Marvel won't release Namor solo movie as rights belong to Universal

“…a mutant.”

Marvel fans rejoiced when Namor uttered those two words to Shuri in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, laying out that the X-Men’s alliance with the superheroes of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is growing ever closer, especially with the appearance of Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

However, a subset of MCU fans’ excitement might not last for long with the news that a Namor solo movie will not be in the works anytime soon. The reason behind this may give fans a sense of deja vu when thinking back to the Disney-Sony Spiderman tug-of-war.

Marvel producer Nate Moore (Eternals, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) revealed that while the Sub-Mariner can return to the MCU big screen, Disney and Marvel are not able to produce a Namor solo movie as the rights to the character currently belong to Universal. This ties the comic giant’s hands to only using the Feathered-Serpent God in a supporting capacity.

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This arrangement between the two studios is not the first of its kind, with the Hulk and its associated characters sharing the same distribution clause, so Hulk fans might not want to continue holding their breath for a solo Hulk movie to grace the big screen anytime soon.

More notably, Moore revealed that such a clause affects the marketing of the film more than it does the development of the character — as seen with how the studio made changes to MCU’s Namor that made him different from his comic counterpart.

A glimpse of hope that Namor fans might want to hold on to is that there have not been any formal statements made on whether Marvel’s agreement with Sony would prevent him from starring in a Disney+ series. With She-Hulk getting her opportunity as a lead on the small screen, it might not seem too far-fetched for Namor to get a shot there instead of in cinemas.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.