Why Doom Isn't the Only Huge Threat to the Fantastic Four Family in Avengers: Doomsday
Throughout December 2025 and into the New Year, Marvel has been dropping teaser trailers for its tentpole release of 2026, Avengers: Doomsday. The first revealed Steve Rogers will be back, while the second showed us what Thor has been up to since his last outing. Then, we saw the old X-Men characters who will finally be integrated into the MCU.
That was exciting enough, but the fourth and final trailer was perhaps the most tantalising of all. Seeing the Fantastic Four touch down in Wakanda was cool for a lot of reasons. For a start, it’s the first time we’ve seen Marvel’s first family on Earth-616, but it also means that some of the most brilliant minds in the comic book universe are joining forces.
However, aside from Ben Grimm, Shuri, and what many suspect is some sneaky editing to cut out Doctor Doom from the Wakandan landscape, there was another, more dangerous addition: Namor.
Putting Namor in the Fantastic Four’s Avengers: Doomsday Trailer Was No Coincidence
We haven’t seen or heard a peep out of Namor since his debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but anyone who reads Marvel comics will know he’s a major player in the superhero game.
His link to Wakanda is obvious after his past appearance and his relationship with Shuri, but having him cameo in the trailer featuring the Fantastic Four also tells us a lot about his involvement in the next Avengers flick.
Namor is one of the most powerful and intelligent characters in Marvel history. He has a whole army of Atlanteans (or Talokans, in the movies) at his beck and call. But he’s also a problematic character who is far from your standard benevolent hero. Rather than helping the fight against Doctor Doom, there’s a good chance Namor will actually make things exceedingly more difficult for the Fantastic Four.
What We Know About Namor and Sue Storm From Marvel Comics
Don’t mention this in front of Reed Richards, but his wife, Sue Storm, and Namor have a history of romantic dalliances. It’s a very complex relationship, one that, as you can imagine, has often led to a lot of trouble for the three characters in this love triangle.
When they first met in 1962’s Fantastic Four #4, Sue and Namor had an instant attraction, albeit with the latter harbouring the stronger feelings. In fact, stronger feelings is putting it mildly; Namor threatened to obliterate the entire surface world if Sue didn’t agree to marry him.
Over the years, Namor’s plots to win Sue’s heart have largely centred on destroying everything else in her life. He’s tried kidnapping her, and even attempted to kill the rest of the Fantastic Four, but by and large, Sue has always remained faithful to Reed and her family.
There are instances where their relationship has developed into something more substantial, though. In the Fantastic Four 1234 miniseries, Sue kissed Namor. She’s also admitted to having romantic fantasies about the Atlantean King (in Marvel Knights 4, #8) and actually left Reed for Namor in Fantastic Four: Life Story #2, spending ten years with the Sub-Mariner.
However, one thing is abundantly clear: Sue only ever turns to Namor in any kind of meaningful way when Reed is so absorbed with the scientific work that he severely neglects his wife. As we saw in The Fantastic 4: First Steps, that’s certainly something this version of Reed is capable of doing… So, should we be worried?
Avengers: Doomsday Should Switch Things Up For These Characters
The idea of Doctor Doom kidnapping little Franklin Richards and threatening to destroy the multiverse is bad enough, but there’s every chance Reed and Sue will be feeling the strain on their marriage if Namor is up to his usual tricks.
Marvel will need to either explicitly address how toxic this relationship is first, though, or take it in a different direction to avoid any potential backlash in a contemporary world. My money would be on the studio taking the second route.
We’ve already seen the MCU tweak character origins, relationships, and motives over the years. Wanda and Vision were given a more balanced and healthy dynamic, Guardians of the Galaxy was far more lighthearted than the grittier comic books it was based on, and Thanos was driven by a desire to bring balance to the universe rather than simply trying to impress Lady Death with his nihilistic ways.
There is no real romance to the way Namor usually behaves in the comics. His unhealthy obsession with Sue could well see the MCU dig into themes of autonomy and consent in Avengers: Doomsday, rather than glorifying his actions.
