Marvel Completely Destroyed All Your Namor vs. Aquaman Concerns
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made it clear that the MCU’s Namor and the DCEU’s Aquaman are completely different characters. The similarities between Namor and Aquaman are evident. Both heroes are incredibly powerful and obstinate kings of secret underwater kingdoms, and both have crossed paths with their respective universes’ most famous superhero teams.
Given that they’re Marvel and DC’s main aquatic superheroes, an overlap between Namor and Aquaman’s live-action adaptations could have sparked unfair comparisons. James Wan’s Aquaman, the DCEU’s most successful movie so far, raised the bar with its stunning depiction of Atlantis and with Jason Momoa’s charismatic take on Aquaman. Marvel Studios could have tried to replicate the DCEU’s formula, but instead avoided parallels by turning Atlantis into Talokan — an Aztec-inspired underwater kingdom ruled by Tenoch Huerta’s Namor, who’s linked to the Mayan serpent god K’uk’ulkan. Fortunately, both aquatic heroes have enjoyed a positive reception from fans and are able to coexist without stepping on each other’s toes.
How The MCU’s Namor Is Different From DCEU’s Aquaman:-
Both Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Tenoch Huerta’s Namor are fabled heroes due to their superhuman prowess, but whereas Aquaman is an urban legend before becoming a famous superhero in the DCEU, Namor is a full-fledged mythical god in the MCU. Namor’s mutant powers, age, winged feet, and origin story made him Talokan’s ruler for several centuries, and his implacable personality allowed him to keep his kingdom thriving in secret under the ocean. On the other hand, Aquaman is ostracized by Atlantis for being half-human, and he has to fight his way up to King of the Seven Seas.
Both Namor and Aquaman owe their powers to their mothers. In Aquaman’s case, Queen Atlanna’s Atlantean genes give him his strength, speed, durability, and ability to breathe and fight underwater, while his father’s human nature allows him to survive on land like any regular human being. In Namor’s case, his underwater birth after his mother ingested the Talokanil flower, coupled with his natural mutation, caused him to develop an enhanced physiology and superhuman abilities. Namor and Aquaman are probably very close in regards to power levels, but each of them has a unique skill that gives them an edge: Namor’s ankle wings allow him to fly, and Aquaman’s telepathy allows him to command ocean life. One of the biggest differences between the two, however, is that the DCEU turns the classic stern Aquaman from the comics into a playful Rockstar, while the MCU retains Namor’s anti-hero personality, which makes him the perfect villain for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
How The MCU’s Talokan Is Different To DCEU’s Atlantis:-
Now, the main difference between the DCEU’s Aquaman and the MCU’s Namor comes from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s rich Talokan culture. Talokan is clearly derived from the Atlantean myth, but in order to make it stand apart from Aquaman’s Atlantis, Marvel Studios drew inspiration from Mesoamerican culture to create a more original sunken kingdom. Whereas the DCEU’s Atlantis is a vast and futuristic empire, Talokan is a more covert realm with clear Aztec/Mayan inspirations (which include fields dedicated to an underwater version of the traditional Mesoamerican game ulama). The Asgard-like Atlantis was also built thousands of years before its catastrophic sinking, while Namor himself foresaw Talokan’s construction directly underwater in the 1500s. The DCEU’s Atlantis is so big that it is divided into seven different realms, and it sunk because its extremely advanced society collapsed in on itself. Talokan, on the other hand, was built as a humble refuge for a tribe that was almost annihilated by the Spanish conquistadors.
Audiences Are The Real Winner Of Namor vs. Aquaman:-
It’s easy to pit similar heroes against each other, especially if they belong to different companies. Thanos and Darkseid, Quicksilver and Flash, Swamp Thing and Man-Thing… they’re all very close equivalents with similar abilities, but different power levels and vastly different stories. Fortunately, Marvel and DC have made very distinct translations to the small and the big screen. Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate shared some of Doctor Stranger’s abilities in Black Adam, but also stood out as a unique DCEU hero in the short screen time he had. Likewise, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Namor measured up to the task of following Aquaman’s massive success in his own unique way (curiously, both Doctor Fate and Namor were created before their rivals, but were adapted to live-action after them). This lack of overlap confirms that there’s room for similar Marvel and DC heroes to coexist. Since there’s no conflict or confusion, fans can enjoy each story without resorting to comparisons, and both multiverses can explore similar characters from fresh angles.
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Next: What’s Next For Namor After Black Panther: Wakanda Forever?
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