Author: Trafficblast

PUBG Mobile, the iOS/Android version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has launched its first-ever exclusive map. The new battle royale arena is called Livik, and its designed with quick matches in mind. Livik arrives as part of the 0.19.0 patch, which introduces many new elements to the game.

The update is available now, and will take up about 1.84 GB on Android and 2.13 GB on iOS, so set some space aside. The update, detailed on Reddit, introduces many changes and additions, but the map is the highlight.

Livik is a Nordic-style map that measures just 2km by 2km. 52 players can dive in, and matches are guaranteed to end within 15 minutes, so expect a lot of early bloodshed. The map is still in its beta stage, so it’s not quite feature complete yet, but you can play it now.

The map will also get two exclusive weapons, the SMG: P90 and MK 12 marksman rifle, as well as an exclusive Monster Truck. Experimental Trial Weapon Crates will be coming to the map at a later date, which will be regular weapons with slightly beefed up stats.

A new themed mode is also being added in Classic Mode to the Erangel and Miramar maps. Spark the Flame is a mode where statues and camps have been added to the maps, and burning the smaller statues dotted around the place will drop supplies and event items.

Spark the Flame is also the name of Royale Pass Season 14, which will be available on July 14. Here’s what the pass will introduce:

• To celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of Royale Pass, the Roaring Dragon and Dragon Hunter-themed rewards from Season 5 will return.
• A RP Prime subscription collaboration with Google is available. Includes both Prime and Prime Plus, which can be subscribed to simultaneously. Supports monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription. Collect 300 or 900 RP Vouchers every month, along with redemption discounts and Airplane Ranking display perks (only available for Google at this time; available soon for other players).
• Consolidated page for RP perks. Instantly view consecutive purchase perks and preview other exclusive RP perks.
• Added an RP Crate Luck Event with amazing rewards.
• There is a chance to display an RP-related message when returning to the lobby after a match.
• Improved display of Airplane Ranking and other content in-battle.

A huge range of changes, updates, and fixes have been introduced in patch 0.19.0, so it’s worth checking out the full list on Reddit if you’re interested.

PUBG Mobile has been a major success, earning over $3 billion worldwide.

Designing and producing a gaming laptop has to be tough. There’s only so much you can do to differentiate the design, features and components from the competition. Recently we saw Asus put an LED matrix of lights in the lid of the ROG Zephyrus G14, giving the laptop a completely unique feature. Now, the company is trying to distance itself even further from the competition by adding a second screen on the base of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. Yes, it looks as wild and cool as it sounds.

The added panel comes with a hefty price tag, though. The ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 we tested comes in at $3,699. There are a few different build options, but whatever Duo 15 you end up with is going to cost you.

Specs

Here are the specifications of the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 I’ve been testing:

• Model: Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 (GX550LXS-XS99)
• Display: 15.6-inch UHD (3840×2160), 14.09-inch 4K (3840×1100) touchscreen secondary display
• Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK 2.4GHz (16M cache, 5.3GHz Max Turbo)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q (8GB GDDR6)
• Memory: 32GB 3200Mhz DDR4
• OS: Windows 10 Pro
• Storage: 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD in Raid 0
• Webcam: N/A
• Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and Display Port, 1 x 3.5mm mic, 1 x 3.5mm audio out, 1 x RJ45
• Connectivity: WiFi 6 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0
• Dimensions: 14.2 x 10.6 x 0.8-inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 5.5-pounds
• Price: $3,699

Design and Features

Before I dive deeper into the added display, let’s talk about the overall design. Without the second screen, the Duo 15 looks like most other gaming laptops. It has a gray exterior, with the ROG logo on the lid. It’s not a giant laptop, by any means, measuring 14.2 x 10.6 x 0.8-inches and weighing 5.5-pounds. It’s not a portable machine, of course, but you’ll have no issues lugging it around your home or office, and occasionally tossing it in your bag to take over to a friends house for a gaming session.

There are ports on three sides – a design feature I absolutely love. Being able to plug things like power, Ethernet or HDMI into the back of a laptop and out of sight provides a clean look on my desk. On the rear here, you’ll find I/O ports for Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and HDMI 2.0b. On the left side is where the two audio jacks live, one for mic in and another for audio out, along with the charging adapter. On the right side is a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Thunderbolt 3 port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.

The USB-C port not only makes it easy to connect newer smartphones and accessories but you can also use it to connect to any DisplayPort 1.4, Thunderbolt 3, and Power Delivery devices. You can also use it to charge and power the Duo 15 at up to 65W and use the laptop for everyday tasks.

The chiclet keyboard has 1.4mm of travel, with bright RGB lighting behind each key. There isn’t a ten-key number pad. Instead, in its place, you’ll find a trackpad with two physical left and right-click buttons.

 

Above the row for number keys and trackpad are function keys you can use for tasks like adjusting the volume and display brightness. There’s also a shortcut key to launch Asus Armory Crate and another to turn the additional screen on and off just above the touchpad.

As I said, it’s a pretty normal gaming build except for, well, that second display. Let’s take a closer look.

ScreenPad Plus

The additional screen, which Asus affectionately calls ScreenPad Plus, measures 14-inches and has a resolution of 3840×1100. When you open the lid of the laptop, the screen lifts to a 13-degree viewing angle. The angle is more than steep enough to view whatever’s on the touch-capable panel without having to worry about glare or readability if you’re sitting up and over it. At arm’s length, however, it’s not quite steep enough for me to read it without leaning in.

The justification for the second screen? Asus envisions users placing toolbars and additional apps on ScreenPad Plus, giving them full use of the main display while adding functionality through the narrower touchscreen just below it.

For example, you can use the ScreenPad Plus display to put your editing toolbars while using Photoshop. Or if you stream and use Xsplit, you can have your broadcast controls and video feed below the main display.

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All of this sounds useful, and certainly, it is, but it also feels like it’s very niche. In my nearly two weeks of testing and use, I eventually found a use for the ScreenPad Plus – opening the Armory Crate app to monitor system stats while I game, but even then, I can get most of those same stats as on-screen overlays through various apps and services.

I also tried using it to display folders and other miscellaneous windows while I performed more mundane and routine tasks, and it worked just fine, with the added benefit of working as a touchscreen. I could reach up from the keyboard and tap a button without having to move my mouse pointer all over the place.

I admit there are some who will find it an invaluable tool, and I see the potential benefit of ScreenPad Plus, I’m just not sold that it’s worth the added cost.

Performance and Gaming

The spec sheet of the Duo 15 reads more like a wishlist for a dream gaming laptop: 2TB of SSD storage, 32GB of 3200Mhz DDR4 memory, an Intel Core i9-10980HK, and an Nvidia RTX 2080 Super with Max-Q tuning.

Performance and storage space need not be a worry when using the Duo 15, and the benchmarks back it up. Here’s our comparison spreadsheet, putting the Duo 15 up against the Predator Triton 900 and MSI GS65 Stealth.

The Duo 15 matches or beats nearly every test, despite the Triton 900 boasting non-Max-Q tuned (though also non-Super) RTX 2080. And that performance carries over to real-world use, from doing routine and mundane tasks like checking email or scrolling through a spreadsheet, or gaming.

Speaking of gaming, I played a lot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Warzone battle royale mode during my testing and I can confirm, dear reader, this is one fast gaming rig. When adjusting the resolution down to 1080p, the Duo 15 averaged 152 fps according to Xbox Game Bar. That’s with ray tracing turned on and at high settings. Upping the resolution to full 4K, frame rates took the expected hit but still stayed at a very respectable and playable 65 FPS. You’ll have to make the call about which resolution and frame rate you’re happy with.

I also spent some time in Battlefield V, a game where I can truly tell the difference when ray tracing is enabled, and at Ultra settings, I saw an average frame rate of 117 at 1080p.

The fans aren’t terribly loud, perhaps because the ScreenPad Plus acts as a sound barrier. The fans are hidden under the screen, and have protective screens on them so you don’t have to worry about grabbing the laptop and putting your thumb into the fan when carrying it across the room. The speakers were loud enough that I felt comfortable playing without headphones when they were running at full tilt.

In Turbo mode, the GPU basically stayed at 86-degrees during any gaming session. Lowering the power mode to Performance slightly dropped frame rates, along with the GPU temp.

The keyboard keys are a little soft, but after a couple of days of use, I was typing and tapping my way across it without issue. The touchpad is present, but let’s be honest, you’re going to have a gaming mouse attached to the Duo 15 most of the time. That said, the touchpad can get the job done in a pinch. Just don’t expect to drag and drop a folder from one screen to another without running into the edge of the pad.

The 2TB SSD is more than enough space for all of my games and benchmark programs, with plenty of space to spare. It’s kind of wild, just a year ago, I could say the same thing about a 1TB main storage drive. But even that’s pushing it now.

Battery Life

Using IGN’s battery life benchmark test, where we play a video on repeat with the display brightness set to 50% and turn off extraneous features like keyboard backlighting, Bluetooth and location, the Duo 15’s battery lasted 142 minutes or 2 hours and 22 minutes.

That’s right in line with other gaming laptops I’ve tested, and just enough to watch a movie, but that’s about it.

Thankfully you can use a portable battery pack and the USB-C port to keep the battery going while you’re mobile.

Software

If you spend nearly $3,700 on a gaming laptop, you have a reasonable expectation for it to come with Windows 10, and maybe an extra app or two from the OEM that helps tweak performance. And with the Duo 15 you get all of that, but you also get the added bloatware of McAfee LiveSafe. How or why is this still a thing?

Not only is it annoying, but it’s an inconvenience. McAfee routinely displays passive-aggressive popups or reminders, letting you know you’re about to be at risk because your free trial only has so many days left. It’s a scare tactic, and it’s not okay.

In fact, a McAfee popup occurred during the first run of IGN’s battery benchmark test, forcing VLC to stop playing the video and a redo of the test.

Outside of that, the preinstalled software is more or less a standard affair as far as Asus gaming laptops go. Armory Crate is present, letting you fine-tune and tweak your system’s power settings, with various performance modes. I used Turbo mode for all gaming and benchmarking, but you can also pick from Performance, Silent and Windows.

Another useful piece of software installed on the Duo 15 is called Screen Xpert. It’s primary purpose is to aid in managing both screens, with the option to create app and folder shortcuts on the touchscreen (there’s an arrow on the far-left side of the screen you can tap to open it). Likewise, when you move a window around in the main display, a small pop up gives you the option to move or pin that window to the ScreenPad Plus, or force the window to go full screen across both screens.

For apps like mail or file explorer, full-screen mode is handy. But for games, well, it’s awkward and not very useful. Here’s how it looked when I tried to play Warzone using both screens.

See what I mean about feeling very… niche? It would have been awesome for this to work.

Purchasing Guide

The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 that we tested can be found through Asus or on Amazon with an MSRP of $3,699. If you don’t care about 4K gaming, you can get a 300Hz 1080p main display panel with an RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q and an Intel Core i7-10875H for $2,999.99.

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Belgian game developer Abrakam announced a new roguelike deck-builder game titled Roguebook. Furthermore, it’s been designed with the help of Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield.

Roguebook is a new roguelike deck-builder similar where players will progress through a dungeon and build up a deck of cards that will serve as the basis for the character’s strength and powers.

Players begin with two heroes and build a deck of powers around them. If both heroes die, players must start over from the beginning. As players traverse an overworld, they’ll fight more enemies, earn more cards based on their defeated foe, and eventually craft a powerful deck that suits their needs.

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Roguelikes are a new genre for Nacon, a French publisher behind titles like Werewolf: The Apocalypse Earthblood and Warhammer Chaosbane. In addition to Roguebook, Nacon announced a second roguelike called Rogue Lords developed by Cyanide and Leikir.

In addition to Roguebook, Nacon revealed the first look gameplay for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and a cinematic trailer for Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong. Note, Swansong is a separate project from Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2.

For more from today’s Nacon Connect, check out IGN.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Humble has a new promotion that lets you choose 9 PC games from Humble Choice each month for just $12 per month when you pay for a year in advance. Considering the normal price for this tier is $19.99 per month, that’s a pretty hefty savings. You get to keep and play the games forever, even after you drop the subscription. The only drawback is that the deal only works for new subscribers. The offer ends July 30.

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• Get the deal

Humble Choice subscriptions come in three tiers. The Lite tier costs $4.99 per month and gets you access to a collection of over 90 PC games called the Humble Trove, as well as 10% off Humble Store purchases. Next up is the Basic tier, which costs $14.99 a month and gets you your choice of three games every month, as well as the perks of the Lite tier.

But the Premium tier is what this deal covers. It lets you choose nine games every month that you get to keep and play forever. In addition, you get access to the Humble Trove, as well as 20% off Humble Store purchases.

In short, you get a heap of value each month with the Premium tier. And if you lock in a year’s subscription now, you’ll only pay $12 per month. That’s a great deal for nine games per month in addition to the 20% Humble Store discount.

If you’re curious about what kinds of games are available to choose from each month, you can see the selections for previous months here. In June 2020, for instance, you could choose from games like Grid, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, The Messenger, and more. May’s offerings included Jurassic World Evolution, XCOM 2 (and two of its DLC), and a bunch more.

So far they’ve only revealed two of the games you’ll get to choose from at the end of July: Age of Wonders: Planetfall Deluxe Edition and Void Bastards. The full selection will be revealed the first Friday in August. Basically, there’s a wide variety of titles available each month. Choosing nine games to play and keep forever for $12 per month is a pretty killer deal, IMO.

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Disclosure: Humble Bundle is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company of IGN. Humble Bundle and IGN operate completely independently, and no special consideration is given to Humble Bundle announcements or promotions for coverage.

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Chris Reed is IGN’s shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Great deals today on several popular video games. For PS Plus members, the new free games are available starting today and the selection is stellar. Also, save on recently released titles like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Nioh 2, Super Mario Maker, The Outer Worlds, Code Vein, and much more.

App users: Don’t see the deals below? Click here.

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More Video Game Deals

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.

All 10 Season 1 episodes of Warrior Nun are now streaming on Netflix.

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Based on the ’90s comic series Warrior Nun Areala, by Ben Dunn, Netflix’s latest addition to the always bankable “you’re actually special” subset of fantasy/adventure, Warrior Nun, is a spirited and captivating ride thanks in large part to Portuguese star Alba Baptista.

As a remixed version of the comics, the series invents a new lead character, in Baptista’s rebellious orphan Ava Silva, and offers up new takes on characters like Shotgun Mary, Lilith, Sister Shannon Masters (the lead in the comics), and antagonist Julian Salvius (here Jillian Salvius). Overall, Warrior Nun, created by Simon Barry (Continuum), doesn’t actually offer up all that much new in the genre of monster-slaying (if you’re at all familiar with the various story beats of Buffy, Supernatural, Shadowhunters, etc) but what it does, it does very well.

Tropes get recycled quite a bit here, but solid performances, reverent writing, and the Spanish backdrop all lend themselves nicely to a series that’s decided to take its time with its characters, mythology, and stakes. It might not be the wisest pace considering Netflix’s more recent track record of canceling shows after three or four seasons, but story-wise, this is definitely a world you want to ease into if Warrior Nun is to be taken seriously.

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Whereas a super-powered nun named Shannon was the hero in the comics, Shannon serves as the gateway here, on the series, dying almost immediately after her regiment of soldier sisters narrowly escapes an ambush. Her abilities, stemming from an actual halo embedded in her back, are transferred to a new young woman. Enter Ava, already dead from mysterious circumstances. After the hasty transfer of powers, Ava not only finds herself alive (she didn’t really know she’d died – you’ll find out why) but also with the ability to walk again. Ava may now be on the precipice of chaos and danger but it’s still a huge step up from her previous existence as a depressed tetraplegic living in an abusive orphanage. So not only are Ava’s fantastical halo-given powers new to her, but the outside world itself is new to her as well.

This is specifically where Baptista shines. In her first English-speaking role, the actress adeptly handles the snark that comes with a contrarian underdog. Not only that, but she creates a character you want to follow as she constantly resists her new sacred calling. And that’s the biggest hurdle the season overcomes. Ava is so stubborn and so hesitant to join up with the warrior nuns — a sect called the Order of the Cruciform Sword (a group whose name might be an homage to the brotherhood in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) — that she totally has a separate story running for the first half of the season as she bums around with a squad of young, pretty mansion squatters led by Emilio Sakraya’s JC. There’s an unevenness here, in the season, since not only does this band of harmless grifters vanish from the narrative at a certain point, but so does Ava’s voice-over narration. Still, Baptista is able to carry all of this and present Ava as a defiant, but also relatable, newborn.

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So what’s at stake here? Is the world in peril? Does Ava need to get her ass in gear, start her training, and prevent an apocalypse? Well, none of it’s actually clear until the final two episodes. And even then, the story drops a cliffhanger on your lap without actually answering most of your questions. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. There are a few twists that land pretty well, though one might not fully hold up upon a rewatch. The main crux of the series is Ava having to decide if she wants to accept the mantle passed down to her while team outlier Mary (Toya Turner) digs into Sister Shannon’s death a bit more, discovering that someone on their team betrayed them, and rival teammate Lilith (Lorena Andrea) grows impatient and seeks the halo for herself.

Parallel to this, Thekla Reuten’s tech mogul Jillian Salvius is using an other-worldly metal called Divinium to open a portal to a world where death and disease don’t exist (Heaven?) while Joaquim de Almeida’s Cardinal Duretti exists to scheme in the shadows, possibly harboring an agenda that conflicts with the OCS. Again, it all culminates nicely, as the season’s story builds competently and features a fun climax in the catacombs under Vatican City. You’re just not going to get all your questions about the show’s mythology answered in time before the final credits roll. Hopefully, it’s satisfying enough to just find out that almost everything you’ve learned up until the finale is wrong, as the series attempts a giant “up is down, black is white” rug pull, but you’re going to need to see more to fill in the gaps. Fortunately, while not breaking any particular mold, Warrior Nun still leaves you wanting more.

Destiny 2‘s Moments of Triumph are here for the Year Three, giving players a new way to show off their dedication to destroying aliens and taking on other Guardians across the solar system. The yearly pile of Triumphs sends players out to conquer a little piece of all that Destiny 2 has to offer, and this year, it’s pushing players to complete the five raid activities that will be disappearing with the release of the Beyond Light expansion.

July 7, or 7/7, is considered “Bungie Day” among fans of the developer thanks to Bungie’s proclivity for the number 7. To celebrate, a whole bunch of new things are now available in Destiny 2. In addition to the Moments of Triumph goals and rewards, there’s also a new Exotic quest, Growth, that will unlock the new Ruinous Effigy trace rifle. There’s also new story content pushing players to help prep the evacuation of Titan, Io, Mercury, and Mars before the Darkness takes them.

The Moments of Triumph are probably what will keep players busiest, though. The activity presents players with a new Triumph Seal they can earn, provided they’re willing to play a whole bunch of the game. It also dishes out additional rewards, though–including a new Sparrow, new emblems, and a new Ghost shell. And if you complete enough Triumphs, you’ll also unlock special, real-world merchandise in the Bungie store. You still have to purchase it, of course, but only players who earn the right to do so will have access.

The requirements for Moments of Triumph this year span elements of everything that’s released since the Shadowkeep expansion, and include several Triumphs from the ongoing Season of Arrivals. Here’s a quick look at the items that will dish out rewards, even if you don’t finish the seal.

Moments of Triumph 2020 Rewards

• Complete 3 Triumphs from the seal to unlock the Accolades on Accolades emblem.
• Complete 5 Triumphs to unlock the Resurrecting Flight Sparrow
• Complete 10 Triumphs to unlock the Awakened Ghost shell.
• Complete 15 Triumphs to unlock the Moments of Triumph T-shirt in the Bungie store.
• Complete the Leviathan Raid, Eater of Worlds Raid Lair, Spire of Stars Raid Lair, Crown of Sorrows Raid, and Scourge of the Past Raid to unlock the Raid Ring in the Bungie store.

You can also get two emblems from the Bungie Rewards site based on your overall Triumph score. A moderate score earns you the Sunset Emblem; a high score gets you the Eclipsed Emblem.

There are a few other cool rewards scattered throughout the Moments of Triumph requirements. If you complete the Spire of Stars Raid Lair, for instance, you’ll get the Luxurious Toast Exotic emote. This previously was a rare drop from the Spire activity, and it’s among the coolest emotes in the game–so it’s definitely worth giving Spire a whirl, especially if you haven’t ever before.

To complete the Moments of Triumph 2020 Seal, you’ll need to take down all the expiring raids and complete a variety of Destiny 2’s core activities, including Crucible matches, Gambit matches, and Nightfall: The Ordeal strikes. You’ll also need to take on the Trials of Osiris, although the good news is that you don’t need to go flawless; you only need to rack up seven total wins in the mode.

There are several more Triumphs for the Season of Arrivals that are included on the seal, but we don’t know what they are yet. We do know that you’ll need to track down all the Exotic weapons for this season, though. They include Witherhoard, the grenade launcher get from the season pass (and can earn by ranking up); Ruinous Effigy, whose quest is now in the game; and Traveler’s Chosen, a gun we don’t have access to yet.

Sometimes hero, sometimes anti-hero, and occasionally outright villain, Namor the Sub-Mariner isn’t just one of Marvel’s most complicated characters. He’s also the first. Created in 1939, Namor is one of the most striking Marvel heroes thanks to his long history, dramatic eyebrows, and super-short green swim trunks.

Namor is overdue for an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but while we wait for that to hopefully happen someday, let’s learn all about the passionate player known as the Sub-Mariner. These are the topics we’ll be covering here:

• Who Is Namor, the Sub-Mariner?
• Namor’s Origin
• Namor’s Powers and Abilities
• Namor’s Signature Villains
• Could Namor Swim Into the MCU?
• The Sub-Mariner in TV and Games

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Who Is Namor, the Sub-Mariner?

Created by Bill Everett, the Sub-Mariner made his debut in 1939 in Timely Comics’ Marvel Comics #1. Even though the original Human Torch also debuted in that issue, Namor the Sub-Mariner can be called the very first original Marvel character since he had appeared months earlier in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly (of which only a handful of copies were printed).

Half human and half Atlantean royalty, Namor is proud, quick-tempered, and willing to do anything to protect his kingdom. He’s been an Avenger and one of the X-Men, a founding member of the Defenders, and even fought alongside Captain America in World War II against the threat the Nazis posed to the entire world. He’s the ruler of Atlantis and fights with fervor for his people.

But Namor isn’t a natural do-gooder like Cap. His temper and arrogance make him more of an anti-hero who has no qualms about destroying anything that gets in the way of his goals. In his very first appearance, he kills two innocent deep divers simply for being in his undersea domain. While time has softened his stance on humans, Namor has kept the same hubris throughout the 80-plus years he’s been a part of the Marvel universe.

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Namor’s Origin

Namor’s first appearance in Marvel Comics #1 introduced him as “an ultra-man of the deep [who] lives on land and in the sea, flies in the air, has the strength of a thousand men.” After a deadly first encounter with humans, the prince’s mother explains his history for the reader.

The pointy-eared prince is the son of an Atlantean princess and a human explorer named Leonard McKenzie. Their story began in 1920 in the waters of the South Pole. The captain’s expedition vessel repeatedly blasted the ice above Atlantis, which rocked the city below with explosions that claimed the lives of many Atlanteans. Princess Fen was sent to the humans above to act as a spy. She and the captain fell in love and were married, but Fen didn’t forget her mission.

While the princess did consider Captain McKenzie a good man, she never lost her distrust of humanity and blamed them for the destruction of their kingdom. She passed those beliefs on to Namor, her “Avenging Son.”

With his roots in the Golden Age of comics, his star would eventually fade until Stan Lee brought him into modern Marvel Comics in 1962’s Fantastic Four #4. The “new” Human Torch, Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four, came upon an amnesiac Namor in New York City. Namor’s fate became intertwined with the Fantastic Four as he fell in love with Sue Storm, maintained a bitter rivalry with Reed Richards, and counted Doctor Doom as an ally.

Over the years Namor would fight both for and against the world above, all in the name of keeping his own people safe. Namor has also found more love interests over the years — human, Atlantean, and alien. He’s teamed up with the Avengers and X-Men, and also with Doctor Doom and a supervillain group called the Cabal.

Most recently, he battled Amadeus Cho, Silk, and the Agents of Atlas in the Atlantis Attacks (2020) miniseries in retaliation for the capture of an Atlantean creature.

“Are you a hero, Namor? Or are you a monster?” Cho asked him in the first issue.

“I am a king,” Namor replied. “So I’m both.”

Namor’s Powers and Abilities

Namor is often deemed the first mutant of Marvel’s long publication history (if not the earliest in the Marvel in-universe timeline). Those iconic wings on his ankles? Those aren’t part of his Atlantean or human ancestry, but instead a mutation that gives him the ability to fly. As he soars out of the water for a surprise attack, Namor is known to shout his catchphrase, “Imperius Rex!”

The Sub-Mariner also has superhuman strength and endurance, the ability to breathe underwater, and limited telepathic ability with sea creatures and Atlanteans. He can swim at super speed and has an extraordinarily long lifespan.

Namor is a born leader of the kingdom of Atlantis and has played the diplomat on the world stage. During writer-artist John Byrne’s notable run on the character, Namor also showed his business acumen when he entered the human corporate world for a time.

Namor’s Signature Villains

The Atlantean Attuma is probably the closest thing Namor has to a nemesis. The supervillain first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. His family had been banished from Atlantis, and he sought to conquer the underwater city to claim it for his own. He succeeded on more than a few occasions. Attuma also crashed the wedding of Namor and Dorma, mind-controlled the Avengers into attacking the Sub-Mariner in Super-Villain Team-Up #9, and became the Breaker of Oceans during the Fear Itself storyline.

Doctor Doom has been both friend and foe to the Sub-Mariner. In Fantastic Four #6 (1962), he tricked Namor in a plot against the superhero team, seemingly sending the Sub-Mariner to his own death. Since then they consider each other to be equals—a rarity for both men—and have struck an odd sort of friendship over the years.

During the major comics event Avengers vs. X-Men, Namor became host to one part of the Phoenix Force, and unleashed his amplified powers against Wakanda in probably his most villainous turn yet. Avengers vs. X-Men #8 sees Namor destroy most of the country and its people with a massive tidal wave as the devastating Phoenix powers corrupt him. T’Challa and Namor would be enemies for the years following.

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Could Namor Swim Into the MCU?

While Namor hasn’t been introduced formally in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an observant fan asked Avengers: Endgame writer Christopher Markus if the underwater earthquakes mentioned in passing in that film are a reference to Atlantis. Markus responded, “Sometimes, you plant seeds. Sometimes, they grow.” And which country are those earthquakes near? Wakanda, home of his comics foe Black Panther, possibly setting up Namor as the villain in Black Panther 2.

While not a direct confirmation, it’s certainly a strong hint that the Sub-Mariner could become a part of the MCU. Universal’s rights to the character are complicated, Kevin Feige has told IGN in the past, but the transition of Spider-Man and other characters from 20th Century Fox to Disney proves that there may yet be a way to “figure it out.”

The Sub-Mariner in TV and Games

• TV: The Marvel Super Heroes, a 1960s animated television series, had a segment dedicated to Prince Namor. Since then he’s appeared in more animation like the Spider-Man series of the 1980s, The Avengers: United They Stand, and The Fantastic Four series in both the ’90s and early 2000s.
• Games: 1991’s Spider-Man: The Video Game saw the first introduction of the Sub-Mariner as a playable character. Players faced him as a boss in the Fantastic Four PlayStation game; later, Namor would play a part in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Most recently he can be found as a playable character Marvel Strike Force, Marvel Contest of Champions, Marvel Puzzle Quest, and Marvel Super War.

Will Marvel’s oldest original character become its newest star on the big screen? Only time will tell.

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Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.