The MCU laid the groundwork for the perfect opponent for Tenoch Huerta’s Namor 12 years ago, over a decade before the character’s debut.
The perfect opponent for Namor the Sub-Mariner was set up by the MCU 12 years ago, over a decade before the live-action debut of Tenoch Huerta’s MCU character. After years of speculation regarding when and if the classic Marvel Comics superhero would finally the movie treatment he’s long been denied, the Savage Sub-Mariner’s absence finally came to an end in 2022. Thanks to the highly-anticipated release of Phase 4’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor and his kingdom finally occupy a place in Marvel’s cinematic world.
Namor the Sub-Mariner’s debut is a massive development for the MCU, considering that he runs his own corner of the Marvel Universe, complete with his own rogues’ gallery and a cast of supporting characters. But having only used him as a villain to Shuri, Marvel has only scratched the surface of the character’s big-screen potential. Namor’s comic history demonstrates that he deserves stories of his own. Rather than simply serve as an enemy or obstacle to an existing MCU character, Marvel can bring in new players for him to contend with in the MCU’s future. Interestingly, the stage is already set for one in particular to make an appearance.
Captain America: The First Avenger Set Up Namor’s First Rival
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Marvel notably included an Easter egg to a Golden Age character during the Stark Expo scene in Captain America: The First Avenger. Shown behind a glass display was the humanoid figure of a man in a red and gold-trimmed suit. The design of the character’s costume, combined with the words above him, “Phineas Horton Presents: The Synthetic Man,” confirms the mysterious person to be Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch. Over 20 years before the introduction of the more iconic take on the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Marvel developed a hero of the same moniker and pitted him against Namor.
First appearing in 1939’s Marvel Comics #1, Jim Hammond a.k.a. Human Torch was an android invented by scientist Dr. Phineas Horton. Debuting alongside each other in the aforementioned comic, Namor and the Human Torch got into a heated battle, making it the Marvel Universe’s first true superhero fight. With both eventually taking on heroic allies, they gradually grew into allies and even served together on Captain America’s World War II superhero team, the Invaders. That said, Namor’s tendency to veer off into villain territory has allowed Marvel opportunities to revisit their rivalry with additional fights.
Black Panther 2 Proved How The Human Torch Can Beat Namor
On the surface, the Human Torch doesn’t come across as someone who can physically challenge Namor. After all, he possesses a level of superhuman strength that makes him a common foe of characters like Hulk, Hercules, Thor, and the Thing. Even so, there are several fights that prove the powerhouses of the Marvel Universe aren’t the only ones who have what it takes to give Namor a fight. What happened with Shuri in Black Panther 2 was a perfect example of that idea. In fact, that battle served as evidence for the notion that Human Torch can be a fitting rival to Namor in the MCU.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s ending saw Shuri exploit Namor’s biggest weakness: his body’s need for constant hydration. After discovering this aspect of Namor’s physiology, Shuri concocted a plan to dry out Namor and after doing all she could to keep him out of the water, triggered an explosion to weaken him further. As a person whose power allows him to produce fire, the Human Torch is well-suited to fighting Namor. Unlike Shuri, he won’t need a complex, well-prepared plan to hurt Namor; just Jim Hammond’s fire abilities alone are enough to deal significant damage. The main disadvantage he has against Namor is his lack of raw power.
How The Original Human Torch Can Fight Namor In The MCU
As for how a Namor vs. Human Torch fight could occur in the first place, there are multiple scenarios in which it could play out. While there aren’t any upcoming MCU projects that provide clear-cut ways for Marvel to circle back to the Easter egg, it’s important to note that because of the movie, the original Human Torch’s existence in the MCU has already been established, which should make introducing him easier. For that reason, a movie like Captain America: Brave New World can employ a storyline where present-day characters uncover the Torch and reactivate him, creating an interesting tie to the MCU’s past.
Doing so would grant the MCU a chance to finally pay off its 12-year-old setup for Jim Hammond to become a full-fledged MCU superhero. If that happens, Marvel can offer its own take on a West Coast Avengers story that reawakened Hammond in the modern world. In the comic, Hammond joined Hawkeye’s Avengers team for a short stint. Theoretically, the same could happen in Phase 5 or Phase 6, paving the way for Torch to meet Namor in Avengers 5 or Avengers: Secret Wars. Namor the Sub-Mariner is rumored to be in Avengers 5, hence why a potential fight – and subsequent team-up – with Jim Hammond is a prospect that shouldn’t be ruled out.
