It’s true that DC beat Marvel to the punch with Aquaman, but that doesn’t mean Marvel and Disney should abandon any plans to give Namor the Sub-Mariner his own movie. Both are aquatic heroes, kings of Atlantis, and characters who are constantly compared, so it’s easy to see the parallels. For this reason, some have suggested that since Aquaman came first, a Namor movie would feel like a copy of Aquaman. However, Marvel shouldn’t let this concern stop them.

Aquaman was a record-breaking movie for DC Films. Directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa as the titular hero, Aquaman brought in over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and proved to audiences – and the studio – that DC doesn’t need Batman or Superman to make a successful movie. Meanwhile, Marvel’s equivalent to Aquaman is still without a single live-action appearance, despite his popularity. Distribution rights issues with Universal have thus far prevented Marvel from giving him his own movie, and his situation remains unclear. As things stand, he’s one of the biggest characters missing from the MCU, and someone who’s rumored to have roles in Black Panther 2 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Another rumor states that Marvel has regained control of distribution rights to Namor, which would allow Marvel to make a solo Namor movie (if they so wished it). However, even if this rumor is true, it doesn’t mean that Marvel will make a Namor movie. Some are concerned that Aquaman’s success should lead Marvel to steer clear of trying to copy it, but Aquaman shouldn’t stand in the way of Namor getting the solo treatment. If Marvel does want to make Namor, they’re unlikely to give up their plans because of Aquaman.

If it were to happen, comparisons between Namor and Aquaman would be inevitable. The quality of the films would be analyzed, as would their performance at the box office. Also, there’s a chance that some won’t feel that Namor is original enough, but though these are legitimate concerns, they don’t mean Namor will perform poorly. What they mean is that Namor is a risk. But, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and The Eternals show that Marvel isn’t afraid of a challenge, and Guardians of the Galaxy proves that Marvel’s risks have a tendency to pay off.

Marvel Studios hasn’t let a character’s similarities to a DC hero stop them before. For instance, Hawkeye is getting his own TV series despite Arrow. That’s because there’s so many differences that set them apart that what they have in common isn’t an issue. The same thing applies to Namor and Aquaman. Based on how Namor is used in the comics, the movie would employ a much different tone. Personality-wise, Namor is nothing like Aquaman. Namor is an angry, arrogant, brooding anti-hero who hates humanity and lacks a sense of humor. Namor also offers completely different backstory. So even though a Namor movie would still feature numerous underwater scenes and its own version of Atlantis, Marvel has plenty of opportunities to make Namor the Sub-Mariner stand on its own as a unique superhero film.

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