Who Is Namora, and What Is Her Relationship with Namor? (MCU & Comics)
Namora is a name that may not ring a bell for many comic book readers, but for fans of the Marvel Universe, she is a character worth knowing. As the cousin of the iconic Atlantean prince Namor, Namora shares his aquatic abilities and royal heritage. However, despite their familial ties, Namora’s relationship with Namor is more complex than meets the eye. In this article, we will delve into Namora’s origins, powers, and personality, as well as explore the dynamic between her and Namor, and how it has evolved over the years in Marvel Comics.
In the comics, Namora is Namor’s distant cousin. Like Namor, she is a human-Atlantean hybrid. Her true name was Aquaria Neptunia, but she took on the nickname of Namora in honor of Namor. In the beginning, the two had a strained relationship, but Namor eventually learned to respect both Namora and her abilities. In the MCU, Namora doesn’t seem to have family bonds with Namor. Instead, she is his second-in-command and one of his most loyal and trusted allies in the underwater kingdom of Talokan.
Now that we’ve given you a brief overview of the relationship between the two, it’s time to analyze it in a bit more detail. So, whether you’re a die-hard fan of Namor or just curious about the lesser-known characters of the Marvel Universe, join us in discovering the intriguing story of Namora.
Namora is Namor’s cousin, and the two share hybrid ancestry
Namora debuted in Marvel Mystery Comics #82 in 1947. She is the daughter of a human woman and an Atlantean man. Due to this, she and Namor are even more similar. Her original name was Aquaria Nautica Neptunia, but she changed it to honor her cousin Namor that was known as the greatest among the Atlanteans. At first, the relationship between the two was strained, with Namor going out of his way to avoid his younger cousin and her endlessly annoying him. Even insulting him on some occasions.
However, things changed one day during their outing when Namor got stuck in a torpedo tube. Namor was the only member of their party that was strong enough to get Namor out safely and securely, and due to this, she earned his respect.
Namora once took part in a plot to overthrow Namor from the Atlantean throne
Namora led a rebellion against Namor’s tyrannical rule in Atlantis and attempted several assassination attempts against him. She later teamed up with the Invaders to rescue their allies from imprisonment by Namor. They planned to use a machine to end Namor’s rule, but Human Torch and Toro destroyed it, causing a monster to escape. The opposing sides had to work together to subdue the creature.
Namora was captured and requested to be publicly executed, which Namor agreed to. Before Namor could kill Namora, a trident was thrown at him, causing a mob to demand that he end his tyranny. Namora revealed that everything was set up to make Namor realize his mistake, and he agreed to end his authoritarian measures in Atlantis.
Namora’s skin color in the comics changed over time
In the beginning, Namora was depicted just like the other Atlanteans with pale blue skin. After she found out about her human heritage, her skin color changed to match her cousins, and she took on a more caucasian skin color, as can be seen in the panel below.
Still, her abilities weren’t drastically changed. Like the rest of the Atlanteans, her body is still more suited for water conditions than for land. She has superhuman strength, and when in direct contact with water, she can lift up to 75 tons, which is incredible. Like most Atlanteans, she also has one weakness; the longer she is away from water, the weaker she becomes. Like her cousin Namor, Namora is super durable and super fast. Her aquatic healing factor allows her to recover from incredible damage as long as she is submerged underwater.
Due to her Atlantean physiology, Namora ages much slower than an average human. While she was pushing for 50 years, by human standards, she still looked like she was 20 years old.
Like her cousin Namor, Namora likewise possesses vestigial ankle wings that allow her to fly. Both her and Namor’s ability to fly has been questioned numerous times since the wings appear to be too small to keep their bodies in the air.
MCU changed Namora in several ways, but her loyalty to Namor remained the same
Namor debuted in the MCU simultaneously with her cousin Namor during the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There doesn’t seem to be any familial relationship, but Namora and Namor are quite close. He trusts her; she is one of his most loyal supporters in the Underwater Kingdom of Talokan. We don’t know whether Namora and Namor are related in the MCU, but we do know that she was fascinated by him since a young age, and her ambitions bore fruit when he chose her to be his second-in-command.
Unlike her comic counterpart, Namora has blue skin and is fully Talokanil which means she is not a hybrid. This is obvious because she requires a specially designed mask to breathe on the surface. Like the rest of the Talokanil, Namora has incredible superhuman strength, speed, durability, and stamina and can mentally communicate with marine life.
Even though the trust between Namor and Namora is obvious, her respect for Namor begins to waver following his battle with Shuri. She saw the fact that Namor accepted the truce as a sign of weakness. Even though Namor explained that the truce and alliance with Wakanda are far more beneficial for Talokan than war, especially now that the surface world is aware of them.
As you can see, every version of Namora is superhuman in nature with unprecedented underwater abilities. Both versions are likewise loyal to Namor, the only difference being their status as cousins.
