Casting director Sarah Halley Finn, director Ryan Coogler, and anyone else that had a hand in finding Tenoch Huerta to play Namor in the upcoming Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has broken my For You page (FYP). For those that haven’t subscribed to the time-suck that is TikTok, a FYP is the stream of videos and live streams the app thinks you will like based on their algorithm. I’m a firm believer that (with the exception of how TikTok radicalizes people to the alt-right) your FYP is a reflection of you. Though, I’m calling foul on this one because there is no way.
Have I giddly DMed friends saying, “Did you see the actor playing Namor?” Yes. Am I a fan of this rework? Yes. However, I’ve not given TikTok the go-ahead to disrupt the regularly scheduled programming. No. I’m no nun, but my FYP is great as-is—blush free! While I acknowledge that despite having checked “yes” on “Ask App Not to Track,” I understand that some cookies and more might have been intercepted as I engaged with Black Panther content online. However, these thirst traps are making me less loyal to the heroes of the story than I was going in—and I’m not alone.
@ashleyksmalls This why the Dora Milaje won’t let me in #blackpanther #wakandaforever #blackpantherwakandaforever #namor #tenochhuerta #mcu #mcutiktok #mcutok #marveltok #doramilaje #wakanda ♬ original sound – .
@lyviescott and it’s only going to get worse #blackpanther #wakandaforever #namor #tenochhuerta #simptiktok #mcutiktok ♬ original sound – cry ☆
@xolobooks I will be antifemenista for exactly 2h 41m #namor #tenochhuerta #blackpanther #blackpanther2 #wakandaforever #latinostiktok #thirsty #marvel #mcu ♬ original sound – maritzah
It’s not just videos about Huerta as Namor, either.
@5566mac #Namor de #TenochHuerta viene con todo… #Marvel #FastasticFour #narcosmexiconetflix #Netflix #CaroQuintero ♬ sonido original – .
TikToks 1, 2, 3, and 4 are also here.
Black and brown cosplayers are coming across my feed via the people reacting to them, too. To be fair, I do engage a lot with the crafting side of TikTok, and this includes cosplay. However, reactions to cosplay are rare. This particular TikTok of Puerto Rican illustrator and cosplayer Jay Velasquez (who also does a great HIM and Spike Spiegel) is one such example where everything is happening at once. You might want to turn down your volume for the first one here …
@notnotnotrekcut_ #stitch with @lifelikejay #wakandaforever #wakanda #blackpanther ♬ original sound – Blackagar Boltagon
@vesta___ #stitch with @lifelikejay forgive me I broke my mic. #namor #cosplay ♬ original sound – Vesta
@notnotnotrekcut_ #stitch with @lifelikejay #wakandaforever #wakanda #blackpanther ♬ original sound – Blackagar Boltagon
TikToks 1, 2, and 3 are also here.
We are weak in the knees
Much like Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in the first film, there are lots of people saying things along the lines of “I can fix him” or “Hey, maybe we should hear him out.” While Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole brought great nuance to the conversation of identity and isolationism, Killmonger was the bad guy, clearly—not the worst guy, but not a good guy. I’ve never been a big team spirit person, but I don’t like that thinly veiled threat to Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) in the trailer.
We need to STAND UP.
(featured image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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