While the folks at DC Comics and Warner Bros. are moving full steam ahead with their cinematic Aquaman plans - having cast Jason Momoa in the role and setting him up to be in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and his own solo film - Marvel is falling behind with their own ocean-based superhero, Namor the Sub-Mariner. Fans have long been wondering if there's any chance we might one day see a big screen version of the character and have been asking about him for years. Sadly, new information suggests that we are still a long ways away from actually seeing an adaptation happen.
The latest update about the potential future of a live-action Namor comes to us from Marvel's Entertainment Editor Ryan Penagos, who, as you might imagine, has a bit of behind-the-scenes knowledge and access to what's going on at the comic book company. Recently answering questions from fans on his personal Tumblr page, he responded to one particular query about whether or not we will soon get to see Namor arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Alas, his response was rather negative, as he wrote, "Alas, none that I know of."
The idea of a Namor The Sub-Mariner movie has actually been around for a few decades now - with reports of developments dating back to the late 1990s - but there long has been a few rights issues to deal with. In 2001, Marvel sold the property to Universal Pictures, and it spent more than a decade in the studio's possession. The character's status changed in a big way last year, however, when it was revealed that Universal no long retained the rights. That being said, there is still a lot of contracts and other paperwork that needs to be dealt with before a Marvel Studios Namor movie would be possible.
First debuting in 1939 - two years before DC Comics created Aquaman - Namor is the son of a human and an Atlantian princess, and has spent years in Marvel comics as both antihero and a more noble superhero. He possesses great strength, the power of flight and is obviously at his best when he is near water, but he also has a bit of an anger issue that has caused him to butt heads with some of his hero brethren. He has appeared in numerous pieces of Marvel animation, but has never been adapted for live-action.
Given that Marvel Studios plans between now and 2019 are pretty firm, it's not a huge surprise that there aren't any big current plans for a Namor movie just yet - but who knows what the future will bring? There's surely a lot more to come after The Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2, and it's entirely possible that the sea-based hero could be a part of it.
