Like many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s other upcoming films, there’s currently very little information available aboutBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, currently set to release on August 08, 2025. However, fans seem totally convinced that one character in particular will be making an appearance.
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a character who’s fluctuated between hero, villain, and somewhere in between throughout his 80-plus years of comic history. And while there has yet to be any official confirmation of his inclusion in the upcomingBlack Panthersequel, rumors persist that he’ll be serving as the main antagonist of the film. So in case Namor does indeed make his MCU debut later this year, there’s no better time than now todive into his comic book rootsto see just what he’s all about.
RELATED:New Black Panther 2 Set Photo May Confirm Namor’s MCU Introduction
Underwater Origins
The story of Namor the Sub-Mariner is as old as the Marvel Universe itself. Quite literally, in fact: his first published appearance wasMarvel Comics#1 in October 1939. As such, Namor is one of the first Marvel characters in existence, alongside the original Human Torch — not Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four, but Jim Hammond, an android with similar fire powers who made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance during the World’s Fair scene inCaptain America: The First Avenger.
In fact, Namor’s real-world origins are directly intertwined with the Human Torch. His creator, writer-artist Bill Everett, intentionally designed Namor as a foil to the Torch, created by Carl Burgos. Ifthe Human Torch was a being of fire,Namor would be a being of water — the half-human prince of Atlantis. Namor’s epithet, the Sub-Mariner, was chosen by Everett as a reference to the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poemThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner, while he came up with the name Namor by spelling “Roman” backwards.
Namor was the son of the Atlantean princess Fen, who fell in love with the American sailor Leonard McKenzie. As an Atlantean, Namor has super-strength, can breathe underwater, swim at incredible speeds, and telepathically communicate with undersea life. But thanks to his human heritage, Namor also carries the X-Gene, and as such possesses the mutant power of flight, which is granted by tiny wings on his ankles. If Namor’s backstory and powers sound familiar, take note that he made his debutover two years before Aquaman,whose first appearance was in November 1941. Technically speaking, Namor isn’t Marvel’s Aquaman — Aquaman is DC’s Namor.
Atlantean Adventures
Since his creation, Namor has been neither hero nor villain, but rather a neutral figure who can be humanity’s ally or enemy depending on what’s best for Atlantis, or even on his personal whim. In his earliest appearances, Namor was a foe to mankind, enacting his revenge against them for crimes against Atlantis. He even fought against the Human Torch in the first ever Marvel crossover, in issue #8 ofMarvel Comics. But once World War II began, Namor found himself teaming up with both the Human Torch and Captain America against the Nazis, even founding the All-Winners Squad,Marvel’s first superhero team,alongside them.
After the Golden Age of comics ended, Namor faded from the spotlight. But once the Silver Age began, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought Namor back inFantastic Four#4, published in February 1962. In the story, Johnny Storm — the FF’s Human Torch, and the modern successor to Namor’s original rival — finds an amnesiac Namor living in a Bowery flophouse. Recognizing him from the comics published about his WWII exploits, Johnny helps Namor regain his memories, only for Namor to swear vengeance on humanity once again after seeing how his undersea domain has been ravaged by atomic bomb testing.
Since then, Namor has constantly wavered between hero and villain, frequently clashing with the Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men, but just as often joining forces with them against common foes. Likewise,Doctor Doom has at timesbeen a close friend and collaborator to Namor — when the two aren’t busy stabbing each other in the back. But while Namor tends to be a lone wolf, he was also a founding member of the original Defenders, an eclectic “non-team” that also included fellow solo acts Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, and the Hulk.
War With Wakanda
As for how Namor became enemies with the Black Panther, that’s where things get complicated. Namor and T’Challa’s rivalry began in the 2012 crossover storylineAvengers vs. X-Men. In issue#8 of the miniseries, the Avengers take refuge in Wakanda from a group of rogue Phoenix Force-poweredmutants led by Cyclops,who wish to create a utopia by ruling the world. (It’s a long story, don’t worry about it.) Seeing the Avengers as a threat to his group’s vision, Namor launches an invasion of Wakanda, devastating the entire kingdom with a massive flood and killing countless innocents. Since then, T’Challa has never forgiven Namor for his crimes.
This becomes an issue in Hickman’s 2012-2015 run onNew Avengers, in which the Black Panther is forced to work together with Namor as part of the secret organization informally referred to as the Illuminati, including Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Mr. Fantastic. T’Challa brings together the Illuminati to stop a crisis thatendangers the entire multiverse(again, long story), but finds it difficult to work with Namor due to their differing ideologies and pre-existing grudge. Namor attempts to broker peace with Wakanda, only to be rejected. Eventually, T’Challa’s sister Shuri takes matters into her own hands and orders an attack on Atlantis, sending Wakandan forces to ravage Namor’s kingdom as he did to hers.
However, the cycle of vengeance only continues when Atlantis is invaded by the forces of Thanos, who come seeking the Infinity Gems. In order to protect what’s left of his kingdom, Namor lies and says that the Gems are in Wakanda. Before long, tensions flare between the two kings and Namor strikes out on his own,allying with Thanos to savethe multiverse his own way. It’s only when Doctor Doom becomes god-emperor of all reality in the 2015Secret Warsarc (once again, a very long story) that Namor and T’Challa are able to finally put aside their differences and unite against a common foe.
Once again, there’s currently no official confirmation on whether Namor will appear inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever. But if he is indeed going to enter the MCU soon, then there’s certainly a rich history for the creators at Marvel Studios to pull from. Not only is he one of Black Panther’s fiercest rivals, he’s alsoan iconic fixture of the Marvel Universe.Whether he’s a hero, a villain, both, or neither, Namor the Sub-Mariner is always his own man.
