Marvel's prince of the deep predicted the popularity of the anti-hero archetype among comic book fans way back in 1939. Namor the Sub-Mariner, soon to be introduced in MCU's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever first appealed to fans as the relentless enemy of 'earth-men' and nemesis of the original Human Torch. Namor's Golden Age adventures paved the way for his modern incarnations as a deeply complex protagonist who has been straddling wickedness and heroics from the start.
The brash and individualistic protector of a sea-born people, Namor places the preservation of his own culture at the forefront of all his crusades. Creators continued to delve into the depths of his passions through decades of crossover stories, making it difficult to ever pin Namor down as a hero or villain. With his first MCU appearance, fans hope the Atlantean renegade-royal lives up to his comic book incarnations.
Marvel's Namor Plays to Fan's Obsession With Anti-Heroes
Today, anti-heroes are fandom's mega-stars. They are more believable characters because they don't always find the perfectly benevolent path to justice. Protagonists who don't fit neatly into a hero or villain mold, give the comic world a more interesting look at good versus evil. In the age of the anti-hero, superheroes with pristine records of altruism or purely evil supervillains make superheroes who follow clear-cut moral codes seem one-dimensional. Anti-heroes satisfy their passions, not anchoring themselves to transcendent codes about nonviolence or juridical matters. They can carry dark secrets or cling to bitterness from past heartaches. But with their passion, the anti-hero does great and honorable things as much as they carry out contemptible deeds.
Namor, the 'ultra-man of the deep' is ambivalent about politics between earth/sea dwellers from the start. He is a child of two worlds, born from the union between an Atlantean mother and a 'surface-man' father. He is brought up, absorbing Atlantean cultural history which includes a dark episode when his people were nearly erased by earthmen. His mother instills a sense of duty to protect and preserve his culture. Entrusted to lead a campaign of revenge against these existential foes, Namor's sea-dwelling mother concludes his exceptional superpowers are what make him the best Atlantean for the job.
How Namor Earned The Anti-Hero Label
Since the Golden Age, Namor has proven a ubiquitous cross-over cast member, fighting alongside some of Marvel's greatest squadrons, including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. As it is for most royals, the Atlantean Crown often casts shadows over Namor's judgment. He is moved to action by his unshakable oath to honor and defend himself and his people. He claims a sea-dwelling society above all else, even if he is half earth-man. Like many anti-heroes, he is sure of his worldview. Namor approaches all conflicts, political or otherwise with a fierce commitment to his ideals.
Namor starred alongside The Human Torch in Marvel Mystery Comics #8 in the story "The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner Meet" (by Bill Everett) when crossover comics were a novel idea. Unlike many Golden Age superheroes who spread American idealism, Namor specifically fought against Americans. Everett had Namor feeling betrayed by America's earthmen after an attempt to share his powers goes wrong. He releases hungry apex predators and poisonous snakes from Bronx Zoo. After relishing a thunderous stampede of elephants he's freed, Namor conversely saves an abandoned infant in harm's way. He even interrupts his spree of violence to transport the baby to the nearest medical center. Juxtaposing baby-saving and terror-inducing attacks makes for one of the earliest, clearest, anti-hero scripts.
How Namor Has Evolved Prior to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Namor is initially the regular nemesis of the Human Torch, and of earth's 'surface dwellers' as he thinks up ways to cause mayhem in Marvel Mystery Comics. With the introduction of his series in 1941s Sub-Mariner Comics, creators used Namor as a rhetorical weapon, aiming him at the familiar foes of 1940s America. He clashes with the Nazis and Japanese soldiers for instance. Marvel Features #1 (by Roy Thomas and Ross Andru) has Namor as a founder of the Defenders. This series includes some of Namor's most compelling moments of heroism. With Yandroth poised to destroy Earth with the ultimate weapon, the Omegatron, the Sub-Mariner is summoned by Dr. Strange. Namor then joins forces with Hulk and Silver Surfer to save the planet.
Namor's Sub-Mariner is a complicated protagonist who's evolved throughout his lengthy run in Marvel Comics. Later creators even tried to make sense of his oscillating behaviors when it's revealed (in Roy Thomas' 1990s series Namor the Sub-Mariner) his volatile personality partly stems from mental illness. Now, as an enemy of Wakanda, Namor gets his long-awaited on-screen moment. Fans hope MCUs Namor will live up to his comic book character as ultimately unpredictable, but also as a staunch defender of his people and culture.