'Black Panther' Actor Denies Sexual Assault Allegations: "Can't Let It Go Unchallenged"

Tenoch Huerta, who became famous by his villainous role in the movie 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever', has denied sexual assault allegations made against him by musician Maria Elena Rios. Mr Huerta has called her claims "false and unsubstantiated", saying "I cannot let it go unchallenged any longer." The actor gave a statement to Variety, which has also been published posted on his Instagram. The actor was chosen to play the role of indigenous superhero-turned-rival of Black Panther, which made him famous across the world.

In his statement, Mr Huerta said, "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."

The Mexican actor also said, "Although I am by no means perfect, I know that these allegations are simply untrue. And while I will always work to improve myself, I need to contest claims that are both false and offensive."

As per Variety, he claims to have hired a legal team to protect his reputation.

On June 10, Ms Rios called the 42-year-old actor a "sexual predator", accusing him of sexually assaulting her.

"It's very difficult to talk about the emotional abuse and the abuse of power of a sexual predator who is loved around the world for playing a character in a movie such as Tenoch Huerta," Independent quoted her as saying on social media.

There are speculations that Mr Huerta will reappear as Namor in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), though Marvel has not made any official statement regarding this.