Black Panther 2 introduces the underwater powerhouse Namor. The anti-hero made his debut with Marvel in 1939 and has been a busy guy ever since, both on the justice and adversary side, scaring entire groups of heroes.
Can Namor take on the Hulk?
But how strong is the ruler of the underwater nation of Talokan? “Wakanda Forever” director Ryan Coogler certainly has a clear opinion on this. According to him, with Namor (Tenoch Huerta) a serious adversary has been introduced in the MCU that can compete in strength with the strongest Avengers:
“Nobody can match him when it comes to his skills. He can breathe underwater just as well as at high altitude and can also move around on land without any problem,” Coogler said in an interview . “He’s incredibly strong, he’s as strong as Thor, and if he’s around enough water, he can be as strong as the Hulk.”
A bold statement, but is it true? In any case, the fact is that the green giant with the power of gamma rays is widely regarded as one of the strongest Marvel heroes. In the MCU, however, according to those responsible, this title is more likely to go to Wanda Maximoff or Captain Marvel.
In the comics, the swimming trunks anti-hero is often presented as one of the Hulk’s greatest rivals. The two powerhouses have met a number of times in the comics and Namor has come out victorious at least three times.
The environment is crucial!
As Ryan Coogler rightly points out, while Namor may be a little inferior to the Hulk in terms of strength, he can still take down the fiery superhero if the fight is fought in the right element.
For example, this is what happened in the comic book “Incredible Hulk #118”, where Namor clashes with the Hulk in an underwater fight so violent that there are violent earthquakes and tidal waves. But while Namor is unconscious for only a brief moment, the Hulk transforms back into his human form and emerges from the fight as the loser.
So Namor can certainly compete with the strongest Avenger – provided the environmental conditions are right. Whether there should ever be a head-to-head showdown between the two heroes in the MCU is currently still in the stars.