Wakanda Forever's Mabel Cadena Was Worried Namora's Costume Would Kill Her Underwater

Namora is shown to be one of Namor’s closest confidantes and the ending of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” seemingly implies that we haven’t seen the last of her. Namora appears on land and underwater throughout the film, so her costume required a duality that would allow her to showcase a fluid fighting style. Ruth Carter, the costume designer on both “Black Panther” and its sequel, was well aware of the challenges when it came to creating a realistic look for Namora. Underwater sequences were planned using a 20-foot water tank, Carter revealed to Variety, and she ended up using weights in the costumes to accentuate the buoyant aesthetic.

With all that extra weight, it makes sense that Cadena was apprehensive. The actor admitted that although the costume was beautiful, the mechanics of the look were daunting at first. When it came time for Cadena to wear the outfit, she was worried that its bulk would weigh her down in the water.

“The headpiece is very heavy and under the water you can feel beauty in the costume, in the movements, and in all these things,” Cadena explained on the Cup of Soul Show. “But the first time, to me, was like ‘This costume is going to kill me under the water.'”

Ultimately, the costume helped to inform Cadena about Namora’s inner life and her scenes went off without a hitch.

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