Marvel actors are immediately thrust into the spotlight, causing their misdeeds to come quickly to light too. Like Marvel’s Jonathan Majors, who went down recently for crimes of abuse, another Marvel actor is now under fire for sexual assault. Ironically, like Majors, Tenoch Huerta is also known for playing a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans will recognize him as the antagonist of the most recent Black Panther film.
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Huerta plays the evil Namor, a mutant child of a human and mythical underwater goddess. He can survive both on land and under the water, has superhuman strength, and flies by the wings on his feet. Namor hates the surface world and wants to align with Wakanda to protect his kingdom, Talokan, but his motives at tactics are insidious.
Tenoch Huerta was recently called out by Mexican saxophonist and former girlfriend María Elena Ríos, who claims he sexually assaulted her. Yesterday, in a Twitter thread (translated from Spanish) Ríos says,
It is very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved in the world for playing a movie character…’And why didn’t you report?’ They say those who live in a macho country, where justice is unattainable, where they almost kill you and still they don’t believe you or justice comes.
She insists in the post that she did not come forward for fame or money.
Variety reported that today, the Marvel actor took to instagram to fight back against the allegations. Here’s part of his statement:
About a year ago, I dated Elena for several months. It was entirely consensual at all times, as countless others can attest. And throughout it was a loving, warm and mutually supportive relationship. After it ended, however, Elena began to misrepresent our interactions both privately and in front of groups of mutual friends. As a result, a few months ago, I engaged a legal team to commence the appropriate actions to protect my reputation and refute these irresponsible and false accusations that can cause great prejudice and damage.
Tenoch Huerta held that her claims were untrue, as well as false and offensive.
Marvel has not commented on the incident. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever left the fate of Huerta’s character unsealed, but if these allegations progress, it may lead to an avoidance to include Namor in any future Marvel Cinematic Universe plot lines.