Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner was in fact the first Marvel Universe character to see print. He debuted in the ultra-rare 1939 promotional comic book Motion Picture Funnies Weekly some six months before the start of his regular feature in Marvel Mystery Comics. The brainchild of writer/artist Bill Everett, Namor was a violent, hot-headed hero with no love for the world of the surface-dwellers. He remained a fixture of the “Golden Age” comics published by Marvel’s predecessors, Timely and Atlas, until the mid-1950s. He was the first such character revived by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for their new wave of superhero comics in the early ’60s, and from the start they established a tenuous continuity with his earlier adventures. The Sub-Mariner’s absence from the scene since the Golden Age was explained by showing him living as an amnesiac derelict, a state he had been in for many long years. The full story of how he lost his memory would be revealed much later, after he once again received his own solo title.
Note: The following timeline depicts the Original Marvel Universe (anchored to November 1961 as the first appearance of the Fantastic Four and proceeding forward from there. See previous posts for a detailed explanation of my rationale.) Some information presented on the timeline is speculative. See the Notes section at the end for clarifications.
Let us plumb the depths of... The True History of the Sub-Mariner!
January 1962 – For nearly twelve years, Prince Namor of Atlantis has been living as a bum on New York City’s Lower East Side. His long hair and beard disguise his appearance, and most of the public believes him to be dead. Suffering from total amnesia, he shuffles around with his mind in a fog, given to unpredictable fits of rage and violence. The other bums try to avoid him whenever possible, fearing his incredible strength.
February 1962 – Namor’s memory is partially restored by a chance encounter in a Bowery flophouse with the new Human Torch. Seeing the mumbling bum easily defeat a dozen assailants, the Torch burns away the hair hiding his features and, immediately recognizing the legendary Sub-Mariner, drops him in the harbor. Namor swims to a nearby Atlantean outpost in the North Atlantic Ocean, which is in ruins. There, he learns that the main city of Atlantis, located off the coast of Antarctica, was destroyed over a decade ago in some mysterious catastrophe. Blaming the surface-dwellers, Namor returns to New York bent on revenge. Unearthing the ancient Horn of Proteus, the Sub-Mariner uses it to direct a sea monster known as a Giganto to demolish several buildings on the waterfront. His plans are frustrated when the Giganto is quickly killed by the Human Torch and his teammates, the Thing, Mister Fantastic, and the Invisible Girl, who call themselves the Fantastic Four. When the Invisible Girl becomes visible, Namor is instantly smitten with her and proposes marriage, threatening to destroy civilization if she refuses. However, he is insulted when she treats becoming his wife like a fate worse than death. The Human Torch creates a tornado-like vortex that carries Namor and the Giganto’s body out to sea. Namor loses consciousness within the vortex, and when he comes to, he finds he’s lost the Horn of Proteus in the briny depths. Nevertheless, he vows the surface world will yet know the bitter taste of his vengeance.
Later that night, Namor sneaks back into the city and obtains a magazine with a lot of useful information about the Fantastic Four. He tears out a large, glossy photo of the Invisible Girl, places it in a watertight frame, and takes it with him as he makes his way to see for himself what’s become of Atlantis.
March 1962 – When he reaches his hometown, Namor is shocked to find it completely obliterated. The royal palace he grew up in has been reduced to rubble. Nearby he comes across the tomb of Emperor Thakorr and is saddened to learn that he was killed in the catastrophe. Namor wonders what has become of the Atlantean people with their ruler dead and their homes destroyed. The abandoned site offers no clue as to where the Atlanteans fled to. He is then overwhelmed with grief when he discovers the grave of his mother, Princess Fen, but it only strengthens his resolve to punish the surface-dwellers for all the death and destruction. He establishes a base of operations on the outskirts of the city in a domed structure that’s not too badly damaged. Wanting a place to bring the Invisible Girl, Namor creates a pressurized chamber within the dome containing comfortable living quarters.
April 1962 – Namor sets out to search the oceans for the Atlantean diaspora and soon encounters Doctor Doom, who has come looking for him to propose an alliance against the human race and its defenders, the Fantastic Four. They repair to Namor’s undersea base to discuss the matter. There, seeing the framed photo of the Invisible Girl, Doom chides Namor for taking a holiday from his quest for vengeance and reminds him of the lost glories of Atlantis. Doom speculates that only a hydrogen bomb could have destroyed the city so utterly. Namor is swayed by Doom’s rhetoric, though he draws the line at harming the Invisible Girl. Doom then demonstrates a magnetic “grabber” device of his own invention and suggests that Namor hide it in the basement of their foes’ Manhattan headquarters, the Baxter Building. Once Namor has the Invisible Girl out of the building, Doom will activate the device, hauling the entire structure into orbit. Namor agrees to the plan and sets out for New York City at once. However, while the Sub-Mariner is arguing with the Fantastic Four, Doom activates the device prematurely, trapping all five of them in the building. As Doom’s spaceplane tows the Baxter Building away from Earth, Namor realizes that he’s been double-crossed. Mister Fantastic breaks out some space helmets with oxygen tanks before they die of asphyxiation. Though the Fantastic Four’s super-powers prove ineffective in outer space, the Sub-Mariner is able to take advantage of a passing meteor shower to reach Doom’s spaceplane. Tearing through the hull with his bare hands, Namor rampages through the craft, forcing Doom to bail out. Leaving the villain drifting in space, Namor returns the Baxter Building to its foundations before ditching the spaceplane in the ocean.
May 1962 – Namor continues the search for his missing people but without success. From his undersea base, he also monitors the surface world’s television and radio broadcasts to catch up on world events since he entered his unexplained fugue state. His own memories remain dim, though, with many people and events from his life seemingly lost to him.
June 1962 – Learning the Fantastic Four have gone bankrupt, Namor hatches an elaborate scheme to win the hand of the Invisible Girl. Using treasure salvaged from ancient shipwrecks, he purchases a failing movie studio in Los Angeles and renames it Imperial Studios. The studio then offers the Fantastic Four a million dollars to star in a documentary film about themselves. The team immediately accepts the offer, and when they arrive at the studio, Namor greets them in a palatial office, dressed in a natty business suit. Hoping to impress the Invisible Girl with his wealth, Namor advances each member of the team a thick stack of cash. That evening, he takes the Invisible Girl out to dinner at one of the city’s most fashionable restaurants. He compliments her on her designer gown, which he had sent over to her hotel room. As they get to know each other, Namor is annoyed to learn that she’s in a relationship with Mister Fantastic but dismisses it as unserious given the clear age gap between them. She is curious about his benevolent behavior, and he promises to explain all once the film is completed.
A day or two later, Namor takes Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch to the Mediterranean Sea, ostensibly to film their segments of the movie. He strands Mister Fantastic on a small, uncharted island not far from Greece, which is inhabited by a cyclops straight out of classical mythology. He then drops the Human Torch into a remote village deep in the jungles of Africa, having paid the natives, who possess a magical elixir that makes them immune to fire, to hold him prisoner. Pleased with how his plans are unfolding, Namor returns to Los Angeles. The next day, he battles the Thing on a deserted beach outside the city just as a thunderstorm rolls in. Unexpectedly, the Thing is struck by lightning and temporarily reverts to his normal human form. Namor immediately knocks him out with a punch in the face. Back at the studio, Namor finds the Invisible Girl and informs her that he has triumphed over her teammates. She is confused, so he explains that he did all this to demonstrate his mastery over men so she will submit to be his bride. Furious, she turns invisible and starts throwing things at Namor, berating him for his barbaric attitudes. Undeterred, Namor grabs her, intending to assert his dominance over her, only for Mister Fantastic, the Human Torch, and the Thing to burst into the room and attack him. However, the Invisible Girl stops the fight, chastising her teammates for ganging up on a single opponent. She then shames Namor into honoring the contracts they signed for the movie. Stung by her rejection, Namor leaves orders with his staff that the film be completed and the Fantastic Four receive the money they were promised. He returns to the sea and swims down the west coast of the Americas, returning to his Antarctic haunts.
July 1962 – Several weeks later, the Human Torch picks a fight with the Sub-Mariner. Though reluctant to harm the Invisible Girl’s little brother, Namor sees that he’s intent on belligerence and decides he has no choice but to teach this insolent brat a lesson. As they fight, the Human Torch continues to increase his flame until it reaches “supernova” intensity, allowing him to follow the Sub-Mariner beneath the waves by boiling away the water around him to create a pocket of steam. Namor quickly realizes the Human Torch is far more powerful than he thought and rapidly swims down to the ocean floor to escape the deadly heat. His young foe drives him deep into a cave and then retreats, sealing the entrance behind him and leaving the Sub-Mariner trapped. By the time Namor frees himself, the Human Torch is long gone. Impressed, Namor wonders how formidable the Human Torch will become in a few years when he reaches full maturity. He ponders whether the two of them might even one day become allies.
August 1962 – Somewhere on the ocean floor, Namor finally finds evidence of his lost people—some artificial shelters used sometime in the last decade. Filled with renewed hope that he is at last on the right track, he sets off to continue his search. However, he suddenly finds himself back in his undersea base, which is partially flooded with seawater. To his chagrin, the Fantastic Four are standing around gawking at him. He demands to know what they’re doing in his private sanctum, but they act like he’s gone mad. Noticing the team has brought along a teenaged girl—presumably some sort of lady’s maid—Namor asks the Invisible Girl if she’s come at last to be his bride. She disabuses him of that notion, and bitterly disappointed, Namor rants at them that he has better things to do. Ordering the intruders to leave, Namor wishes Mister Fantastic luck in holding onto such a fickle woman. Watching their submarine depart with a strange sense of relief, Namor wonders why he can’t remember the Fantastic Four’s arrival. Dismissing the mystery from his mind, he returns to his search.
September 1962 – Namor is at last reunited with the Atlantean diaspora and gathers them all together in the ruins of the original city of Atlantis in the North Atlantic Ocean. As the sole legitimate heir to the throne, Namor is accepted as their rightful sovereign. His coronation is carried out amidst much pomp and circumstance, where he is proclaimed Namor the First, Prince of Atlantis, Emperor of the Deep, Lord of the Seven Seas, and Supreme Commander of the Undersea Legions. The Atlanteans praise Neptune for returning their prince to them at long last and swear undying fealty. Namor vows to make the surface-dwellers pay for all the pain and suffering they’ve inflicted on the Atlantean people. He has a joyful reunion with his former fiancée, Lady Dorma, and they renew their engagement despite Namor’s mixed feelings on the matter, which he keeps to himself. He is introduced to Warlord Krang, the highest-ranking remaining military officer, who has distinguished himself with his bravery and daring over the last decade. Namor also has a somewhat tense reunion with his cousin Lord Byrrah, who has been acting as regent for several years under a power-sharing agreement with Krang.
The Atlantean Council of Elders is reconstituted, and they explain to Namor that no one really knows what happened twelve years ago. When the calamity started, Namor set off with six warriors to investigate, but none of them returned. The kingdom was then utterly obliterated by a series of earthquakes and explosions, killing countless people. Emperor Thakorr and Princess Fen died when the royal palace collapsed, and their bodies were recovered in the aftermath and given proper state funerals—or at least as best as could be managed under the circumstances. His cousin Namora, widowed in the catastrophe, was among those who emigrated to the Pacific Ocean, and she hasn’t been heard from since. Bereft of leadership, the Atlanteans migrated north, famine soon driving them to scatter into small, nomadic enclaves. Namor informs them of Doctor Doom’s supposition that the disaster was caused by the surface world’s nuclear weapons and tells them to prepare for war.
Namor sends out a series of sea monsters for close encounters with surface-world submarines, ships, and airplanes, hoping to spur the Fantastic Four to investigate. When they do, Namor captures them and, wearing his crown, welcomes them to the sovereign empire of Atlantis. He then announces that all incursions into Atlantean territory, including its airspace, will no longer be tolerated and instructs the Fantastic Four to pass on his ultimatum to the United Nations. The Invisible Girl warns Namor that he’s risking all-out war. He assures her that no harm will come to her, as she will always be under his royal protection. She rejects the offer, insisting that she stands or falls with the Fantastic Four. Namor then orders the team returned to New York City. The next day, he follows them to the United Nations General Assembly Building, disguised as a Professor G.W. Falton, and takes the podium after Mister Fantastic has relayed his message. In order to convince any skeptical nations that the threat is very real, Namor describes the origin and history of the Homo mermanus race, as he understands such things, and also describes his own origin as the amphibious mutant hybrid offspring of a Homo mermanus mother, Princess Fen, and a Homo sapiens father, American ship captain Leonard McKenzie. Eventually, Mister Fantastic interrupts the lecture to recap how the Sub-Mariner has been wreaking havoc for months, blaming the surface world for the destruction of his kingdom. Mister Fantastic is clearly annoyed that his warnings about the menace of the Sub-Mariner have gone unheeded and insists the Atlanteans must be fought against until they are no longer a danger to the surface world. Having heard enough, Namor removes his disguise and reveals himself, causing a panic in the General Assembly Hall. He declares war on the human race and flies back to the harbor before Mister Fantastic can grab him.
Once there, Namor signals to his submerged flagship to begin the invasion. Immediately, the Atlanteans’ warships surface and disgorge their troops onto the waterfront, wearing liquid-filled helmets that allow them to breathe in the exo-marine environment. Krang leads them into the heart of the city, facing no resistance from the confused citizenry. Caught completely off guard, the police and other officials are imprisoned in their own jails. Within hours, the invaders have complete control over Manhattan. Namor orders the Baxter Building to be encased in an expanding fungus that hardens into a cement-like substance, but the Human Torch is able to burn through it. Despite this, the Fantastic Four offer surprisingly little opposition. The U.S. Army deploys around the perimeter of the city throughout the day but seems hesitant to engage with the invaders directly. The following morning, Namor addresses a crowd in Central Park, declaring martial law in the conquered metropolis, then leads a victory parade through Greenwich Village, drawn by the optics of the Washington Square Arch, which is based on the triumphal arches of the Roman Empire. Suddenly, his troops start to reel and falter as a low hum fills the air. The seawater in their helmets starts rapidly evaporating, and Namor realizes they’re in danger of suffocating. He orders them all to retreat to the sea, and within minutes, the Atlantean legions have evacuated the city, leaving behind their weapons and vehicles.
Enraged, the Sub-Mariner flies to the Baxter Building, convinced that only Mister Fantastic could have accomplished such a feat. When he arrives, Mister Fantastic tells Namor he’s a fool to think he could ever conquer the human race—the Atlanteans are simply too outnumbered. Refusing to listen, Namor roughs up his rival as well as the Human Torch and the Thing and then kidnaps the Invisible Girl, taking her aboard his navy’s flagship, still waiting in the harbor, and orders the ship back to Atlantis. He rallies his troops, insisting that he’s only begun to fight. When Dorma embraces him, pledging her eternal devotion, Namor rebuffs her, saying it’s not the time for romance. She is clearly angered by this, but Namor is distracted when the Human Torch is spotted following them. Exiting the craft, the Sub-Mariner fights with the Human Torch, who is soon joined by Mister Fantastic and the Thing. Namor mocks them, claiming they’ve no hope of defeating him at sea, where they’re out of their element. Indeed, the ensuing brawl does not go well for the Fantastic Four, but while he and the Thing are trading punches underwater, Namor spots the Invisible Girl, her hands tied behind her back, tangled up in some nearby kelp. Both men swim over to free her, whereupon Namor rushes her to his foes’ damaged amphibious vehicle, finding her nearly drowned. Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch are frantic, as they’ve no way to get her to a hospital in time to save her.
Ignoring Mister Fantastic’s snarled threats, Namor dives into the water and catches up with his flagship, which he finds parked on the ocean floor with a repair crew replacing a broken porthole. He surmises that that’s how the Invisible Girl escaped, stunned that she would apparently rather die than be taken hostage. On the bridge, Namor orders everybody off the ship immediately. Dorma is incensed at being ordered around like a commoner when she is of royal blood herself. Krang is flabbergasted to learn that Namor needs the ship to get their former prisoner to a surface-world hospital as quickly as possible. Dorma flies into a jealous rage, claiming that the surface girl has bewitched Namor and made him betray his own people. Namor tells her to shut up and puts them off the ship. Leaving his crew with some emergency provisions, Namor speeds off. He stops just long enough to grab the Invisible Girl and, heedless of her teammates’ protests, leaves them behind on their wrecked vehicle. He delivers her to a hospital emergency room in New York City and waits around for about two hours, long enough to learn that she will recover from her ordeal. Relieved, Namor departs and walks dejectedly back to the waterfront. He is screamed at by irate passers-by who threaten him with bodily harm, though no one dares get too close. Vowing he’ll conquer them yet, Namor boards his flagship and pilots it back to the ruins of ancient Atlantis. When he arrives, though, he finds the place deserted and realizes his people have abandoned him, obviously believing that his heart truly belongs to his father’s race. Namor bitterly concedes that, due to his divided heritage, he will never be fully accepted either on land or under the sea.
October 1962 – Stewing in his involuntary solitude, Namor begins plotting his revenge against the surface world. He deploys a system of drone-based spy cameras around the world to monitor distant events more closely and learns of a new superhero team called the Avengers, which consists of Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, the Wasp, and the Hulk. Their presence in New York will certainly make conquering the city more difficult, he realizes, unless he can assert dominance over them first.
November 1962 – When the brutish Hulk turns against the Avengers, Namor thinks the green-skinned behemoth might make a powerful ally against the human race. His spy cameras show the Hulk being picked up by a passing ship while trying to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, so Namor goes to meet with him. After the Hulk jumps overboard, Namor finds him on a lonely island, though the sullen creature is in no mood for company and tries to drive him off. The Sub-Mariner drags the Hulk back into the ocean and defeats him. Half-drowned, the Hulk agrees to listen to what Namor has to say and proves to be intrigued by his offer to join forces against the Avengers. They take Namor’s flagship to the Rock of Gibraltar, whereupon the Sub-Mariner contacts the Avengers by radio and challenges them to a fight. Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, and the Wasp show up several hours later and walk right into Namor’s ambush. Things start off well as Namor employs some modified ordnance left over from World War II, but the Hulk turns out to be pretty useless, and after failing to wrest Thor’s magical hammer from him, the jade giant abandons the fight, apparently feeling humiliated. As the Avengers gang up on him, Namor decides to retreat, fuming that his dim-witted partner has deserted him. He smashes through a wall and returns to the sea, resolving to be better prepared next time.
Angry at himself over his recent failures, Namor wanders up into the Arctic. There, he comes across a group of Eskimos worshiping a human figure deeply embedded inside a large chunk of ice. Losing his temper, he confronts them, telling them they should bow down to him instead. As the cultists flee in terror, the Sub-Mariner lifts their idol and hurls it into the sea. As it drifts away, he vents his rage on the ice floe, completely destroying it, but then feels ashamed of himself for losing his self-control. Seeing that the Eskimos have made it to safety, Namor dives into the water and heads south.
While searching for the Atlanteans, Namor stumbles upon an extraterrestrial who’s been marooned on Earth for millennia and is seemingly the basis for the legends of the Medusa who could turn men to stone. In actuality, the alien accomplishes this with the aid of a ray gun. Learning that the alien’s spaceship lies at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, Namor offers to raise it if the alien will turn his petrification ray against the Avengers. Desperate to get home, the alien agrees and sets off for New York City. Namor monitors the alien’s progress via his spy cameras and is gratified when he does indeed turn the Avengers to stone as they are disembarking from their submarine at a pier in Manhattan. Unfortunately, another superhero, Captain America, tracks the alien down and forces him to reverse the process. Frustrated, Namor goes for a swim around the ruins of ancient Atlantis and encounters a squad of his elite guard that’s returned out of a sense of loyalty. He decides to take them to the Mediterranean Sea to fight the Avengers while they’re salvaging the alien’s spaceship. He fares better against the Avengers this time, though Thor proves to be an especially formidable opponent. For some reason, the Avengers have brought along a teenaged boy, Rick Jones, and when Namor orders his men to take Jones hostage, Captain America enters the fray. He fights off Namor’s soldiers singlehandedly, displaying impressive martial skill. No sooner has Namor grabbed Captain American than the island starts breaking apart. Assuming that an earthquake or volcanic eruption is destroying the island, Namor orders his troops to retreat, convinced their foes will perish when the island sinks. Only when he’s back in Atlantis does Namor realize that the upheaval was no natural phenomenon but was caused when the alien’s spaceship launched from beneath the waves. He wonders if he’d met Captain America sometime in the past, as he seemed strangely familiar.
December 1962 – Namor’s obsession with the Invisible Girl soon drives even his elite guard to desert him, as they strenuously object to his plans to make a surface woman his bride. Regardless, Namor returns to the Baxter Building, gasses the Fantastic Four into unconsciousness, and kidnaps the object of his desire. When she comes to in a pressurized chamber in the abandoned ruins of Atlantis, the Invisible Girl is furious with Namor and demands to be released immediately. Instead, he asks for 24 hours to plight his troth, convinced that, deep down, she’s really in love with him. She turns her back on him, and several minutes later, Mister Fantastic storms into the building and attacks the Sub-Mariner with uncharacteristic aggression. Glad to have a chance to face his romantic rival in hand-to-hand combat, Namor retaliates, only to find Mister Fantastic more of a challenge than he expected due to the clever ways he employs his stretching ability. When Namor’s band of loyal soldiers returns, having reconsidered their decision, Mister Fantastic remains defiant, and the Sub-Mariner is grudgingly impressed by his courage and determination. Suddenly, the Human Torch and the Thing appear out of nowhere and join the battle. As the fighting drags on, Namor eventually realizes he’ll have to just kill Mister Fantastic and the Thing to have any kind of life with the Invisible Girl, so he orders his guards to bring up some heavy artillery. When cornered, the pair refuses to surrender, so Namor orders his men to open fire. The Thing leaps in front of Mister Fantastic, taking the full brunt of the deadly blast. Surprisingly, it has absolutely no effect on him. Confused, the Sub-Mariner flies at Mister Fantastic, fists raised, only to collide with some kind of invisible force field. The Invisible Girl then enters the room, having been set free by the Human Torch, and reveals that she generated the force fields that protected her teammates. She insists that she saved their lives out of love, not loyalty, and though she’s sorry Namor misinterpreted what she felt for him as romantic love, she knows now that Mister Fantastic is the only man for her, and nothing will ever change that. Feeling his blood starting to boil, Namor is about to respond when the Fantastic Four abruptly vanish into thin air. The entire building is then uprooted and whisked through the sea for an hour or so before returning to its foundations. His men are terrified, and Namor is astonished that the Fantastic Four are capable of such feats, wondering just how powerful they truly are.
A greedy merchant who’s been following Namor’s band of soldiers around seeks an audience with his king and suggests he make common cause with the world’s mutants, who are also persecuted by the human race. Namor is intrigued by the idea and surprised that it never occurred to him before. The merchant offers—for a price—the coordinates of the remote island that’s home to one of the most powerful mutants in existence, Magneto. Thus, the Sub-Mariner soon sets out for the island, located elsewhere in the North Atlantic, where he is greeted by the mutant master of magnetism. Haughtily, the Sub-Mariner rebukes Magneto for speaking to a monarch without permission and then surveys the island, coming across a large device powered by magnetism on a hilltop by the shore. While Namor is inspecting the strange device, it unexpectedly shorts out, giving him a nasty jolt. Two costumed teenagers come running up and introduce themselves as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The Scarlet Witch apologizes for inadvertently causing the mishap with her mutant “hex” power. Suddenly, they are attacked by another costumed teen, called the Angel due to the large white wings on his back, who represents a rival mutant faction called the X-Men. Magneto pelts the Angel with ferrous rocks, but the boy evades them with impressive aerial maneuverability. Namor decides to intervene and flies up to confront the Angel, roughing him up and driving him off. Magneto then introduces the two other members of his team, a pair of Englishmen called Mastermind and the Toad, revealing that they call their group the Mutant Brotherhood. As they head into Magneto’s command bunker, he explains that they are mutant supremacists, whereas the X-Men, led by a man called Professor X, are assimilationist fools. Magneto then uses his hilltop device to destroy the X-Men’s ship, which is anchored some ways offshore.
Nevertheless, the Angel soon returns with the rest of the X-Men: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, and the Beast, all of whom are, like the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, merely teenagers. Quicksilver is captured when he attempts to stop the X-Men from destroying the hilltop device. The Scarlet Witch begs Magneto to rescue her brother, but he rebukes her and threatens her into silence. Incensed by Magneto’s ungallant behavior, Namor turns on him and demolishes his control panel. Outraged, Magneto causes the wreckage to wrap itself around the Sub-Mariner’s body. Namor struggles to free himself as the X-Men storm into the bunker and force the Mutant Brotherhood to retreat. The Scarlet Witch stays behind, though, unwilling to abandon her brother. The constricting wreckage falls from Namor’s body, and he joins the Scarlet Witch in calling for Quicksilver’s release. The X-Men at first refuse, but then Professor X, who’s confined to a wheelchair, brings their mesmerized captive in. The Scarlet Witch is worried that her brother has been reduced to a mental vegetable, so the Sub-Mariner rips up some of the floor and threatens the X-Men with it. Quicksilver immediately comes to his senses, so Namor throws the chunk of masonry through the wall and storms outside, disgusted that both Magneto and Professor X have enlisted children to fight their war against each other. Magneto tries to stop him from leaving the island with his hilltop device, but the Sub-Mariner generates a shockwave that wrecks it. Without a backward glance, Namor dives into the sea and returns to Atlantis, wanting nothing more to do with mutants.
Invited to the Baxter Building by Mister Fantastic to discuss a truce, Namor reluctantly heads back to New York City. However, he is attacked en route by the Human Torch and the Thing in their team’s amphibious vehicle. Feeling betrayed, the Sub-Mariner wrecks the craft again and fights with the pair, the three of them ultimately beating each other senseless. During a brief respite on a coral reef, the Thing inexplicably demands that Namor send his invasion force back to Atlantis. When the Human Torch insists that an armed force must be following him to New York, Namor realizes he’s dealing with a couple of paranoid idiots. He renews the battle until the Fantasti-Car arrives on the scene, bringing Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl. Taking advantage of the distraction, Namor dives into the sea, branding his rival a treacherous liar. He sullenly watches the Fantastic Four depart, vowing never again to be duped by their phony peace overtures.
January 1963 – Some weeks later, Namor is finally reunited with his people and once again takes the throne. All is forgiven, and the Atlanteans begin settling into the reign of Namor the First. Before long, however, Atlantis comes under attack by the barbarian hordes of Attuma, who believes the Atlanteans are vulnerable while trying to re-establish their settlement in the long-abandoned city. A war breaks out, and a scorned Dorma decides to betray Namor to Attuma so that she and her prince can have a life together. Once Attuma breaches the walls, though, his promises to Lady Dorma are forgotten, and the war resumes.
February 1963 – Dorma flees from Atlantis, filled with shame, and goes to enlist the aid of the Fantastic Four. They agree to help and travel to Atlantis to do battle with Attuma’s army. Sue uses her powers to make Namor invisible, giving him the edge over Attuma in single combat. Attuma and his followers are defeated, although Namor remains unaware of the FF’s involvement.
March–April 1963 – Atlantis recovers from the battle with Attuma’s hordes. The city strengthens its defenses as Namor builds his government and watches as Atlantean society finally begins to flourish once again. Namor also starts training his troops to fight more effectively. Meanwhile, Warlord Krang continues to badger Namor to invade the surface world again. Namor is sick of fighting, however, and wishes to turn his attention to domestic affairs.
May 1963 – For some unfathomable reason, the Avengers contact the Sub-Mariner with an offer of membership, but he turns them down, interested only in being an effective ruler. Krang continues to beat the drums of war, but Namor now desires to make peace with the surface world. He returns to New York seeking a forum and decides a public trial will suit his purposes. He engages the law firm of Nelson and Murdock and then goes on a rampage, causing extensive property damage. He’s opposed by Daredevil, who’s no match for him, and allows himself to be taken into custody. However, as the trial begins, Dorma arrives to tell Namor that Krang has staged a coup in his absence. Namor returns to Atlantis, despite Daredevil’s best attempts to stop him. Unfortunately, Namor is immediately captured by Krang’s forces and imprisoned.
Namor is soon set free by Dorma, and he leaves Atlantis on a quest to find the fabled Neptune’s Trident, possession of which will prove he is the rightful ruler of the realm. Krang is aware of his escape, however, and sends agents to ensure the quest ends in failure. Along the way, Namor meets an elderly Atlantean named Vashti, whose unwavering loyalty to his prince inspires Namor to persevere. The Sub-Mariner faces a giant squid, the monstrous Seaweed Man, and the diabolical Demon of the Diamonds before abandoning his quest in order to rescue Dorma from the murderous Faceless Ones. However, by placing his love for Dorma above his political ambitions, Namor earns Neptune’s favor. Taking the trident, he returns to Atlantis, defeats Krang, and reclaims the throne.
June 1963 – Preparations are made for a celebration of Namor’s rule and the city’s liberation from the tyranny of Krang. Amidst much pomp and circumstance, Dorma is recognized for her devotion to her prince, and Vashti is made Lord Vashti, Grand Vizier of Atlantis. Then, Krang is banished from the realm to wander the oceans in perpetual exile.
July–August 1963 – Namor focuses his attention on domestic affairs and redressing the wrongs committed by Krang during his usurpation. Namor also helps Vashti settle into his new role and spends as much time with Dorma as his schedule will allow.
September 1963 – A series of damaging sub-sea earthquakes leads Namor to a floating research platform that is drilling into the ocean floor. After destroying the drill, the Sub-Mariner confronts the lead scientist, Dr. Henry Pym. In the middle of their argument, though, Namor once again falls victim to the Puppet Master and heads immediately to New York. Once there, the Puppet Master forces the Sub-Mariner to rob a bank, but Namor eventually shakes off the villain’s influence.
Dorma finds Namor in the Hudson River and tells him that the earthquakes have awakened the Behemoth, a giant android monster created by the Atlanteans during World War II as a defense against a Nazi invasion of their realm. Returning to the ocean depths, Namor battles the monster until he manages to force it into a bottomless pit of quicksand.
Back in Atlantis, Namor is informed by Lord Vashti that Dorma has fled the city to marry Krang. The news drives Namor to the brink of madness and he becomes a tyrant, branding Dorma a traitor and arresting her family. Learning they have sought refuge on the surface world, Namor sets off to track them down. He catches up to Krang’s high-speed flagship off the coast of Long Island, but it escapes due to the interference of Iron Man. In a rage, the Sub-Mariner follows Iron Man back to Stark Industries and brawls with him. Then, catching a glimpse of Krang’s ship offshore, Namor abandons the fight and sets off in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, Krang escapes again.
October 1963 – The Sub-Mariner finally catches up to Krang and Dorma, who are now traveling in Krang’s gigantic battle cruiser, a heavily-armed dreadnaught that can fight in the sky as well as beneath the waves. Krang manages to defeat Namor with a powerful missile when the exploding warhead induces a case of temporary amnesia. The stunned Sub-Mariner is found by the leader of the subversive organization called the Secret Empire, who convinces Namor he is one of their agents and sends him to track down and kill the Hulk. However, Namor fails to locate the Hulk before his memory returns. He is still in New York when Krang generates a huge tidal wave that inundates Midtown Manhattan. Despite the troops who are trying to capture him, the Sub-Mariner alerts the American military to the location of Krang’s battle cruiser, and it is destroyed by a Navy submarine. Both Krang and Dorma are captured by the Army, but Namor rescues them and returns them to Atlantis.
Once back in their undersea realm, the Sub-Mariner defeats Krang in single combat before the eyes of all Atlantis. The defeated warlord is then taken away to be imprisoned in solitary confinement outside the gates of the city. Dorma is released when Namor learns that she agreed to marry Krang only to save Namor’s life from the Behemoth, which Krang was controlling. All is forgiven, and Namor once again turns his attention to matters of state.
November 1963 – Attuma and his hordes attempt another invasion of Atlantis but are driven back by the Sub-Mariner. However, after discovering an indestructible alien robot which recently crashed to Earth, Attuma unleashes it on Atlantis. The Sub-Mariner manages to contact the spaceship as it returns to search for its lost property and is able to hold off the robot until its owners come to retrieve it. The discouraged Attuma then retreats to Skarka.
December 1963 – Namor’s cousin Lord Byrrah speaks out against the Sub-Mariner, blaming him for the calamities that have befallen the Atlanteans over the last year. Surprisingly, the people soon call for Byrrah to replace Namor as their sovereign. Though incensed by their betrayal, Namor accepts Byrrah’s challenge to single combat. However, Byrrah wins the contest through treachery, and his first act as ruler of Atlantis is to have Namor exiled to Inferno Isle some 8,000 miles away. While receiving his sentence, Namor learns that both Attuma and Krang are Byrrah’s co-conspirators. The outraged Sub-Mariner escapes from the volcano monster on the lonely island and swims back to Atlantis. Upon arriving, he finds the city being damaged by a giant vortex-creating machine. After destroying the weapon, Namor returns to the royal palace, where he learns from Dorma and Vashti that Byrrah had used a hypnotic ray to steal the loyalty of the citizens. His faith restored, the Sub-Mariner reclaims his crown. Krang and Attuma flee from his wrath, while Byrrah is sentenced to permanent exile.
Notes:
January 1962 – For earlier events in Namor’s life, see OMU: Ancient History 4.
February 1962 – The Sub-Mariner is reintroduced in Fantastic Four #4. Coincidentally, the Human Torch is seen reading an old copy of Sub-Mariner Comics. It is established as early as Fantastic Four #2 that the Marvel Universe has its own counterpart of the Marvel Comics Group, which went on to become something of a running gag in various titles.
April 1962 – The first “Super-Villain Team-Up” occurs in Fantastic Four #6.
June 1962 – In the original story in Fantastic Four #9, Namor’s business venture actually has the unlikely name of S-M Studios. This was later changed to Imperial when it was realized that kids might get the wrong impression of what kind of movies Namor was making. It’s doubtful Lee and Kirby realized that S-M could mean “sadomasochism” as well as “Sub-Mariner,” as they didn’t seem to have that sort of sense of humor. Ironically, the documentary film The Fantastic Four is a financial success, and Imperial Studios will continue to operate for many years to come, providing Namor with a hefty income in surface-world currency.
July 1962 – The Human Torch first takes on the Sub-Mariner solo in Strange Tales #107, which at the time was a sort of companion title to Fantastic Four. Namor gives no indication that he remembers the original Human Torch of the 1940s, suggesting he’s still suffering from partial amnesia.
August 1962 – The Sub-Mariner remains unaware that his mind was hijacked by the Puppet Master in Fantastic Four #14. Under the Puppet Master’s influence, Namor kidnapped the Invisible Girl, taking her to his undersea base and threatening her life. When her teammates came to the rescue, the Sub-Mariner engaged them in dishonorable combat before trying to kill them all with poison gas. Namor’s mind was finally freed when the Puppet Master’s submarine was attacked by a giant octopus. The “lady’s maid” is actually the Thing’s girlfriend, Alicia Masters, but Namor has no way to know that.
September 1962 – Namor is first reunited with his people in Fantastic Four Annual #1. Lady Dorma makes her first modern appearance and Warlord Krang is introduced, but Lord Byrrah remains behind the scenes. The original city of Atlantis is located at roughly 55°N by 21°W, whereas Thakorr’s Atlantis (where Namor grew up) is over 8,700 miles away at about 66°S by 10°E. The destruction of Thakorr’s Atlantis is depicted in flashback in Tales to Astonish #96 and Sub-Mariner #1. It was not, in fact, caused by the surface world’s nuclear weapons but by the villain Destiny (Paul Destine) using the power of the Serpent Crown. Namora’s fate is revealed in Sub-Mariner #51. During the Atlantean invasion of New York City, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp are all out west fighting the Hulk (in Avengers #1) while Spider-Man is battling the Lizard in the Florida Everglades (in Amazing Spider-Man #6). Doctor Strange monitors the situation from his Sanctum Sanctorum via the Orb of Agamotto (following Strange Tales #116). Namor apparently remains unaware that it was Dorma who shattered the flagship’s porthole, deliberately trying to drown the Invisible Girl in a fit of jealousy. Though the story suggests this was a global invasion, it’s more likely it was limited to NYC, as the Atlanteans aren’t that numerous.
November 1962 – The Sub-Mariner and the Hulk first team up in Avengers #3. In the following issue, Namor plays his part in the resurrection of Captain America, though both men are suffering from partial amnesia. The real reason the Sub-Mariner and Captain America don’t seem to know each other is that it wasn’t until years later that Roy Thomas had the idea that they had fought side by side during World War II as members of the Invaders. That was the first major “retcon” of the Marvel Universe. The extraterrestrial is evidently a member of the D’Bari race and presumably has a few years to enjoy being home again before his planet gets destroyed by Dark Phoenix. It seems likely that Namor’s squad of loyal soldiers is led by his young cousin Dara, who was just a kid back in the 1940s. The ever-faithful Dara will be introduced much later in Sub-Mariner Limited Series #1.
December 1962 – Namor is unaware of the involvement of Doctor Strange in the mission to rescue the Invisible Girl in Fantastic Four #27. He encounters the X-Men and the Mutant Brotherhood for the first time in Uncanny X-Men #6. His battle with the Human Torch and the Thing occurs in Strange Tales #125.
February 1963 – Namor fights off Attuma and his barbarian hordes for the first time in Fantastic Four #33. Attuma’s realm, called Skarka, is located about 1,200 miles west of Atlantis.
May 1963 – Aware of the Sub-Mariner’s service to the Allied Powers during World War II, the Avengers believe they are offering Namor the chance for redemption in the eyes of the surface world. However, Namor does not yet remember his time with the Invaders and declines, as seen in Avengers #16. The Sub-Mariner will eventually join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes many years later. Namor battles Daredevil in Daredevil #7. The Sub-Mariner’s 15,000-mile journey to find Neptune’s Trident kicks off his solo series in Tales to Astonish #70 and following.
September 1963 – Namor’s encounter with Iron Man forms an early Marvel crossover event, as the story detours into the “Iron Man” feature in Tales of Suspense #79–80.
December 1963 – Byrrah’s attempted usurpation brings us up to Tales to Astonish #91, which is his first modern appearance.
OMU Note: The Sub-Mariner’s final canonical appearance was in Namor #25.
Next Issue: The Way It Began: Fantastic Four -- Year One
No comments:
Post a Comment