DAREDEVIL #7: Namor Steals the Show

Published: April, 1965

So this is an issue of Daredevil. It’s all about Marvel’s newest superhero, the Man Without Fear…Daredevil! And in this issue, something very exciting happens to Daredevil. He gets a new costume!!

And that’s almost all I’m going to say about Daredevil.

FAUX FOE
Daredevil’s foe here is Namor, the Sub-Mariner. When I see Namor in a Marvel Comic, I rub my hands together and gleefully exclaim, “Oh, goody!” I’m quite the fangirl for Namor. In fact, it causes me pain to suggest that Namor is a “foe.”

Namor is not a foe. At least he is not truly a foe, not in the typical sense. In the super-hero world, a foe is someone deliciously villainous—someone, let’s say, like Doctor Doom, or Magneto, who can easily bring forth a hearty “MWAHAHAHA!” from the bottom of his belly, and/or travels about with a crew that calls themselves something preposterous like “The Brotherhood of Evil.” THIS is a true foe, a true villain.

And this is not Namor.

I think that’s what I like most about him (aside from his manly physique, and green scaly swimming trunks). He’s not a villain at all; rather, he’s more a literary antagonist. He’s a King. He’s noble, righteous, old-fashioned, and most probably at least a little better than the rest of us.

In this issue of Daredevil, after Namor’s day in court does not go well, we see him breaking out of the surface-dwellers prison with ease. Is that an aura around him, or merely an artistic depiction of his strength? Personally, I think it’s an aura.

His power emanates from his personality, his legacy—not from technology, magic, or a nuclear or cosmic accident. His strength doesn’t come from something that happened to him, or something he learned or does; it comes from who he IS.

Sure, he has a beef with the surface world, but who wouldn’t? He’s just trying to do the best job he can for his underwater civilization, and sometimes his objectives strongly clash with the objectives of the surface-dwellers—and we can clearly see that both sides have good points. With Namor, there is no absolute right or wrong, black or white.

Let’s face it, he’s complicated. And he’s fascinating.

(FLYING) FISH OUT OF WATER
Namor doesn’t understand surface ways, and his “fish out of water” status (pun intended) is comically played upon in this issue, as he simply cannot deal with the contraptions of the modern surface world. He first has a run-in with a revolving door, and later, an elevator. In both cases, Namor wins.

It’s also pretty funny that he wants to “sue the human race.” He understands the concept of a lawsuit, yet has no understanding that he can’t sue the whole freakin’ human race. Who’s he going to retain for that lawsuit? Nelson and Murdock? Apparently not. (Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Giuliani agreed to give it a shot.)

But wait! This “fish out of water” business is not entirely figurative when it comes to Namor. You could say he actually IS a fish out of water because, being half-human, he is able to breathe both water and air. Pretty cool, huh? And not only that, but Namor has ankle wings that give him the ability to fly. I’ve seen these ankle wings before, but don’t believe I’ve seen him actually flying until now.

The more I learn about this guy, the better I like him.

Namor’s hometown sweetheart Dorma, and all his other royal subjects, don’t enjoy these perks. When they come upside, they have to wear a fishbowl over their heads. With that in mind, I don’t understand why in the surface-world they want to live on the surface world anyway. Why, as General Krang argues, do the people of Namor’s kingdom “long to bask in the heat of the sun”? Wouldn’t this cause the water in their helmets to boil their eyeballs to a crisp?

NOBILITY MEETS NOBILITY
General Krang is clearly only interested in going to war—and Namor wisely recognizes that. But for Namor, it’s not about conquest; it’s more about the principle of the thing.

So, not only is Namor a force to be reckoned with, but also a deep soul, full of principles. As is—dare I say it?—Daredevil. For let’s not forget this is, after all, an issue of Daredevil. When Namor meets and battles Daredevil, he’s impressed with Daredevil’s style, courage and valor. In the heat of battle, Namor recognizes that “While I boasted, he acted,” and is forced to admit his own mistakes. Such introspection is a great quality in a leader. In the end, out of respect to Daredevil’s courage, Namor declares he will not injure any human being.

STAR-CROSSED LOVE
His reluctance to complete his acts of aggression on Daredevil, or any other surface-dwellers, is not surprising, however, considering his past history with the human race. Being half-human himself, and in light of his previous experiences, he wisely views these interspecies relationships as more delicate and complex than does his two-dimensional warmonger, General Krang.

Whenever he rises up from the sea, soap opera clings to Namor like a spidery tangle of seaweed, due mostly to his lingering unresolved romantic liaison with Sue Storm. Not that long ago, he fell hard for the surface woman, setting up one of the most dramatic love-triangles of these early comics. Reed Richards, of course, is quite a catch, smart, handsome, and…limber. There’s no reason why Sue shouldn’t want to marry him. But after Namor declares his feelings, the girl becomes…shall we say…temporarily distracted.

Despite everything Sue’s heart tells her about Namor, that he is clearly a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, there’s something about him she obviously finds appealing. Sure, she knows it can never work out, with him living under the sea, and her all the way up there in the rarified air of the Baxter Building, and yet…and yet…who knows?

PALACE INTRIGUE
But in this episode, our guest star Namor does not have time for romantic entanglements. He will come back to the surface world another time to pursue this mission, but first he must quickly return to his home under the sea to thwart a potential coup by the ambitious and untrustworthy General Krang.

When will all this happen, though, and where? In an upcoming issue of Fantastic Four? Perhaps again in Daredevil? How wonderful, if these future plot developments could play out in Namor’s very own comic book!

Will the King of Atlantis ever get his own title? Readers of this blog may know the answer to that question, but as of this writing, I do not—and Russ will only say, “Wait and see.” And so I wait. And hope.

THE FUTURE OF NAMOR
And there’s one more thing I hope: as much as I would love to see Namor get his own title in 1960’s comics, my real dream is that he will someday be featured as the star of his own movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And if this fangirl should be lucky enough to see this wish come true, who would I choose to immortalize the incomparably noble Namor? I gave it a little thought, but instantly stopped thinking as soon as I settled upon the obvious answer: Henry Cavill.

I mean…really. Any questions?

Sure, Cavill has already portrayed Superman, The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia, and Man From UNCLE Napoleon Solo. So what? He’s played them all to perfection, and no one else could be more perfect as Namor, the Sub-Mariner, noble King of Atlantis.

There’s so much to look forward to as I consider the future of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, both in print and on screen. All in all, it’s a wonderful time to be a fan of Marvel!

Oh, and Daredevil’s new costume looks pretty snazzy too.