Over almost twenty years, some of the most popular and successful films to be released have come from Marvel Studios. Fans fell in love with the big-screen stories of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and more. Those who starred in Marvel films were shot to superstardom. However, sometimes fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Fame can lead to lives being led under a microscope. It can also lead to past behavior becoming a present issue. This is the case for Marvel star Tenoch Huerta — who starred as Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
On June 9, Huerta was accused of sexual assault by Mexican activist Maria Elena Rios. The activist claimed that Huerta was not only emotionally abusive, but he was also a violent sexual predator. She claimed that people knew about what Huerta did — as she was not the only one he had done it to — but things were covered up because of who Huerta was and the major film he was acting in.
Huerta, for his part, has denied the claims made by Rios. The Mexican actor said that he and Rios dated for several months. Things were good until they broke up. After that, Huerta claimed that Rios began making sexual misconduct allegations against him. According to Huerta, he has hired a legal team to fight the charges and thanked his family and friends for standing by him. He admitted that he was not perfect, but said that Rios’ claims were “simply untrue.”
We have learned that the accusation has taken a severe toll on Huerta’s professional life. On June 21, Huerta shared a statement with The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that he was stepping away from a Netflix film he was working on as he fights the allegations levied against him.
“Given the impact of the recent false statements by María Elena Ríos and the damage they have caused, I have no choice but to withdraw from participating in the film Fiesta en la Madriguera.
“It is with great sadness that I do this, but I cannot allow her actions to harm not only me, but also the work of dozens of talented and hard-working people involved in the project. My focus now is simple: continue the process of restoring my reputation.”
Sadly, Huerta is not the only Marvel actor to have some serious accusations made against them. Back in March, Ant-Man and the Wasp star Jonathan Majors was arrested on serious assault charges, including strangulation. Majors has denied the charges, and his lawyers claim he is the victim of a witch hunt. The trial against Majors is scheduled to begin on August 3.
At this time, Marvel has not officially announced any plans to bring Namor back in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. However, his character’s storyline didn’t appear to be completely finished. It has also been hinted that Namor — also known as the Sub-Mariner — will be back in one of the films in Marvel’s phase six.
