Namor, the Sub-Mariner and Marvel’s Monarch of the Oceans, has long defended the kingdom of Atlantis from external and internal menace, often warring with the surface world and facing down domestic threats simultaneously. With lineage both of human and Atlantean blood and born to wear the crown of the undersea domain, the Sub-Mariner’s dual identity frequently puts him at odds with surface-dwellers and his very subjects. Cast in the role of villain in countless Marvel masterpieces, the otherworldly Namor seems more a reckless adversary than an irredeemable foe with diabolical intent, his rash actions often precipitated by assaults on the underwater empire or his own personage.
When the oceans are poisoned with refuse and radiation by the willful or unwitting actions of the air-breathers or the throne is beset by treacherous rivals, Namor is driven to take up arms by virtue and a sense of responsibility, uncompromising in his sovereign duty to Atlantis.Namor’s path to kingship and the stories of his contentious rule began decades ago in the pages of Marvel Comics #1, alongside the android Human Torch in the Golden Age of Comics. Published in 1939 and brought to life by Bill Everett’s captivating artistry with layered halftones and watercolor effects that evoke aquatic realms with incredible realism, the premiere issue depicts a young Sub-Mariner discovering humankind for the first time and learning of the prolonged conflict between the surface world and the water-breat.
