I’m considering writing the merfolk in my story as a sort of metaphor for indigenous peoples, as well as other sea-dwelling or otherwise aquatic humans. Is this inherently problematic in and of itself, or is there a way to write this that works and is respectful to actual indigenous folks? If it’s inherently disrespectful, I can nix the idea, but as of current I don’t have any other equivalents to write them in with. I’m sure I could figure something out easily enough, though.
This may seem problematic as an idea but I think black panther 2 pulled it off in a respectful and interesting way.
Namor (king of Atlantis) has always been a big part in marvel comics, being the first mutant. But the way he was portrayed in the movie gave him an indigenous history that made him and Atlantis as a whole a lot more interesting than he’s ever been in the comics.
I second this. They did an excellent job of tying real South America with the fantasy of Atlantis and Namor.
I’m not well versed in the comic history, but I thought Apocalypse was the first mutant. I didn’t know Namor came first.