namor could be one of them.
