Isn't Namor meant to be a hero?
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00:00When Namor the Sub-Mariner first encountered the Fantastic Four,
00:03the Atlantean mutant came across as an outright villain. But upon meeting more
00:08of the superhero community, Namor's bitterness towards the surface world kind of subsided,
00:13encouraging him to team up with his former enemies. Over time, the King of the Seas has
00:17become an Avenger, a Defender, an ally to the Fantastic Four, and a good friend to Captain
00:22America. However, it's kind of hard to gauge whether Namor qualifies as an out-and-out good
00:27guy. He has performed acts of such unspeakable evil that villains like Doctor Doom would think
00:32that he's gone a bit too far. So let's take a look at them as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com,
00:36and these are the 10 worst things that Namor has ever done.
00:40Number 10. He's been creeping on Sue Storm since he met her.
00:43Now, Namor has been infatuated with Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four ever since their first
00:48encounter. When he discovered that she was in a relationship with Reed Richards, Namor did all
00:52he could to encourage Sue to abandon him and live as his queen in Atlantis. Since Namor is arrogant,
00:59violent, and has a habit of beating the crap out of Sue's friends, she politely declined.
01:03Namor may have started off as a foe to the Fantastic Four, but it wasn't long before
01:07Marvel's First Family saw him as their companion. Although Namor has never really been fond of Reed,
01:12the Atlantean King learned to respect him as a scientist, a father, and a superhero.
01:17Having said that, he's never stopped trying to sleep with his wife. After Sue and Reed tied the
01:22knot and had two children, Namor still refused to back down, often forcing himself on Sue. And what's
01:28worse is that Namor is not coy about his behavior since he constantly tells Reed that he is not
01:32worthy of her affection. Because he's been obsessing over Sue since, I don't know, let me
01:36just check my watch, the 1960s, despite the fact that she's usually not interested, Namor comes
01:42across as an unhinged stalker. Number 9. He turned on his oldest friend.
01:47Invaders Number 2. Due to his xenophobia towards air-breathers,
01:51Namor has few friends outside of Atlantis. Even though there are many that he respects,
01:55including Black Panther, Bucky, and the X-Men, he sees these people as colleagues
01:59rather than companions. In fact, one of the only people that Namor regards as a true friend
02:04is Captain America. When the pair teamed up during World War II, they developed a deep respect for
02:09one another, and their rapport never seemed to waver despite having countless disagreements
02:13over the years. Until recently, that is. You see, after Atlantis was attacked by the surface world,
02:18Namor prepared to lay waste to his oppressors. When Captain America learned of this, he made
02:22his way to Namor's kingdom, assuming that he could talk him down. Instead, Namor batted him
02:27senseless with his own shield, telling him, a king has no friends. He then told Cap to leave,
02:33warning him that he would show no mercy the next time that they crossed paths. Despite the fact
02:37that Namor fights his allies on almost a daily basis, he rarely loses it against Cap, which is
02:43why it was very heartbreaking to watch him turn on his oldest friends. Number eight, he imprisoned
02:48Atlanteans. Secret Empire, Brave New World, number one to five. So being a king means that Namor's
02:54loyalty to Atlantis trumps all other matters, which has led to a lot of animosity when his
02:58kingdom comes into conflict with the surface. His devotion to his home is paramount, which is why his
03:03people hail him as a hero. However, ruling a kingdom sure ain't easy. Sometimes Namor needs
03:08to make decisions that will cause Atlanteans to resent him, even if it's in their best interests.
03:13When Hydra took over the world during the Secret Empire event, Namor could have helped the Avengers
03:17defeat the terrorist organization. But because Atlantis would have to suffer heavy losses in
03:22such an assault, Namor decided not to engage. To ensure that no Atlanteans interacted with
03:26surface dwellers, Namor had the kingdom sealed and imprisoned anyone who would question him.
03:31When his old invader buddies Jim, Hammond, and Toro came to Atlantis to seek aid,
03:35he had them locked up as well. In Namor's mind, his methods, although harsh,
03:39were necessary to ensure the safety of his people. But since his tyrannical reign incited a rebellion
03:45and multiple assassination attempts, the once-devoted Atlanteans kind of saw their king
03:49as a monster. Number seven, he threatened to destroy a city unless Suu kissed him.
03:54Ultimate Fantastic Four, number 26. Ultimate Fantastic Four was a reimagined series
03:59published in 2004, which was tailored for a modern audience. All the characters in the
04:04series had been tweaked or re-altered, and Namor was no different. When the Fantastic Four located
04:08the Sub-Mariner in the ruins of Atlantis, they also discovered an ancient tablet reading,
04:13King, implying Namor was a monarch. Shortly after the quartet released him, they realized the
04:18tablet they had found had been mistranslated. Namor wasn't a king, he was a criminal who was
04:23imprisoned by the Atlanteans. Recognizing their folly, Reed and the others tried to subdue Namor,
04:28but their efforts proved fruitless. After he grew bored of the battle,
04:32Namor prepared to bury New York in a colossal tsunami. Namor then told the Fantastic Four that
04:37he would spare the city if he could make out with Suu. Knowing that millions of lives hung in the
04:42balance, Suu reluctantly agreed. After that, Namor returned the sea to normal and told Reed that Suu
04:48meant it, before then flying away. Even though Namor has always been a jackass, this incarnation
04:54makes the original version look like a saint by comparison. Number six, he keeps on teaming up
04:59with other villains. To paraphrase an iconic quote, you can tell a lot about a person by how
05:04many supervillains they hang around with. In the comic world, few characters demonstrate this
05:08notion more than Namor. Because he's been part of every main super team, the Sub-Mariner would
05:12like to believe that he fights for good. However, the first person he ever allied with under the
05:16Marvel banner was Dr. Doom. Doom is in the name, how could he not figure out that he's a bad guy?
05:22After Namor got chummy with the Fantastic Four, Captain America, and other heroes,
05:26he'd like to think that he would burn his bridges with Doom, right? But not only did
05:29Namor team up with the Latverian monarch multiple times, he joined forces with even more supervillains.
05:34When Norman Osborn asked him to be a part of his cabal, Namor accepted before hearing the whole
05:39proposal. After the cabal was destroyed and Osborn was locked up, you'd assume that Namor would think
05:44twice about who he partnered up again with, right? But only a few years later, he teamed up with
05:49Thanos. Now here's the thing about Thanos, if he's in your squad, you should safely assume that you
05:54are on the wrong side. Number five, he's been attacking the surface since his debut. Fantastic
05:59Four number four. When the Fantastic Four first met Namor, he was suffering amnesia and living
06:04as a beggar. And when the Fantastic Four helped him regain his memory, Namor swam back to Atlantis
06:09to reunite his people. But when he discovered that most of his home had been destroyed by
06:13nuclear weapons, he was overcome with rage and launched a sea monster on New York City. Although
06:18the Fantastic Four stopped the assault, little did they know that the Sub-Mariner would return.
06:23Like a lot. I mean, soon after, he tried to make the United Nations recognize him as the absolute
06:28ruler of the surface world. And when that plan failed, Namor teamed up with the Hulk to fight
06:32the Avengers. And after that, the wing-footed mutant allied with the alien Vuk, who tried to
06:37use his technology to take over the planet. And then he tried to kill the superheroes of Earth
06:42about 50 more times after that. And that's not even including all of the times that he's unleashed
06:46his Atlantean army on the surface world, considering that he has fed his enemies to sharks,
06:50flooded cities, and declared war on society more times than one can count. It's mind-boggling how
06:56anyone could perceive Namor as anything except an enemy to mankind.
07:004. He Caused Randall Peterson's Death
07:03Invaders 1-4
07:04When Namor first made contact with the surface world during World War II, he agreed to help
07:09the Allies, to ensure the Nazis didn't attack Atlantis. Even though he fought alongside humans,
07:14Namor had little respect for them, gleefully mocking them to Captain America on a regular
07:18basis. But when the war ended, Namor learned that he was banished from Atlantis, forcing him to live
07:23with Cap's friend, Randall Peterson. After being exposed to Randall's kind-heartedness, Namor's
07:28resentment towards mankind dissolved. The two became friends, and Namor was even nice enough
07:33to save Randall's life on two occasions. Despite the fact that Randall helped shape
07:37the best side of Namor, his final encounter with him ended in tragedy. 70 years after they met,
07:43Namor declared war on the surface for the, I assume, 512th time. And during this battle,
07:48Namor fought Captain America, who happened to be near Randall's home. Despite being elderly and
07:52very ill, Randall rose from his bed and berated Namor, saying that he had lost sight of who he
07:57once was. Sadly, Randall got so worked up, he died of a heart attack. Acknowledging his actions led
08:03to the death of his most devoted friend, Namor fled from the scene in tears.
08:073. He Murdered Unarmed Prisoners
08:10Avengers 9
08:11When a Roxxon whaling ship approached Atlantis, Namor seized their vessel and had the crew
08:16imprisoned. Not wanting to cause a political storm, the Avengers ventured to Atlantis,
08:20hoping to retrieve the prisoners. After much reluctance, Namor handed over his captives,
08:24allowing them to be transferred to a federal penitentiary in New Mexico.
08:28Days later, though, Namor discovered several Atlantean children had ventured to the surface.
08:33Because the atmosphere above water is toxic to most Atlanteans, the children suffocated to death.
08:38Even though the kids could have been saved if they were tossed back into the sea or given any
08:41water to drink, Onlookers failed to intervene. Unable to quell his fury, Namor located the
08:47prison cell that his former captives resided in and used his hydrokinetic powers to make
08:51their toilet malfunction. Since their cell was sealed, the room flooded with sewage water,
08:56drowning the prisoners. Even though these Roxxon employees were scumbags,
09:00forcing them to choke on water filled with human waste was a ruthless method of execution.
09:05Nevertheless, it didn't seem to bother Namor, who claimed the prisoners' death was a fitting end.
09:102. He Flooded Wakanda
09:12Avengers vs. The X-Men No. 7 and 8
09:15During the Avengers vs. the X-Men saga, the superheroes attempted to destroy the Phoenix
09:19Force before it bonded with Hope Summers. After the cosmic deity was blasted with a Phoenix killer
09:24weapon, its essence was merged with the five people who were standing closest to it – Cyclops,
09:29Magic, Emma Frost, Colossus, and Namor. At first, the Phoenix Five assured their comrades that the
09:34godlike power wouldn't corrupt them. But after the cosmically-powered Quintet discovered their
09:39teammates intended to strip the Phoenix from their bodies, they took matters into their own
09:43hands. When Namor learned the superheroes were hiding in Wakanda, he used his powers to flood
09:47the kingdom, which resulted in the deaths of thousands. At first, you might think that Namor's
09:52abominable actions could be justified a little since he was under the influence of the Phoenix
09:57Force. But after the alien entity left his body, Namor did not seem bothered by what he'd done.
10:02What makes Namor's attack more perverse is the fact that he committed genocide on a nation ruled
10:06by Black Panther, who the Sub-Mariner perceived as a trusted ally.
10:10At number one, he destroyed a planet. New Avengers, number 21 and 22
10:15When the Illuminati discovered universes were colliding into one another, they knew that it
10:19was only a matter of time before their own reality was placed in mortal jeopardy. After
10:23researching this calamity, which the team called the Incursion, they deduced that their universe,
10:27Earth-616, was set to collide with Earth-4290001, resulting in their mutual annihilation.
10:34Because Earth is the epicenter of each reality, the Illuminati reasoned that they could spare
10:38both universes if they destroyed the parallel Earth. Minutes before the Incursion was set to
10:43occur, Reed Richards, Black Panther, Bruce Banner, and others readied an antimatter bomb that would
10:48obliterate this other Earth. However, none of the superheroes could bring themselves to activate the
10:52device, even at the expense of saving their world. Refusing to commit genocide on a global level,
10:58the Illuminati placed the detonator on the ground, seemingly dooming their reality.
11:02With only moments left to spare, Namor took it upon himself to activate the antimatter bomb,
11:07destroying the planet. Although Namor's actions spared two entire realities,
11:11he will have to live with the knowledge that he has the blood of billions on his hands.
11:15Although, judging by his previous actions, he probably doesn't care a jot.
11:33And as always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that and I'll speak to you
11:37soon. Bye.