NARRATOR: You don't know Namor, the Submariner--
ahem, Sub-Mariner from the underwater kingdom of Atlantis?
Well, get ready to meet the world's
first aquatic superhero, Marvel's
first mutant, and the longest running hero-- well,
villain, antihero?
In Marvel Comics.
Namor, the Sub-Mariner.
Get those little ankle wings a-fluttering because it's
time for a brief history.
WOMAN: (GASP) Oh my.
NARRATOR: When Antarctic explorers began destroying
the ocean, the Atlantean princess Fen volunteered
to knock some sense into them.
Instead, she made the ship's captain, Leonard
McKenzie, her first mate.
AUDIENCE: Aw.
NARRATOR: Thinking she was captured,
the Atlanteans brought her home, where she gave birth
to the new prince and future king,
Namor McKenzie half Atlantean, half human mutant,
all short shorts.
Namor grew to have a host of Atlantean
and mutant abilities-- breathing both air
and water, massively increased strength, durability,
and speed, slowed aging, and of course,
incredible swimming abilities.
Plus, he has these cute little wings in his ankles
that allow him to fly.
But perhaps his greatest ability-- his enormous ego--
NAMOR: [CHUCKLE]
NARRATOR: --cultivated with his trademark battle cry,
"Imperious Rex!"
TRANSLATOR: Which loosely translates to "I'm the King
of the alphas, fight me."
NARRATOR: When Namor came of age, he returned to the surface
to finish his mother's work and protect the ocean
from threats above and below with the help
of his cousin, Lady Dorma.
So when the battle was brought to the ocean in World War II,
Namor was not having it.
He even went so far as teaming up with surface dwelling heroes
called the Invaders, Human Torch,
his sidekick Toro, Captain America, Bucky,
and other allies.
Eventually, the war ended and Namor split his time
terrorizing humans in air, sea, and land until he went missing.
Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four
discovered Namor was living as a homeless man with amnesia.
Johnny burned off Namor's beard.
EDITOR: Which does not seem like the safest way
to get a makeover.
NARRATOR: And taking to the water, Namor
remembered his former mission--
to beat the ever-loving heck out of the surface dwellers.
And that included the Fantastic Four,
in part because Namor only had eyes
for Sue Storm, who was already coupled up with Mr. Fantastic.
It was a lot of attention for a woman
who wants to be invisible.
Over the years, Namor finally moved on
to make begrudging peace with the surface, which might have
been aided by Doctor Strange enchanting Namor
to join his team of defenders.
Or by his old friendship with Cap of the Avengers.
But Namor also faced threats to his crown
below from rival fish people, the Lemurians,
and underwater baddies like Akuma and Lyra.
Some of these underwater usurpers
even allied with Wakandan rebels, which
caused the Sub-Mariner and Black Panther to fight, and then
team up for the first time.
But all that big king energy would more often than not
put them at vicious odds again and again.
Namor was also identified as a mutant,
and he teamed up with both the evil mutants and the X-Men,
but later became a conduit for the Phoenix
Force, which he tried to use to destroy Wakanda.
He even joined the Illuminati, the High
Council of Marvel's most brilliant and egomaniacal
superheroes.
And when the incursions of universes
began destroying the multiverse and endangered our universe,
Namor did what must be done.
NAMOR: [GRUNT]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR: Listen, you can't always
trust Namor to be friend or foe, hero or villain, damp or dry.
But he'll always be king of the ocean.
Life's a beach, and so is the Sub-Mariner.
And now, you do know Namor.