Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Who is Namor?

Part hero, part anti-hero, part villain, few Marvel characters have had a history as complex and diverse as Namor, also known as the Sub-Mariner and King of Atlantis. Since his first appearance in 1939, he has had many solo adventures and has been a part of various groups of heroes when not fighting them. The Fantastic Four, with whom Namor has a special relationship, always play a special role. Whether the character’s influence will be as great in the MCU will become apparent when “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters in November. There Namor has his first appearance on the big screen.

The first guard of comic heroes

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: As a king, Namor is characterized above all by his hotheadedness.

Source: Marvel/Disney



Having first appeared in 1939, Namor is one of the oldest superheroes. For comparison: Superman was created a year earlier, Batman the same year as Namor. Its creator, Bill Everett, wanted to make Namor a counterpart to the “Human Torch”. Since he could handle fire, Namor should rule over the element of water. Along with the “Human Torch” and Captain America, Namor became the figurehead of Timely Comics, the forerunner of today’s Marvel Comics. However, Namor differed from the other two characters in one important detail: he was not a hero.

From his very first appearance, it was clear that Namor, half son of an Atlantean princess and a human seafarer, didn’t have much time for the concerns of the upper world. Time after time he tried to defend his underwater kingdom against the exploitation of the surface dwellers and did not shy away from drastic measures. More frequently, Namor encountered the “Human Torch” here, and the two fought each other over and over again. As with many heroes of the Golden Age of Comics, interest in Namor waned after World War II. Although he fought against Nazis together with Captain America and the “Human Torch”, his heyday was over for the time being.

Namor, the Fantastic Four and other superhero groups

Black Panther: In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a conflict looms between Wakanda and Talocan, the realm of Namor.

Source: Disney



That all changed in 1962 when Stan Lee had the new Human Torch, Jonny Storm meet the Sub-Mariner, who was wandering around New York with amnesia, in the fourth installment of Fantastic Four. Jonny Storm helped Namor, but when Namor regained his memory, he again became aware of the destructiveness of humans. Namor decided to attack New York, but the Fantastic Four stood in his way. However, something unexpected happened during the attack. Namor met Sue Storm and immediately fell in love with her. From then on, he appeared in the Fantastic Four orbit, sometimes as a friend, sometimes as an enemy and mostly as a rival to Fantastic Four boss Reed Richards, Sue Storm’s husband.

Independent of the Fantastic Four, Namor has become an important and prominent character in Marvel Comics. He was part of the Avengers, fought alongside and against the X-Men and founded the Illuminati with other superheroes to better watch over the fortunes of the world before leaving in anger. In all his performances, the king of Atlantis is characterized by one thing above all: he is both arrogant and hot-headed and if something doesn’t go his way, he likes to change sides to get his rights.

Friend or foe? Namor in Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: In contrast to the comic book, Namor’s kingdom and its inhabitants are borrowed from Aztec mythology.

Source: Marvel/Disney



From all the promo material showing Namor for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie so far, the Sub-Mariner’s story will be loosely based on the comic book. Namor is king of a realm beneath the sea, but it is not Atlantis. Instead, his kingdom is called Talocan and is based on one of the Aztec kingdoms of the dead. And that’s not too illogical at all, considering that during the course of the film Talocan and Wakanda come into conflict with each other and both kingdoms are in close proximity to each other.

However, two important characteristics of Namor seem to remain: one of his parents is still a human being and his actor Tenoch Huerta labeled him a mutant. His abilities are also probably similar to those of Comic Namor, including the small wings on his feet that allow him to fly: they are part of the mutation that makes him a mutant, by the way. The question of whether Namor is friend or foe of Wakanda remains open until the film starts.