Namora

Origin

Aquaria Nautica Neptunia – to give her full name – is the daughter of an Atlantean man and a surface dwelling woman. Similar to her cousin Namor, she is a hybrid: half human, half Atlantean. As a result of this nature she has a mutant genetic make-up that grants abilities far greater then any one of her pure genetic blood lines. She, like her cousin, is a mutant with an X-Gene.

Creation

Namora is a Golden Age hero, beginning her career in the early 1940’s. Her first appearance was in Marvel Mystery Comics #82 (May 1947) and she was created by Ken Bald and Syd Shores.

Character Evolution

Golden Age

Namora was one of several heroes active during the Golden Age of comics who later reappeared in the Modern Age. During the Golden Age she had her own 3 issue mini-series in 1948, and many guest appearances in other titles, especially Sub-Mariner, up until 1955.

Silver Age

Namora returned briefly towards the end of the Silver Age of comics in flashback cameo appearances in Namor’s series, first in November 1970 in Sub-Mariner #33.

Bronze Age

In issue #50 of Sub-Mariner, Namora was revealed to have died, when Namor is shown her entombed corpse by his villainous cousin Byrrah.

Modern Age

Namora made her permanent return for real in the Agents of Atlas mini-series in 2006, in a story inspired by the alternate reality story in What If? (1977) #9. She continued as a member of the Agents of Atlas team in its successive restarts, and was later ret-conned to have participated in an early form of the Avengers.

Major Story Arcs

Queen of Atlantis

As a child, Namora’s father visited his sister who also had a child, a boy named Namor. Aquaria and Namor, cousins, became playmates and were nearly inseparable, so close were they that she was given the nickname “Namora.” During adolescent years her mutation made itself known when her normally blue Atlantean skin faded to the color of an average Caucasian. This was the first time it was revealed that she was half human like her cousin, Namor. A year later an attack on the castle in which she and her family lived took place. The invaders were there trying to raid their home for treasures. They would leave when they got what they wanted but not before Namora’s father was killed by them. Namor and Namora became enraged by the events and would go after them and get revenge. These events would change Aquaria. She would permanently change her name to “Namora” which means avenging daughter and would take on a more aggressive personality.

With nowhere to go, Namora accompanied her cousin Namor in all of his coming adventures. They would tackle countless missions and numerous villains. This would come to a stop in 1955 but not before she met a man named Jimmy Woo. He was on a mission of his own and ran into Namora. He offered her a spot on his team the “Agents of Atlas.” She would decline, but it wouldn’t be the last time she would ever see him, particularly as she provided him with the location of the living robot M-11.

It was after this that Namora would meet, fall in love with and marry an Atlantean man named Talan. They would not have an easy married life. Their marriage was very strained, with many of their issues coming from Namora’s hybrid nature. Her mixed DNA made it impossible to reproduce. Wanting to help their marriage they would make a decision that none could know of. They were going to use a genetic clone of Namora to help them have a baby. This was a very taboo topic to Atlanteans and also very illegal. Not long after, she gave birth to their daughter and named her Namorita.

Apparent Death

When Namor ended up missing shortly after and then her husband was killed in an atomic bomb test, with nothing left for her, Namora went back to Lemuria to start over. Several years would pass and Namora had found herself attracted to another man. He was the crown prince of Lemuria, Merro. Another Lemurian female named Llyra found out and in a jealous rage she attacked Namora. She poisoned her with a toxin highly effective against Atlanteans. Namora appeared to have died, leaving her still very young daughter Namorita alone without either of her parents.

Truth Behind Namora’s Death

Not all would believe the stories behind Namora’s death. An aged Jimmy Woo, who had once met Namora many years back, was one of these individuals. Acting on a suspicion of his, he believed Namora was never dead at all. He gathered the remaining members of his group, the Agents of Atlas and went to look for her. With the aid of M-11 they first went and located Namora’s coffin. Upon investigation, they found that she wasn’t actually inside the coffin, it was only a holographic image of her. Multiple events followed and they were informed that the real Namora was frozen and hidden in an ice cavern under the North Sea. Once found, she was thawed out and healthy as could be. Namora had survived the poisoning because of her hybrid lineage. Had she been only Atlantean then she would have died. Either way she was awakened. Grateful to Woo for saving her, she gladly accepted Jimmy Woo’s offer to join his team. She would then leave with his team and uncover the secrets that he had been looking for. Namora would continue as part of his team for a while after.

Renegades!!

Events leading up to the Civil War would bring Namora to the surface looking for revenge. She found that her daughter Namorita had been murdered in battle. This would be just the start. When the Hulk began his attacks – later known as “World War Hulk” – Namora would join with Amadeus Cho and his team including Mastermind Excello, Angel and Hercules to aid Hulk in battle. This ragtag group would be known as the Renegades. During the battling, Namora even shares a passionate kiss with Hercules. The kiss stirred up emotions in Namora and she later accompanied Hercules, who’d just returned to Earth from slaying the Skrull gods during the Skrull invasion, on a romantic vacation where Hercules revealed his feelings for her to Namora and they consummated their feelings for each other. The vacation was cut short when they were attacked by Amazon warriors. Namora then aided Hercules and Cho against Artume, the new Amazon Queen and daughter of the former Queen, Hippolyta (whom she’d deposed). During the course of their battle against Artume, Namora’s feelings of love for her cousin Namor are revealed causing Hercules shock and sadness. After Artume was defeated, Hercules and Namora went their separate ways without resolving their feeling for each other. When Hercules later seemed to die in battle against Typhon, Namora then revealed the nature of her relationship with and the depth of her feelings for him during his funeral.

Agent of Atlas Again

Namora returned to action with Jimmy Woo’s Agents of Atlas team, out of loyalty and respect to Jimmy for rescuing her and a surprising attachment to M-11 for its role in finding her. She helped them take on Norman Osborn during his Dark Reign in charge of national security, and subsequently to battle some of the various Atlas operations that cover the globe.

New Avengers

It was recently revealed in New Avengers that Namora was one of the first members of the Avengers Initiative in 1959. She is part of a team that was recruited by Nick Fury for a mission involving the Red Skull. The other members of the team include Sergei Kravinoff (her boyfriend at the time), Sabretooth, Dominic Fortune, Ernst Sablinova (Silver Sable’s father) and Ulysses Bloodstone (Elsa Bloodstone’s father). The exact reasons for Fury bringing this team together have not been revealed.

Relationships

It is no secret that Namora has always had feelings for Namor, despite the fact they’re cousins. She admitted that she harbored feelings for him around the time of her marriage.

She has also shown feelings for Hercules during the times they have spent together, though she was unwilling to take his feelings seriously due to his bragging about being with various other women.

It was recently revealed in Fear Itself – The Home front, that she has been in a relationship with Jimmy Woo for an unspecified period of time. This fact is unknown to the rest of the Agents of Atlas.

Powers & Abilities

Namora is biologically half Atlantean and half human with a mutant X-Gene. With that, she all the natural abilities of both, though due to her hybrid/mutant nature many of her natural abilities are far greater then any average Atlantean or human. As an Atlantean she has numerous super attributes including:

• Superhuman Strength: Under optimal levels, Namora is able to lift and move over 75 tons on land or 100 in water.
• Limited Invulnerability: Highly durable-skin extremely tough. Withstands bullets, missiles and deep sea pressures with ease
• Sub-mariner: Namora’s Atlantean heritage grants her multiple underwater super attributes. She can Swim at incredible speeds, immune to cold and pressures of the deep seas, able to see clearly in water whether murky or not & her strengths and health are naturally replenished in water. However on land it isn’t at his best.
• Longevity: Namora ages at a far slower rate than most due to her Atlantean nature. Already over half a century old, Namora’s appearance still resembles(mirrors) a woman in her twenties..
• Enhanced Physical Attributes: Namora’s speed, reflexes,strength and endurance are greatly enhanced especially when underwater. Her skin is unable to be penetrated by bullets; for her skin is extremely strong(tough)
• Flight: Namora is able to fly through use of small wings below her ankles. These are naturally grown and normal to Atlanteans.
• Telepathy:Namora has shown multiple instances that demonstrate a telepathic ability to communicate with whales. It remains to be seen if this applies to all marine life.

Abilities:

Namora is trained in Atlantean combat methods and is primarily a unarmed combatant. Namora is also fluent in Atlantean. Lemurian and English languages.

Limitations:

Though she is able to live indefinitely on either land or in water, her Atlantean linage still requires water. The longer she is out of water the weaker she becomes. She must submerse herself in water periodically to retain and recharge her powers.

Status

Known Relatives: Father (unnamed, deceased), Mother (unnamed. deceased), Namor McKenzie/Submariner (cousin), Namorita/Kymaera (clone & adopted daughter, deceased), Talan (husband, deceased), Fen (aunt, deceased), Thakorr (grandfather, deceased), Korra (grandmother, presumed deceased), Immanu (great-grand father, deceased), Argus (cousin), Namita (cousin), Daka (uncle), Zarina (aunt), Kamuu (ancestor, deceased), numerous other relatives with undetermined titles including: Byrrah, Dara, Arkus, Beemer, Byrraha, Daro, Thallo & Kalen

Citizenship: Citizen of the Atlantis

Place of Birth: An unnamed Atlantean outpost in Meritanis, Atlantis. Located in the Atlantic Ocean.

Marital Status: Widow

Occupation: Defender of Atlantis, Adventurer & Ruler of the World

Education: Graduate of the Atlantean education system.

Gender: Female

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 189 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Unusual Traits: Prior to her mutation during adolescence, her skin was blue like all Atlanteans. Her skin then changed to that of an average Caucasian, no longer blue. She also has small wings on her ankles which enabled her the ability of flight.

Alternate Realities

Earth-2301: Marvel Mangaverse

Namora appeared in the Marvel Mangaverse. She rescued an amnesiac Bruce Banner and then fell in love with him. He eventually regained his memories and with Namora returned to the surface. They aided Earth’s heroes in battle against the giant sized Godzilla-like Hulk and the demon-god, Dormammu.

NOTE: There is an Exiles member named Namora from Earth-2189 that is actually that world’s counterpart of Namor, and has the same abilities and background as him. She is NOT an alternate version of Namora.

Awards and Honours

Namora was ranked 76th in Comics Buyer’s Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics