This year's recognition is given to those who became "next-level, a shift triggering where-did-you-come-from vibes," the AP wrote in announcing the list.
"You can't dream of something" that you can't see, Huerta told the AP in an interview, referring to the lack of "brown skin people" like him onscreen, in ads and in theater.
Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor in Marvel's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."
“When they decide to give this background to Namor, you know, this new background — Mesoamerican culture, especially Mayan culture — I think they nailed it,” Huerta told NBC News.
“I try to create, as much as I can, a better place to live for them," Huerta told AP.