Byrrah is the cousin of Namor and even though it appeared as if Byrrah loved Namor, he really resented the Sub-Mariner for his mixed heritage. During their childhood, Byrrah and Namor played “Atlanteans vs Americans”. The boys got seperated between a sheet of ice which trapped Namor on the surface. Byrrah contemplated on whether or not to abandon Namor but his guilt forced him to notify Princess Fen. Fen and her Atlantean soldiers went on a rescue mission but were shocked when they discovered that Namor could breath on the surface and was invulnerable to the icy climate like surviving a blizzard.
Eventually, Byrrah’s prejudice turned into a drive for murder when his ascension to throne was threatened by Namor. When Namor turned 12, Byrrah set up an elaborate trap to kill Namor and Princess Fen but his trap turned on him. Namor’s superhuman strength saved him, his mother and Byrrah. At the age of 16, Namor accompanied Namora and Byrrah to the surface in order to explore the abandoned Antarctic research station known as “Little America”. When Namora found herself trapped in a flaming cabin, Byrrah cowardly fled the scene while Namor rescued her.
When they reached maturity, Byrrah gained a reputation as a kind, peace-loving nobleman. During WWII, King Thakorr was injured during a Nazi attack on Atlantis. With Thakorr in a coma, Byrrah and Krang initiate a coup when they learn that Namor has sided with Captain America’s Invaders. Byrrah convinces the people of Atlantis that Namor has forsaken his principles in favor of the surface world. Namor was exiled from Atlantis until the 1950’s. During his exile, Namor and his cousin Namora thwarted Byrrah’s invasion into South America as well as his plot to cause a massive iceberg to crash into North America. Both times preventing a full scale war between the surface world and Atlantis.
By 1954, Thakorr welcomed Namor and realized Byrrah’s inadequacy as a leader. Byrrah tried to frame Namor by unleashing a robot that resembled Namor on NYC but was met with failure once again. In 1955, a group of Russian scientist were near Atlantis and hunting for Uranium. Byrrah attempted to attack their vessel but was stopped by Namor. Byrrah’s ambitions to rule became obvious when Namor petitioned to have Atlantis recgonized by the United Nations.