The story opens with the nation of Wakanda reeling from the death of King T'Challa due to an undisclosed illness. Shuri (Letitia Wright) struggles with her grief and inability to save her brother through technology.
Wakanda is pressured by world powers seeking Vibranium. Simultaneously, a hidden, technologically advanced underwater civilization led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta) emerges. Namor threatens war if Wakanda does not help fight the surface world.
Tenoch Huerta’s Namor is portrayed as a sympathetic but dangerous antagonist with deep motivations rooted in protecting his people, making him a complex foil to Wakanda.