Namor's 'Avengers: Doomsday' Tease Is More Dangerous Than You Think
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has only had one true Namor appearance so far, but that went a long way to establishing who the character is. While a mindless variant appeared in Marvel Zombies (2025), the primary Namor of the MCU debuted opposite Shuri in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). As the king of an undersea kingdom, Namor is willing to cross major moral lines in the name of his people, a dynamic that makes him a natural foil for other characters like Black Panther. Proud and aggressive but not without his charms or morality, Namor left that film an intriguing wildcard for the superhero franchise to unpack at a later date.
That time seems to be now, as the wildcard has been confirmed for a major return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and presumably the subsequent film, Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Notably, while many of the characters in the trailer seem to be uniting in some way, Namor is instead facing off with some of the other heroes. This is pretty accurately reflective of the anti-hero’s status in the core Marvel Universe and a tease of just how dangerous Namor could prove to be going into the new films.
Namor Is Still Feuding With Wakanda In 'Avengers: Doomsday'
Namor is in two major moments in the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, both of which could be seen as key clues to the role he may be playing in the two films. In one of the clips, Shuri and the other major Wakandan characters greet Namor in a throne room, only for the Atlanteans to turn on them. This seems to be directly building on the antagonistic role Namor played in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which pitted the nations against one another.
Namor and Shuri’s tension was one of the main draws of that film, so it’d be exciting to see it picked back up in Doomsday, especially as the stakes become more intense and wide-ranging. It also quickly lays the groundwork for a Namor who isn’t working immediately with the heroes. As opposed to the various heroic alliances that are seen being forged in the trailer between the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, Namor’s contentious relationship with the Wakandans is clearly teasing prolonged conflict that could complicate efforts to unite everyone against a common threat in the film.
Namor And Sue Storm Meeting Carries Lots Of Story Potential
Toward the end of the trailer, Namor seems to meet Susan Richards, aka Invisible Woman. The pair appear to be facing off to some degree, further suggesting that Namor is going to be a problem for the heroes. It’s an especially complicated problem for Sue, however, given her history with Namor in the original Marvel Comics. Although Namor predated the Fantastic Four by over 20 years of publication history, he was revitalized into his current form in the early issues of The Fantastic Four. In those stories, he quickly developed an attraction to Sue that he made very clear, very frequently.
It’s an attraction that Sue reciprocates on a certain level, with that dynamic being used to introduce a romantic complication between her and Reed in various stories. While Sue and Namor may not have the time for a full love story or romantic thread in the already pretty stuffed Avengers: Doomsday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the pair have a somewhat flirty back-and-forth that could be paid off in future stories or sequels to The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025).
Namor Is A Frequent Ally Of Doctor Doom In The Comics – But What About The MCU?
One of the more intriguing elements of Namor’s appearance in the trailer for Doomsday is the character’s historic connection to the film’s expected antagonist, Doctor Doom. Doom is one of Marvel’s biggest (and most popular) villains. He’s always been so popular that he even headlined his own series, Super-Villain Team-Up, alongside Namor. That comic established them as hardened friends who, while willing to betray one another if the circumstances call for it, actually genuinely see each other as peers and even allies.
This, coupled with Namor’s apparent willingness to fight the Wakandan/Fantastic Four/Avengers alliance, suggests that Namor might be following a similar trajectory in Doomsday and is fighting alongside Doom. This would also be true to the clear source material for Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, both of which (as well as the overarching “Multiverse Saga” as a whole in the MCU) seem to be pulling from the New Avengers series where Namor broke from the other heroes on how to deal with reality-breaking Incursions. Namor fighting alongside Doom might not be in the comics, but it does feel consistent with the version of Namor in the MCU, the source material these films are adapting, and what we’ve seen so far of Doomsday.
