6 surprising comic secrets about Namor, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever villain

One of the original Marvel heroes is finally making his way to the MCU in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where actor Tenoch Huerta will play him in his debut live-action adaption. He can be seen lecturing to his people about Wakanda and the surface and flying through battle with his winged ankles in the most recent movie trailer.

By renaming Namor's underwater country Talocan instead of Atlantis, a separate underwater metropolis based on Aztec mythology that was partly inspired by Huerta's own Indigenous Mexican origin, the MCU is slightly rewriting Namor's legend.

That said, Huerta's MCU Namor still looks every bit the classic "Imperius Rex!" (Namor's catchphrase) version of the character comic book readers know and love from writer/artist Bill Everett's 1939 creation. He's got the green trunks, said winged ankles, and pointed ears.

With these similarities and the footage we've seen for Wakanda Forever so far, it seems there's plenty of room to incorporate any (or all) of these eight surprising comic secrets about Namor the Sub-Mariner.

1. Namor is a mutant

Namor the Sub-Mariner (pronounced like the Seattle baseball team) is a mutant and has at times even been considered Marvel's 'first' mutant.

Though he was created decades before the X-Men, Namor was later defined as a mutant thanks in part to his hybrid Atlantean and human DNA, along with an actual X-gene that makes his powers even stronger and more vast.

Namor has also been a member of the X-Men and was one of the so-called 'Phoenix Five,' the mutants who shared the power of the Phoenix during Avengers vs. X-Men(opens in new tab) - which is when he initially led Atlantis in attacking Wakanda.

It's interesting to consider Namor's hybrid physiology and X-gene, which resemble the revised origins of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel in the MCU. Could Namor wind up also being a mutant in the MCU?

2. Namor was part of Marvel's first superhero crossover

Marvel has a longstanding tradition (or maybe fight record?) of its heroes going to battle with each other which goes back to its earliest day in its roots as Timely Comics - and Namor was part of the very first battle between Marvel heroes, squaring off with the original Human Torch.

That Fire vs. Water style showdown set the stage for the concept that would, decades later, become the idea of the full-fledged superhero crossover.

Though the entire fight takes place in the pages of two issues of Marvel Mystery Comics(opens in new tab) (as the Marvel Comics title had been renamed), it appears in both Human Torch and Namor's features, presenting different sides of the conflict.

Appropriately, when Namor returned to the Marvel Universe in the early '60s, he was an antagonist of the Fantastic Four - fighting the new Human Torch, Johnny Storm.

3. Namor has a romantic history with multiple Marvel heroes

Tenoch Huerta's Namor is quickly becoming a heartthrob among MCU fans, and that raw magnetism has been practically baked into the character since his modern introduction.

In Marvel Comics, Namor's early interactions with the Fantastic Four - and their subsequent rivalry - were often driven by Namor's intense attraction to Sue Storm, and his, let's just say, incredibly problematic attempts to kidnap her and make her his undersea queen.

Over the years, Sue has often shared an uneasy attraction with Namor and has even retreated to his protection in Atlantis at times of great danger.

But Namor's gallivanting in the Marvel Universe isn't limited to Sue Storm Richards. He's also hooked up with Emma Frost of the X-Men, and even some of his non-human (but still humanoid) undersea allies.

Frankly, Namor is one of Marvel Comics' most openly and notably amorous characters - something the MCU has been criticized as lacking. So fans finding some sexiness in the character's admittedly limited onscreen presence so far (we've seen just one trailer) is right on track.

5. Namor has secret mutant powers

It's well-known (and easy to assume if you don't already know the character) that Namor has the standard undersea ability to breathe underwater, along with accompanying physical strength and durability to survive in the ocean's depths.

But there's more to his powers than the obvious - and we don't just mean communicating with sea life.

Incidentally, Namor has communicated with fish and other underwater creatures from time to time, but in modern years, he's most often needed some kind of magical artifact to do so.

That's not all the so-called Sub-Mariner has under his toolbelt. The wings on his ankles aren't just for show - they actually allow him to fly. And in some of his earliest modern stories, Namor could use the abilities of fish and other sea creatures, including the shocking abilities of an electric eel, and even the self-inflation of a pufferfish.

6. Namor has often teamed up with Doctor Doom

While we're on the subject of Namor and his frenemies, aside from Captain America, one of Namor's longest associations is with none other than Doctor Doom - though it's hard to call anyone 'friends' with the Latverian dictator.

In fact, Namor has been allied with Doctor Doom far longer than he has any modern Marvel hero other than Cap, with the pair first teaming up way back in 1962's Fantastic Four #6.

The pair first bonded over hatred of Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, as well as being monarchs of their own kingdoms. But that bond blossomed into out-and-out villainy, with Namor and Doom even co-starring in the cult classic '70s title Super-Villain Team Up(opens in new tab) and its Giant-Size spin-off.

Though Namor has also often opposed Doom - and also tried to double cross him a time or two during their team-ups - Namor found himself once again working with Doom and his so-called Cabal during the lead-up to the 2015 event Secret Wars(opens in new tab).

Namor was also allied with the Illuminati at the same time, meaning the Atlantean monarch was effectively playing both sides as the Multiversal Incursions that were threatening the Marvel Universe built toward Secret Wars itself.