There are a lot of rumors regarding the appearance of Namor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon. One of the major choices for this appearance has been the upcoming Black Panther sequel. This is clearly because there is a massive rivalry between Black Panther and Namor and over the years we have gotten to see various versions of this in the Marvel comics. While the people of Atlantis consider Black Panther a threat, Namor is considered both an enemy and a threat to Wakanda. A recent issue from Marvel comics clearly indicates that the rivalry between Black Panther and Namor persists with the former stating he hates him more than any other member. He hates Wolverine due to the love triangle angle with Storm. But his hatred for Namor is so much more!
Black Panther vs. Namor
Both the heroes have certain interesting elements that they hold in common with each other. Namor and Black Panther are superheroes who rule a sovereign nation. While this could pave the way for both of them to be allies, things are quite opposite to that. There is a massive conflict between the two with Namor’s vengeful mentality putting him opposite Black Panther’s philosophical personality. The conflict between the two has actually led to an outright war between Atlantis and Wakanda. Even then there have been cases where the two have worked together with a common goal.
In fact, the first time the two appeared together was in Rise of the Black Panther #2, where we saw them tracking down some enemies who had fled Atlantis. They come to an understanding that there are a lot of similarities between them and they part in a peaceful manner. But right after this, T’Challa comes to realize the threat that he might be facing from Namor and Atlantis in the future. This fear would actually come true when we would get to see Atlantis invade Wakanda in the pages of Avengers vs. X-men. Thus giving rise to the biggest ongoing feud in the Marvel universe.
The Most Hated Avenger of Black Panther
According to the synopsis of Avengers #54:
A Multiversal Masters of Evil has formed, comprised of the deadliest villains of their respective realities. The group has been ravagin entire worlds in their bid for power, opposed by a group of reality-hopping Deathloks dispatched by the mysterious Avenger Prime.
The Masters of Evil executed a multipronged attack against the Avengers and Deathloks on Earth-616. Captain America, Captain Marvel and Starbrand were ambushed in Kansas City, where Starbrand’s use of her powers abruptly aged her into her teens. On Asgard, Thor, Iron Man and Echo fought the Destroyer, Dark Phoenix and a berskerker Thor variant. And Doctor Doom and a young Thanos assaulted Avengers Mountain, detonating a massive explosion before escaping…
In this issue, from Jason Aaron, Juan Frigeri, David Curiel, and VC’s Cory Petit, the Avengers reel from an attack on their Celestial base from the Multiversal Masters of Evil. Namor states that he won’t be staying with his fellow Avengers and only rise from the depths of the ocean when he feels necessary. This actually ends up causing Captain America to snap and he clarifies that Namor is actually in their custody because of his past actions. Thus he has to oblige with everything that the Avengers ask for. Namor accepts the conditions while joking that he thought Black Panther would be the one who would require convincing.
Black Panther has a clear response to this as he states that he still hates Namor. He doesn’t hold back as he says, “Oh, I despise you far more than he ever will. But we’ve all just seen for ourselves exactly what it is the Avengers are facing. So there is no question…”. This clearly indicates that the feud between the two is still very much alive. Black Panther might never forgive Namor for his past actions, not anytime soon. This only makes the idea that Namor will appear as the enemy to Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever even more awesome.
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