On designing Namor (Looper Exclusive)
by TIM LAMMERS
The official trailer release for the upcoming MCU adventure "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has fans feeling very emotional. Naturally, one thing resonating with fans is the brave way the inhabitants of Wakanda — and the actors who play them — are dealing with the loss of King T'Challa and Chadwick Boseman, the charismatic film star who embodied the beloved screen character. The trailer is also drumming up excitement, however, with the most detailed look yet at Namor (Tenoch Huerta), who is finally making his live-action debut in the MCU 83 years after the character's debut as the Submariner in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939.
Bestowed with the gargantuan responsibility of designing the look of Namor at the beginning of production for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was Anthony Francisco, who for nearly nine years was a key creative in Marvel's team of Visual Development artists. Having grown up a fan of Marvel Comics, Francisco shared his love and passion for the material as a concept artist for well over a dozen MCU films. As such, he's worked on key designs for several blockbusters, including the first two "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Ant-Man" films and their upcoming threequels, as well as "Avengers: Infinity War," "Avengers: Endgame," and the last three "Thor" films.
