I started a retrospective on Aquaman over on the DC forum, so I figured one for Namor would be appropriate as well. Besides, if he'll eventually appear on Avengers Assemble, it'll be easier for me to simply update this thread, rather than start it from scratch.
Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner debuted in Marvel Comics #1 (from October 1939), published by Timely Comics - the predecessor of today's Marvel Comics company. He was created by writer-artist Bill Everett and soon became one of the most popular characters from the Golden Age of Comic Books, alongside the likes of Captain America and the original, android version of the Human Torch (all three of them would later be known as the super-hero team the Invaders). He became mostly known as an anti-hero, starting in the 60s when he was featured in a number of Fantastic Four comics. His attraction to Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman often caused conflict with the other heroes and lead to some pretty interesting stories.
Namor is a mutant, the result of being the son of a human sea captain and an Atlantean princess. He possesses super-strength, can breathe both underwater and on land, and has the ability to fly (thanks to the tiny wings on his ankles), among other neat powers though he needs to come into contact with water every so often to replenish his strength. He rules over Atlantis and protects it from anything he considers a threat, be it other Atlantean villains (like Attuma or Warlord Krang), or threats from the surface world or even other alien worlds. Throughout the years he has both aided and confronted other heroes from the Marvel Universe, including the Fantastic Four, the Avengers or the Defenders.
His first animated appearances were on the Marvel Super Heroes Show, which aired in syndication in 1966 and featured five of Marvel's superheroes starring in their own series each one consisting of 13 episodes (separated into three 7-minutes long segments). This show had very limited animation, and was composed almost entirely of actual comic book panels with a voice-over; basically an early version of today's motion-comics. Namor, voiced by John Vernon (who also voiced Iron Man in his own segments, and Major Glenn Talbot in the Incredible Hulk segments), starred in his own segment unsurprisingly titled Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. Each episode was a pretty faithful adaptation of a comic book story, and most plots saw Namor having to fight Attuma (4 times) or Warlord Krang (3 times). Also present in most of the stories was Lady Dorma, his main love interest.
The first episode, titled "Peril in the Surface World", features a short explanation of Namor's origin. In the story, an ill, amnesiac Namor travels to the surface world where after being chased by the police (because of a misunderstanding) he ends up being saved by two mysterious men who work for an elderly lady, who tells Namor his origin - his father was human and his mother was the princess of Atlantis. The lady turns out to be his grandmother, the late sea captain's mother. Overall it's a pretty decent episode and I liked that the series began with some kind of an origin story.
Next we have a neat story-arc, spread throughout two half-hour episodes featuring Warlord Krang as the main antagonist and Namor's quest to reclaim his throne. First in "The Start of the Quest!", Namor is overthrown by Krang and imprisoned. Lady Dorma sets him free, and Namor plans on leaving on a journey to find the Trident of King Neptune which would prove his right to rule over Atlantis. His journey is filled with dangers - both tests placed by Neptune himself, but also some traps set by Krang to ensure his new position as ruler of Atlantis.
After Namor manages to pass the first tests and survive Krang's traps, the story continues in "Not All My Power Can Save Me!" where Krang plans his attack on the surface world, and wishes to marry Lady Dorma. When she refuses, Krang imprisons her and sentences her to be banished to the land of the Faceless Ones. Namor manages to save Dorma in time, and find the Trident of Neptune in order to regain his rightful place as monarch of Atlantis. As punishment for his treason, Krang is banished from the kingdom, but he swears vengeance on the Sub-Mariner.
In "Atlantis Under Attack", Lord Vashti one of Namor's most trusted subjects is accused of betraying his monarch's trust and stole the sacred Trident of Neptune (which Namor just spent two episodes trying to find...) It's revealed that Attuma (making his debut on the show) is the one responsible for the disappearance of the sacred trident, and the one who imprisoned Vashti inside a cave guarded by a man-monster (whatever that means), in a plot to keep Namor occupied while he attacks the kingdom. By the end of the episode Namor saves his friends and defeats Attuma in combat. Attuma is also banished from the kingdom for his acts of treason and at Vashti's advice, he is humiliated in front of the people of Atlantis before being exiled.
Thanks to the pretty loose continuity between the episodes, Attuma returns in the next episode titled "The Thing From Space", where he once again attacks Atlantis with his army of barbarians. Attuma is easily defeated by Namor but luck is on his side that day as soon he discovers a giant robot from an alien world which fell into the ocean, and realizes he's able to control the invincible weapon. The robot is ordered by Attuma to destroy Prince Namor, and he nearly succeeds in its mission as nothing seems able to stop the machine. Namor himself confronts the robot and tries commanding the creatures of the sea to aid him in the fight, but they are powerless in front of the alien machine. When all seems lost, the robot is stopped by the alien race that dropped it in the water in the first place, and taken back with them into outer space.
In "To Conquer a Crown" Namor's cousin Byrrah, the munitions master of Atlantis plots to dethrone the Prince by spreading rumors that Namor is a warmonger and challenges him to a duel which would settle who is fit to rule the kingdom. After cheating and poisoning Namor, and thus winning the challenge, Byrrah plans on using both Attuma and Krang with their armies to ensure his new position. Namor is taken hostage and kept inside a sealed pit. Thanks to two of Byrrah's men who agree to help Lady Dorma once they are promised more money than their current employer is giving them, Namor is freed and defeats all his enemies and reclaims the throne of Atlantis.
Next Part: Namor on The Marvel Super Heroes (continued)!
Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner debuted in Marvel Comics #1 (from October 1939), published by Timely Comics - the predecessor of today's Marvel Comics company. He was created by writer-artist Bill Everett and soon became one of the most popular characters from the Golden Age of Comic Books, alongside the likes of Captain America and the original, android version of the Human Torch (all three of them would later be known as the super-hero team the Invaders). He became mostly known as an anti-hero, starting in the 60s when he was featured in a number of Fantastic Four comics. His attraction to Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman often caused conflict with the other heroes and lead to some pretty interesting stories.
Namor is a mutant, the result of being the son of a human sea captain and an Atlantean princess. He possesses super-strength, can breathe both underwater and on land, and has the ability to fly (thanks to the tiny wings on his ankles), among other neat powers though he needs to come into contact with water every so often to replenish his strength. He rules over Atlantis and protects it from anything he considers a threat, be it other Atlantean villains (like Attuma or Warlord Krang), or threats from the surface world or even other alien worlds. Throughout the years he has both aided and confronted other heroes from the Marvel Universe, including the Fantastic Four, the Avengers or the Defenders.
His first animated appearances were on the Marvel Super Heroes Show, which aired in syndication in 1966 and featured five of Marvel's superheroes starring in their own series each one consisting of 13 episodes (separated into three 7-minutes long segments). This show had very limited animation, and was composed almost entirely of actual comic book panels with a voice-over; basically an early version of today's motion-comics. Namor, voiced by John Vernon (who also voiced Iron Man in his own segments, and Major Glenn Talbot in the Incredible Hulk segments), starred in his own segment unsurprisingly titled Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. Each episode was a pretty faithful adaptation of a comic book story, and most plots saw Namor having to fight Attuma (4 times) or Warlord Krang (3 times). Also present in most of the stories was Lady Dorma, his main love interest.
The first episode, titled "Peril in the Surface World", features a short explanation of Namor's origin. In the story, an ill, amnesiac Namor travels to the surface world where after being chased by the police (because of a misunderstanding) he ends up being saved by two mysterious men who work for an elderly lady, who tells Namor his origin - his father was human and his mother was the princess of Atlantis. The lady turns out to be his grandmother, the late sea captain's mother. Overall it's a pretty decent episode and I liked that the series began with some kind of an origin story.
Next we have a neat story-arc, spread throughout two half-hour episodes featuring Warlord Krang as the main antagonist and Namor's quest to reclaim his throne. First in "The Start of the Quest!", Namor is overthrown by Krang and imprisoned. Lady Dorma sets him free, and Namor plans on leaving on a journey to find the Trident of King Neptune which would prove his right to rule over Atlantis. His journey is filled with dangers - both tests placed by Neptune himself, but also some traps set by Krang to ensure his new position as ruler of Atlantis.
After Namor manages to pass the first tests and survive Krang's traps, the story continues in "Not All My Power Can Save Me!" where Krang plans his attack on the surface world, and wishes to marry Lady Dorma. When she refuses, Krang imprisons her and sentences her to be banished to the land of the Faceless Ones. Namor manages to save Dorma in time, and find the Trident of Neptune in order to regain his rightful place as monarch of Atlantis. As punishment for his treason, Krang is banished from the kingdom, but he swears vengeance on the Sub-Mariner.
In "Atlantis Under Attack", Lord Vashti one of Namor's most trusted subjects is accused of betraying his monarch's trust and stole the sacred Trident of Neptune (which Namor just spent two episodes trying to find...) It's revealed that Attuma (making his debut on the show) is the one responsible for the disappearance of the sacred trident, and the one who imprisoned Vashti inside a cave guarded by a man-monster (whatever that means), in a plot to keep Namor occupied while he attacks the kingdom. By the end of the episode Namor saves his friends and defeats Attuma in combat. Attuma is also banished from the kingdom for his acts of treason and at Vashti's advice, he is humiliated in front of the people of Atlantis before being exiled.
Thanks to the pretty loose continuity between the episodes, Attuma returns in the next episode titled "The Thing From Space", where he once again attacks Atlantis with his army of barbarians. Attuma is easily defeated by Namor but luck is on his side that day as soon he discovers a giant robot from an alien world which fell into the ocean, and realizes he's able to control the invincible weapon. The robot is ordered by Attuma to destroy Prince Namor, and he nearly succeeds in its mission as nothing seems able to stop the machine. Namor himself confronts the robot and tries commanding the creatures of the sea to aid him in the fight, but they are powerless in front of the alien machine. When all seems lost, the robot is stopped by the alien race that dropped it in the water in the first place, and taken back with them into outer space.
In "To Conquer a Crown" Namor's cousin Byrrah, the munitions master of Atlantis plots to dethrone the Prince by spreading rumors that Namor is a warmonger and challenges him to a duel which would settle who is fit to rule the kingdom. After cheating and poisoning Namor, and thus winning the challenge, Byrrah plans on using both Attuma and Krang with their armies to ensure his new position. Namor is taken hostage and kept inside a sealed pit. Thanks to two of Byrrah's men who agree to help Lady Dorma once they are promised more money than their current employer is giving them, Namor is freed and defeats all his enemies and reclaims the throne of Atlantis.
Next Part: Namor on The Marvel Super Heroes (continued)!
