Does Namor the Sub-Mariner still possess the powers of all sea creatures?

Question

In the Marvel Comic Strange Tales #107 (April 1963) by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Dick Ayers, Namor the Sub-Mariner is depicted as being able to puff out his body "as a puffer does."

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The justification given is that he "possesses the powers of all the creatures living beneath the sea." From reading most all of Namor's appearances over the last few years, not only does he never use this incredible puffing power, he doesn't seem to have any real power besides super strength and resilience. Does Namor still possess the powers of all sea creatures, or was this just a one-off, goofy Silver Age moment?

Why does Namor look like he's had a few too many fish sticks in that panel? — OghmaOsiris, Feb 01 '12 at 16:42
There's a good reason why they never made a serious Namor film or TV show and that's because his powers are dumb, basically a grab-bag of Superman powers as well as the ability to command guppies to do his bidding. — Valorum, Nov 12 '16 at 21:23
I am pretty sure that Namor will show up in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. If he is popular, maybe he will get his own film. — Adamant, Jul 26 '22 at 19:34

score 7 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 26 '22 at 10:44

According to the dubious Wikipedia*:

After he was revived yet again in the 1960s by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Namor demonstrated powers of various sealife that had not been shown in earlier stories. However, an editorial note in Marvel Tales #9 (July 1967), stated explicitly that "nautical Namor has since lost his power to imitate the characteristics of fish..." According to one of Sub-Mariner's scripters, Roy Thomas: "As for Namor's electrical and other sea-creaturely powers. They were used in one or two stories in F.F. and the Human Torch series in Strange Tales, then dropped - as one of Stan [Lee] and Jack [Kirby]s early (and quite forgivable) mistakes. The explanation, given in a reprint of a Torch/Namor bout a few years later, was that he had these powers only for a short time and then lost them."[11]

To answer your question, it was just a limited characteristic of his abilities during the Silver Age comics.

*I consider everything on Wikipedia to be at least partially suspect.

Perhaps the powers were a secondary mutation. And losing them was a tertiary mutation! — RDFozz, Dec 21 '18 at 17:38
"one of Stan and Jack's early (and quite forgivable) mistakes" — Never forgive. Never forget. — Paul D. Waite, Jul 25 '22 at 09:26

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 26 '22 at 11:25

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Yes, he still has these powers. It depends on the writer and enemy he is fighting. The electricity of an eel, seeing in the dark and radar sense are all present in the 90s. In the recent one shot Namor - The Best Defense (2018) he demonstrated these powers again.

edited Jul 26 '22 at 11:25

JRE

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answered Dec 21 '18 at 15:48

Rickie Woodson

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Hi there! That's interesting info, maybe you could [edit] in some panels with those powers? – Jenayah Dec 21 '18 at 16:14

Does Namor the Sub-Mariner still possess the powers of all sea creatures?

2 Answers2