Spoilers for Captain Marvel #25 ahead!
Marvel has revealed the death of a future Namor the Sub-Mariner, and he goes to his death like a champ – just like fans hoped he would. In recent issues of Captain Marvel, Carol and her allies have been thrown forward in time to a dystopian world ruled over by Ove, the son of Namor and the Enchantress. Namor’s fate has been a huge mystery, and in issue 25, fans learn the shocking truth. Written by Kelly Thompson with art by Lee Garbett and Belen Ortega and colors by Antonio Fabela, the issue is available in stores and on all digital platforms.
Captain Marvel has been thrown forward through time to the year 2052. She finds a post-apocalyptic world largely empty of heroes, and those that have survived are disappearing, victims of a mysterious man named “Ove.” Ove then sends Luke Cage, clearly brainwashed, to retrieve Captain Marvel and bring her to his kingdom. When she arrives, she learns Ove’s father is Namor, but his mother’s identity is kept a secret. According to Ove, his father was killed by Atlantean revolutionaries, but Captain Marvel has her doubts. At the end of the previous issue, readers learn that Ove’s mother is none other than the Enchantress, and Ove has sinister plans for Captain Marvel and her friends.
While talking to a captive Captain Marvel, Enchantress reveals the truth: she and Namor fell in love and had Ove. While they both loved their son, the Enchantress goes on to say Ove was both the best and the worst of them, and in the next panel, readers see Ove impaling Namor with Namor’s own trident. What is curious is Namor does not fight back against Ove – a fact Enchantress tells Captain Marvel. The knowledge that he could have done so but chose not to made Enchantress love him even more. She then fled Atlantis and raised Ove on her own and on the run.
Enchantress makes it clear that Namor truly loved Ove, and this could explain why he did not fight back against him. The Enchantress knew in her heart this moment would arrive, but Namor did not, so he could have been in shock Ove would do something like this. Whatever the case, Namor faced his death with bravery, much like fans would hope.
Perhaps comics’ first anti-hero, Namor has been a fan-favorite character since his introduction way back in 1939, and in Captain Marvel #25, fans see how his story could end. In his final moments, Namor faces death bravely, proving why fans love him.
