Warning: This article contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Read at your own risk!
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: The Talokan Kingdom Explained
Making their debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is none other than the Talokan kingdom, led by Namor, and this is the very first time they will ever come into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, changing the perspective of everyone about vibranium. The Talokan kingdom is an underwater kingdom led by Namor and they got a disturbance when the CIA found vibranium somewhere in the middle of the ocean, thus, they went on shore for the first time in hundreds of years due to the threat it posed to their existence. For almost 500 years, they lived without being detected, Namor reveals that they used to be humans but when they drank a potion from a flower growing from a glowing rock underwater, it gave them the ability to breathe underwater and step away from the cruelty of humanity on the surface.
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When Namor was born, they knew he is the best to be the king of Talokan. He is a mutant, he could breathe underwater and on the surface without the need of an equipment. Namor will also do everything in his power to protect their nation. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t find any Talokan or Talocan in the Marvel comics because there, it is Atlantis. The creators of the movie decided to go to a different direction for the place where Namor came from and they leaned on history to make Talokan happen. Heavily dealing with Mesoamerican accent on the kingdom, Talokan is presumably from the Aztec codices, Tlālōcān, or what they call as paradise. The flashback on how the Talokan came about explained that they are from a Mayan tribe who were sick and dying. Living underwater gave them a new chance in life, being away from the human evils that exist such as war, sickness, and cruelty. This has been displayed when Namor was about to bury his mother and she wished to be buried where she came from, only to see Spanish conquistadors tormenting the people there. Even the name of the Talokan for Namor comes from the same culture. They call him by the name K’uk’ulkan which is known as the Mesoamerican serpent deity and they worship him like a true god who protects them from the world above. Witness the Talokan tribe come ashore in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, now in theaters worldwide.
