Spoilers for King in Black #2 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman
While Marvel’s ocean-dwelling Namor has yet to reach the same modern mainstream heights that DC’s own underwater warrior, Aquaman now enjoys, the King of Atlantis has really stepped up his notoriety in the Marvel Comics Universe as of late. With appearances in a variety of titles currently on stands, readers have no shortage of stories featuring the brash and unapologetically arrogant Sub-Mariner. Now, Namor’s most recent emergence found in the pages of King in Black #2 proves that the slippery surface invader actually can back up his own sense of self-importance.
Following the first issue of King in Black, wherein Knull, the God of the Symbiotes made his frightening presence known to earth by quickly and efficiently defeating some of Marvel’s greatest powerhouses and fully consuming the world in darkness, only a few heroes now remain standing. And while it’s fully understandable that characters such as the governing mutants of Krakoa have opted to retreat into their own land and preserve what remains by closing off their nation’s gates, Namor arrives on the scene brimming with candor and the courage of a King.
As the rag-tag crew of Valkyrie, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Blade, Sue, and Reed Richards, and Iron Man scramble to catch their bearings and formulate a plan, T’Challa proposes the desperate idea of using dangerous weapons such as the Infinity Stones or the Ultimate Nullifier. Just then, Namor enters the room to remind everyone just where he comes from. While Earth’s heroes are on their knees when it comes to defending the earth in the absence of light, Namor emphasizes that he and his people have been battling in the freezing dark longer than they know. He goes on to bluntly explain exactly why Knull’s invasion is a personal attack on himself more than anyone else on earth, “The majority of this planet belongs to me. So if this king wants a war, he will have one.”
While Namor’s claiming Earth as his own may initially come off as his grandiosity candidly revealing itself as it so often does, there is actually a whole lot of truth in his arrogant declaration. As the King of Atlantis and protector of the seas, Namor acknowledges that while the other heroes may be defending the drylands of Earth, he’s defending the world that resides beneath the oceans. Seeing as how most of the earth is covered in water, Namor has good reason to lay claim to such a large bulk of the planet.
Despite the explicitly smug and matter-of-fact way he puts it, Namor’s pep talk about defending an Earth that belongs to him actually lays the groundwork for Iron Man to assert his grand plan. And it seems Namor‘s involvement is paramount as he is now tasked with awakening The Black Tide, a dark and mysterious underwater strike force that’s been cursed by ancient Atlantean magic. These hellish creatures seem to be crucial in turning the tide against Knull, but their combined power just might be horrifying enough to humble even the Sub-Mariner himself.
