WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Invaders #8, by Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, Dono Sanchez-Almara and Travis Lanham, on sale now.
Marvel's relaunched Invaders title has cast Namor in his most despicable light ever. Sure, the Sub-Mariner has committed numerous atrocities, but they're overshadowed by his most recent transgression: turning select cities of humans into Atlanteans, who are now forced to live in his underwater kingdom to survive.
The failure to stop Namor has once again divided Captain America and Iron Man, and increased international tensions, as the United States wants to take down someone viewed as a terrorist. Invaders #8 drops a major bombshell that seemingly dooms the Sub-Mariner but, at the same time, provides a glimmer of hope he could someday be redeemed.
When Bucky Barnes is summoned to a secret meeting with Namor in France, we find out his mind has been corrupted for decades now. Apparently, when Namor and Charles Xavier encountered Genus, a mutant who could turn any species into human or mutant, the latter's murder broke the Sub-Mariner's faith in mankind badly.
Xavier attempted to use psychic therapy on him to help the PTSD, which manifested in Namor's consciousness, bringing his old friend, Tommy Machan, to life. Tommy died in World War II, and seeing as Namor considers him an Invader, he found a way to survive in Namor's mind, corrupting him into seeking vengeance over the years.
Not even Xavier realized what he unleashed: Tommy represents all of the darkness within Namor, possessing the Sub-Mariner and turning him into an unforgiving killer. Tommy believes his "brother" is meant to be a freedom fighter, and while some see him as an extremist, that's the price they must pay toward making him a liberator.
That's why Namor has been blanking out: Tommy has taken over his body in key moments in history, making him enact assaults we initially initially chalked up to the Sub-Mariner being mad. The shocker, however, is that, while Namor confesses this truth, he admits to Bucky that the road to salvation is enticing, so he can't stop. Tommy's methods may have been intrusive, but they're right, and so, accepting he's a lost cause, Bucky brings in Sue Storm for a brawl that ends with Namor taking the reins once more, thanks to his Serpent Crown.
That makes him one of the planet's most powerful telepaths, and it's likely what brought to light Tommy's mental hold. Now, Namor is in control and keeping Tommy in check, but he also reminds Bucky there's a lot more terrorism to come.
That said, while Xavier doomed Namor by trying to help him decades prior as he opened a door for evil to take over the king, this new information about the possession could save Namor's soul because the multitude of villainous acts seen when Namor had the Phoenix Force in Avengers vs. X-Men or when he repeatedly attacked Wakanda and Black Panther might be a result of Tommy's influence.
Any threat to mutants or Atlanteans saw Namor go into kill-mode, so we don't know if Tommy spurred all this on. Even now, with Tommy still in his mind and the Serpent Crown attached to his head, he still has an alibi. Until both are exorcised and we can prove without a shadow of a doubt, a pure Namor spilled all this blood, he might not be guilty.
We'll reserve judgement until this can be ascertained for sure, but until there is a very small percentage a true hero could have been suppressed in the erstwhile Avenger all this time.
Invaders #9 goes on sale Sept. 11.