The most hardcore of Marvel Comics fans will know who the Aquaman of Marvel is. In fact, this character came before Aquaman and served as the biggest inspiration for him. He is known as Namor The Sub-Mariner, the King of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Comic fans can debate over who the better fish guy is, but Namor has some unique history under him. For starters, he made his debut in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939. This makes him one of Marvel’s first superheroes, along with Captain America and the original Human Torch. He was a prominent hero during the Golden Age of Comic Books and a fictional veteran of World War 2. When he appears in comics, he’s usually seen wearing nothing but a speedo and a sick pair of abs to go with them. Yes, he can talk to fish like Aquaman, but he can still kick butt.
So given his history and abilities, it seems a bit odd that he has yet to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, it’s really because Marvel doesn’t exactly own complete custody of him. The company that does own film rights to Namor is Universal Pictures, just like The Hulk. In a 2018 interview with IGN, Kevin Feige said the film rights to Namor are “complicated” considering Universal Pictures has distribution rights. With the Hulk, for example, Marvel is allowed to use him in their movies and even do a solo film. However, if they were to do one, Disney would have distribution rights. Money is always what everyone’s worried about.
Despite that issue, Marvel hasn’t given up on reclaiming the rights to all of their characters. Is it a smart move? The answer is absolutely yes, and they needn’t worry about having too many characters. The MCU is a big universe that would be wise to have all their Marvel characters have their piece of the pie, especially Namor. Before we count him out, let’s take a look at some recent news on the fishy character’s possible inclusion. According to a report from MCU Cosmic, there are rumors suggesting that Namor and The Hulk will return to Marvel’s custody. While this is just a rumor, it’s one that may still have some fire to the smoke.
There is no way to confirm if Namor really is coming back to Marvel, but sometimes rumors do become reality. Marvel fans would definitely want this rumor to be true, and for good reason. Besides Namor being one of the original Marvel heroes, he is also one of their most complex ones. He is widely considered to be the first comic book antihero, given his status as a monarch to an underwater kingdom. He has fought for humanity as much as he has fought against it and honestly, who can blame him? Humans (or surface-dwellers) pollute the oceans he protects, so it’s easy to understand why he occasionally feels the need to lash out. He is half-human and half–Atlantean, which makes him an outsider to both worlds. This is what makes him so compelling as a character.
As time went on, so did Namor’s development. He became less sympathetic and more short-fused, faltering between the line of hero and villain. He dealt with almost every major Marvel superhero team as both friend and foe, even becoming a full-fledged member. As a member of the Defenders, he acted like a valiant hero fighting powerful threats to the Earth. As an occasional enemy to The Fantastic Four, he often courted Susan Storm, stirring up intense friction between him and Reed Richards. He wasn’t exactly popular among the other Marvel heroes and created more rivals than comrades.
Speaking of rivalries, let’s talk about his heated feud with Black Panther. A year ago, several reports claimed that Namor would appear as the villain for the Black Panther sequel. It sounds odd, since Namor is usually considered a hero, but the enmity between these two cannot be ignored. In the comics, Namor and Black Panther were both members of The Illuminati, but were anything but friends. During the war between the X-Men and The Avengers, Namor declared war on Black Panther’s home nation of Wakanda and practically drowned it. Sure, he was under the influence of the Phoenix, but that didn’t help his case. He destroyed Black Panther’s home and it’s pretty hard to find redemption after that.
Once Namor was freed from the control of the Phoenix, his once heroic persona only diminished from there. When The Illuminati decided to destroy other worlds in order to save their own, Namor was the one to physically activate a device that destroyed another inhabited planet. The other Illuminati members had trouble going through with the hard decisions and Namor decided their morality held them back. He left the group to form another team of super villains called The Cabal, which had no qualms in destroying planets. He later got his comeuppance when Black Panther stabbed him and left him to die, but he survived. Namor is a man who believed the ends justifies the means, making him the perfect antihero.
This is why introducing him into the MCU is crucial. He is always jumping from the good side to the bad side, working with whoever can help him achieve his goals. His primary focus is on Atlantis, but that didn’t always stop him from helping others. Whether he’s acting out of sympathy, heroism, or pride, he is a tough character to get a read on. A character with that kind of complexity is vital to the MCU’s progression, especially if the rumors surrounding Namor are true. Introducing him as the villain in Black Panther 2 would be a good way to establish his Machiavellian-like approach to heroism, while also setting up a redemption arc. It would also save Marvel the trouble of having to give him his own solo film. After all, DC gave their fish guy his own movie with his own Atlantis. The less redundancy, the better.
Namor is a character defined by his stubbornness, arrogance, but also his occasional acts of great valor. If all of these rumors about him joining the MCU are true, he would be a welcomed addition.
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