Marvel fans have convinced themselves that Namor the Sub-Mariner is finally about to debut in the MCU during Phase 4 and two popular options for his possible first appearance are Black Panther 2 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Some new comments from one of the stars of The Eternals, however, points to the King of Atlantis (no, not Aquaman) turning up as soon as this November.
According to a fan on Twitter, they privately chatted with teen actor Zein al Rafih via direct messages and he gave them a tease about the nature of his character. “I play the role of a kid whose father gets killed by sea monsters,” the 15-year-old star allegedly said, as well as revealing that he’s replaced by an older actor over the course of the film as his character grows up.
Ajak actress Salma Hayek unveiled al Rafih as part of the movie when she shared a selfie of herself with him and another young co-star, Lia McHugh (Sprite), on Instagram last year. And if he’s sharing scenes with those two leads, that does suggest he’ll play a key role in the pic. But why do we think he could be Namor? Well, because the actor’s alleged description of his character recalls Namor’s origins from the comics, with his human father being killed by Atlanteans.
Al Rafih made his acting debut in Oscar-nominated Lebanese film Capernaum, when director Nadine Labaki plucked him from obscurity with no prior acting experience to star in the powerful movie about children in a Beirut slum. The actor and his family are Syrian refugees who’ve since relocated to Norway, so it’d be pretty incredible if he’s about to play an iconic Marvel superhero in the near future.
All that being said, while his supposed comments are extremely intriguing, we’d better not take it as red that Namor will be making a splash in The Eternals. The movie’s got enough to do as it is with introducing the titular immortal race, as well as Kit Harington’s Black Knight. But either way, we’ll find out soon enough, as the film hits theaters on November 6th.