Namor Explained: Powers And Origin | Marvel's First Mutant

Hello and welcome everybody. In this article, we are going to discuss Namor. His origin and his power and abilities. 

Namor debuted in comics in early 1939 and is one of the oldest comic book characters way older than Iron Man and Captain Marvel. Namor was one of the top three characters, along with Captain America and the original Human Torch. 

In his first appearances, Namor was depicted as an enemy of the United States. His earlier versions showed him to be a freak that wanted the world to be engulfed by chaos.  Although the Sub-Mariner acted like a villain, his cause had some justice. His enthusiastic fans weren't offended by the carnage he created as he wrecked everything from ships to skyscrapers. And thus one of the earliest comic book's Anti Hero was born. 

Namor was born in 1915 in the capital city of the Atlantean empire. His mother was Emperor Thakorr's daughter, Fen, and his father was an American sea captain, Leonard McKenzie; They had fallen in love and married aboard ship while she was sent to spy on the human intruders. 

When Fen did not return, Atlantean warriors attacked the Captain’s ship which ended up killing McKenzie and brought Fen back to Atlantis. And thus the pink-skinned mutant Namor was born among the blue-skinned Atlanteans. He became the Prince of Atlantis and a warrior for his people against the human race. At this point, you can see that it sounds a lot like the plot of Aquaman and Namor is supposed to be Marvel’s version of Aquaman. But he isn’t a straight-up hero rather an anti-hero which gives him a different flavor. 

Being a Mutant and because of his unusual genetic heritage, Namor is unique among both ordinary humans and Atlanteans and is sometimes referred to as "Marvel's first mutant" because, while the majority of his observed superhuman powers come from the fact that he is a hybrid of human and Atlantean DNA, his ability to fly cannot be explained by either side.

Namor possesses fully amphibious physiology suited for extreme undersea pressures, superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, flight, and longevity. Namor has the ability to survive underwater for indefinite periods, and a specially developed vision that gives him the ability to see clearly in the murky depths of the ocean. His mutant power is the gift of flight, represented by the tiny wings on his ankles. He can fly quite fast and for indefinite periods. 

Namor's body is specially developed for underwater conditions, granting him specialized blood circulation to withstand freezing temperatures and a highly developed vision to see clearly even in murky ocean depths. This hybrid physiology means he can survive indefinitely underwater or on land, though he would still need occasional contact with water to survive.

Like all Atlanteans, Namor is superhumanly strong but his physical strength is greater than that of any member of his superhuman race. The exact level of his strength is dependent upon his physical contact with water and his strength diminishes slowly the longer he is out of contact with water. 

Out of the water, Namor was able to defeat Luke Cage with ease and knock out the She-Hulk by striking her by surprise from behind. He was shown as an even match for the Thing. 

Underwater, he completely dominated the Red Hulk and on occasions, he has even knocked out the incredible Hulk. Which goes on to show you how incredibly powerful he is. 

Namor was also able to hold his own against the Sentry for a little while before Emma Frost convinced the Sentry to stop. And Sentry is one of the most powerful heroes in Marvel as he was the only one who fought the World Breaker Hulk. 

But it’s not only his strength that makes Namor so dangerous he can also run and move at speeds greater than even the finest human athlete. His speed is greatest, however, while swimming. Whereas most Atlanteans can swim at speeds greater than 60 miles per hour, Namor has shown that he can reach a speed of over 300 knots.

Namor has superhuman durability. The tissues of Namor's body are much harder and more resistant to physical injury than those of normal human beings and most other Atlanteans. Namor can withstand tremendous impact forces, high caliber bullets fall from orbital heights, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes blows from powerful superhumans, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining an injury. If he was somehow injured, Namor's body can heal damaged tissue faster and much more extensively than a human or most Atlanteans. Namor's accelerated healing is at its peak while he is immersed in water and does diminish the longer he is out of contact with water or if he is completely dry.

He can absorb certain levels of radiation. His potential is unknown, but the full power of the Radioactive Man is enough to rapidly drain him of his strength. Namor's enhanced vision enables him to penetrate the ocean's depths and see through murky water. Namor possesses a telepathic rapport with all forms of marine life. He is able to mentally communicate with most forms of marine life and can mentally persuade them to do his bidding. Namor can also mentally communicate with other Atlanteans.

In comics, Namor demonstrated natural skill in both armed and unarmed combat and likely received extensive training in both later on. He is a master swordsman, marksman, and is capable of wielding other weapons such as spears but rarely does so due to his preference hand to hand combat. And As the leader of a sovereign nation, He often visits the United States or the United Nations for political reasons.

Like Thor, Namor too can speak every language on Earth. He is also a skilled engineer which helps in designing and improving Atlantean technology. 

And that is all you need to know about Namor. With that, we will bring this article to an end. If you find this article informative then don’t forget to follow. Thanks for reading. See you in the next one.