The biggest misconception about this character is that he’s Marvel’s ripoff of Aquaman, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, Namor predates Aquaman entirely, debuting in 1939 as one of Marvel’s earliest and most foundational characters. However, DC’s more prominent showcasing of Aquaman (while Namor barely got the same treatment) buried Namor in obscurity for many years. That is, until his MCU debut in 2022’s “Wakanda Forever” helped him regain much of his popularity, which further guaranteed his return in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Even so, make no mistake: while Namor shares many surface-level similarities with Aquaman, what lies beneath is far more complex—a ruler defined not by heroism, but by power, pride, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to protect his world.
Origins
One of the aforementioned surface-level similarities Namor shares with Aquaman is his beginnings, but only to a certain extent. In this case, his birth also came from the union between a human and Atlantean royalty. Many years ago, Namor’s biological father, Leonard McKenzie—the captain of an icebreaker ship—was sailing through the Antarctic. They set off some seismic charges to clear away some ice below, but were unaware that Atlantis was sitting directly beneath them. So the King of Atlantis at the time sent his daughter, Princess Fen, to investigate. However, she was captured by the crew, but during her captivity, she fell in love with and even married McKenzie on the ship. But of course, things wouldn’t stay happy for long, as more Atlanteans came looking for Fen and got into a conflict with the people on board, killing McKenzie in the process. Faced with overwhelming grief and no remaining choice, Fen returned to Atlantis and gave birth to Namor—whose name fittingly translates to “Avenging Son” in Atlantean. Despite his unusual appearance, Namor was accepted among the Atlanteans and raised within their culture, inheriting not only their kingdom, but also their deep-seated distrust of the surface world.
Years later, Namor would begin to act on those beliefs. As he grew older and ventured beyond Atlantis, he launched preemptive attacks against the surface, targeting ships and even confronting authorities in New York. This would lead him to clash with the original Human Torch (Jim Hammond), but luckily, a policewoman stepped in to de-escalate the situation. While this didn’t change Namor right away, it would soften his hostility even if it was just a little bit. And that encounter would become essential when World War II started not too long after, where Namor realized the bigger threat of Nazi Germany. Bergudingly, he would ally with Jim Hammond, Captain America, and the rest of the Allied Forces. However, even after this, Namor would never fully trust humans and would still wage his personal war against them. Although at some point, he loses his memory and lives as a homeless man on the surface, making things somewhat peaceful for a time. But then, Johnny Storm (the modern Human Torch) spots Namor, recognizes him as the Sub-Mariner, and drops him in the ocean to restore his memory. This would not only succeed but also backfire, as Namor would continue his war against humanity and even tangle with the Fantastic Four and other heroes. But this would further complicate his status, as he would often become an ally of many heroes (even becoming a member of the Illuminati), an enemy (especially if he feels Atlantis is being threatened), or an anti-hero. So unlike Aquaman, whose loyalties and personality are pretty clear, Namor is one of the proudest and most morally complicated characters in Marvel. If he convinces himself that what he’s doing protects Atlantis or the planet, Namor will unashamedly do anything it takes to achieve his goals.
Powers and Abilities
This is where Namor truly becomes dangerous, but not because of any wide range of awesome powers. Rather, Namor thrives on environmental advantage and adaptation. For instance, there’s Namor’s physiology. Being half-Atlantean, Namor naturally has super strength and durability, but his mutant genes make him far stronger and more durable than other Atlanteans. Not only can he withstand bullets and endure deep ocean pressure, but he can tank hits from some of the strongest beings on Earth (including Hercules, Thor, and even the Hulk)! In fact, he’s strong enough that he can trade blows with such beings, as he’s able to lift hundreds of tons and deliver devastating punches. This becomes more terrifying when you combine that level of strength with his inhuman speed, lightning-quick reflexes, and ability to fly (thanks to his ankle-wings). These additional abilities not only make him a truly ruthless and unpredictable combatant, but they also allow him to seamlessly shift between combat in the ocean, on land, and in the air, adapting to each environment with lethal efficiency.
However, it is beneath the waves where he is at his absolute peak. Of course, in addition to his strength and stamina, Namor has the core powers of an Atlantean: the ability to breathe underwater, exceptional speed and agility in the ocean, and an accelerated healing factor that improves with prolonged exposure to water. But even that is barely scratching the surface of Namor’s potential. For instance, he can also manipulate water to a degree. While not a true hydrokinetic, he can still sense strong currents, disrupt surrounding water, and, in certain instances, generate or amplify massive surges such as tidal waves or floods. He can also communicate with or control marine life, but a lesser-known trait is that he can also mimic certain sea creatures’ abilities. He’s been known to channel and discharge electrical energy like electric eels, use sonar as a radar, and early comics even show him puffing his body like a puffer fish. Although that power has been largely forgotten and left behind in later stories, Namor proves that he doesn’t even need it. He not only commands the ocean like a king, but fights as if he were the ocean itself.
But of course, this doesn’t make him completely invincible. Just like any fish out of water, Namor’s most glaring weakness is dehydration. Being part human and part mutant allows him to stay and breathe on land longer than other Atlanteans, not to mention being able to fight proficiently. However, he has to be careful as the longer he stays out of the water, the weaker he gets. His healing is slowed, his strength diminishes, and his stamina and endurance dwindle. But despite such a huge setback, there’s still a bigger problem than even this: himself. While his undying loyalty to Atlantis is admirable, that loyalty—combined with his unparalleled hatred or mistrust of the surface—can blind him to rational thought. It gets worse when Namor is already extremely prideful and impulsive. He could be your ally for a while, but then immediately betray you if it means protecting Atlantis or serving his own goals. Namor is a great leader for his people, and an even greater warrior, but he could be so much more if he weren’t so full of himself.
Greatest Feats
But somehow, despite his pride, Namor still manages to pull off some insane feats. For instance, as previously mentioned, Johnny Storm once restored an amnesiac Namor’s memory by dropping him in the ocean. Immediately after regaining his memories, he went straight back to Atlantis after years of absence. However, he found the city in ruins, which he suspected was from the humans’ atomic bomb tests. Regardless of whether or not that was true, Namor didn’t take the time to confirm it; all he “needed to know” was that the surface world destroyed his home, and he wanted blood as retribution for this horrible disaster. Therefore, he returned to New York and launched a full-scale invasion against the city with an army of Atlantean survivors and even a massive sea monster at his command. But the most devastating factor is how Namor weaponized the ocean itself by generating massive tidal waves and using them to flood portions of the city. Yet what also makes this equally impressive is that he accomplished this without any external enhancements, mystical artifacts, or even massive super-weapons—just his own power and command. Ultimately, the Fantastic Four managed to drive him back into the sea—but by then, the Sub-Mariner had already made one thing clear: when provoked, he is not just a powerful adversary, but a genuine force of destruction.
However, Namor would grow far beyond that level years later. In fact, in this particular event, he grows to a cosmic-level threat! During the events of “Avengers vs. X-Men,” the Phoenix Force split itself amongst five hosts: Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Magik, and Namor—forming the Phoenix Five. While the group initially sought to reshape the world for the better, the overwhelming power of the Phoenix gradually pushed them toward insanity and domination. For Namor, however, that shift came too quickly—as if he were already prepared to act on that instinct. In this case, when Wakanda sided against the Phoenix Five—and since Namor already had a longstanding rivalry with Wakanda anyway—Namor saw this as a good enough reason to retaliate. With the literal embodiment of death and rebirth in his possession, he could’ve used the Phoenix Force to warp reality and turn the country to ash, or many other things. Instead, Namor channeled that power into creating and unleashing massive tidal waves on Wakanda. He flooded and devastated large portions of Wakanda, crippling one of the most advanced nations on Earth in a single assault. It took the combined efforts of the Avengers and other heroes to defeat Namor and drive the Phoenix Force out of him, but the damage was already done. Worse, Namor showed no remorse for what he’d done, and hostilities between him and Wakanda would worsen for years after that. But this is more than just flooding a city like New York, it’s about what Namor is truly capable of—and what lengths he’s willing to go to to reach that capability—once he’s granted the right tools and power.
But nothing proves this point more than what he did during the events leading up to the 2016 “Secret Wars” storyline. At this point, the multiverse is collapsing due to many Incursions—worlds colliding into each other. In response, the Illuminati (Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt, Black Panther, Beast, and Namor) reformed to handle the crisis. For those of you who’ve read my Beast article, you’ll know that the Illuminati did resort to destroying those worlds before they could reach ours. However, they only did so after exhausting every other option. This is a very important distinction because Namor, as impulsive and prideful as always, didn’t hesitate as they did. Instead, he joined and eventually led a villainous group known as the Cabal (including Thanos, Corvius Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Swan, Maximus the Mad, and Terrax the Truly Enlightened), and they all destroyed other worlds without the Illuminati’s notice. Unlike the Illuminati, who tried to approach this in a “humane” way (evacuations, warning systems, etc), Namor led the Cabal to ruthlessly kill everyone in each world before destroying it with the Illuminati’s anti-matter bombs. But eventually, Namor’s methods became too extreme and complicated for the group, so the Cabal abandoned him on a dying world. While this would not be the end of the Sub-Mariner, it doesn’t change that Namor almost died because he flew too close to the sun. He doesn’t stop when his wings start melting; he flies higher and doesn’t even think about the consequences until they start happening (and even then, he would still find a way to justify himself).
Conclusion
While Namor’s strong drive to protect his people is admirable, it becomes very hard to defend his actions whenever he endangers innocent lives. The sizes of his ego and pride, as well as the extremes he openly and unapologetically goes to, honestly make me wonder how/why he’s even considered a hero—much less an ally—in the eyes of the superhero community. Regardless, the Sub-Mariner’s unique skillset, Atlantean rulership and resources, and his overall strong, commanding presence make him an invaluable asset. Therefore, it’s going to be very interesting to see how Tenoch Huerta’s character works with the other heroes in “Avengers: Doomsday,” but especially interesting to see two prideful rulers clash on the big screen.
