Namor's Greatest Failure as The King of Atlantis

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Avengers #9, by Jason Aaron, David Marquez, Justin Ponsor and VC’s Cory Petit.

Avengers #9 presents Marvel fans with arguably the strongest version of the Sub-Mariner to date. Following Namor taking surface-dwellers as prisoners after they executed some Atlanteans, the Avengers attempt to take them into their custody for a fair trial, resulting in a massive underwater brawl with the stubborn anti-hero.

However, in the aftermath of Namor's fight with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, there's no real victory for anyone involved, especially the King of Atlantis. The Avengers receive the prisoners, but the Sub-Mariner -- rather than taking pride in knowing he bested his allies and showed mercy to their people -- is, instead, left staring at his greatest defeat as Atlantis' regent.

Namor has done a lot of questionable things in the past that really pushed him towards the villainous line; however, we know he's always sought outcomes that fell in the best interest of his people. Whether it's having them as sleeper agents in Civil War on land as spies for self-preservation, partnering with Norman Osborn's Cabal or the Illuminati, or selling his soul as Doctor Doom's partner-in-crime, Namor has always found a way to help his people survive. It's his duty and one he cares deeply for, which is what makes it so painful for him in this issue when a portion of them, namely the youth of Atlantis, give up hope and abandon their king.

It's a bitter pill to swallow, but these kids and teens simply no longer feel safe under Namor's rule. Atlantis is in a tattered state, following Wakanda's attack on the sunken city in response to a Phoenix-powered Namor attempting to destroy Black Panther's home in Avengers vs. X-Men. It's a situation that has only worsened following the recent invasion of Earth by the Final Host and Dark Celestials. During this, Avengers' first arc, some of the latter entities fell to the ocean floor, destroying Atlantis as it was being rebuilt.

These kids are hungry, suffering and tired of struggling under his rule. They also lost faith in him during Secret Empire where he was bullied by Hydra's Steve Rogers into giving up his shard of the Cosmic Cube. Now, these younglings prefer to risk their lives and somehow find water-based areas to live in on the surface, only to perish as their physiology more or less makes the journey impossible. Namor is disheartened that most of them know they will die trying, but still rather risk it than continue living under him. This new development is an extension of politically turbulent arcs over the last few years with Namor losing the trust of the Atlanteans while potential rulers like Namora (his cousin) and his son Kamar rose up, luring vast segments of the underwater palace to their side.

With rebels like these winning the trust Namor clamors, the king ended up facing dissidents, splinter cells and assassins. And yet, it seems like even his detractors have given up wanting to fight him. They just want to leave, a movement kicking off with the younger generation, which means the future of Atlantis doesn't see him as a leader. This enrages Namor and guides him to create his Defenders of the Deep, conceding he has to take charge and protect the seas with the aid of like-minded individuals to inspire confidence in his people. Knowing his species chose death over him has broken him inside, and sadly, becoming more violent like this isn't the way to fix it and will likely do Atlantis more harm than good.

Either way, Namor has to make amends for his greatest failure here, and he clearly doesn't see diplomacy or assistance from the Avengers as a way forward. It remains to be seen if the rest of the youth will buy into his new military and vision for Atlantis, or if they'll continue to desert the kingdom they once called home.

CBR

Avengers #9 Reveals Namor's Greatest Failure as The King of Atlantis