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Namor V Aquaman: How To Make The Sub-Mariner The True Underwater Box-Office King For Marvel

The Illuminerdi takes a deep dive into the two most famous underwater heroes and plot out how Namor can becoming something truly unique for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Namor v Aquaman Kyle Petchock The Illuminerdi

The Invaders Sets Namor Apart 

Back in the day, Namor was part of a team that known as The Invaders, that consisted of many members, most famously The Human Torch (not Johnny Storm), Captain America, and Namor. This Human Torch was not a member of the Fantastic Four, but rather an android named Jim Hammond who fought with Cap, Bucky, and Namor, back in World War II. He even exists canonically in the MCU, appearing briefly in Captain America: The First Avenger. The Invaders title was recently relaunched in 2019, by writer Chip Zdarksy and Marvel Studios would be smart to model their version of the character after this take on Namor. 

Chip Zdarsky’s The Invaders

The story revolves around Namor’s descent into madness, apparently a result of the horrible PTSD which he now suffers from. Creating a character that isn’t a reluctant king, but instead a broken and battle scarred soldier, would be a fantastic way to ensure Namor stands on his own two legs in live action. Taking Namor in this direction could shine a light on important issues (i.e. the horrors of war) and provide a MCU franchise with some serious and dire consequences. 

Getting Namor to this dark and tragic place authentically would take time, but with the combined might of Marvel Studios and Disney+, Kevin Feige has the ability to give a character like Namor a lot more screen time than was possible in the days of The Infinity Saga. While building to his tenure with the Invaders, ideally in the middle of a brutal world war, Marvel could even have Marvel’s first mutant assist Charles Xavier in his search for fellow members of Homo Superior, just like they did in the aforementioned The Invaders Vol. 3. 

[Click Page 3 for Namor’s Connection to Mutant-kind and More]

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Corbin Shanklin

Corbin Shanklin

CJ Shanklin is a journalist. They have been writing & reporting in the entertainment industry for four years, but their best work is still ahead of them. Stay tuned for more stories for the fans, penned by a fan.