Marvel’s NAMOR is Actually The Little Mermaid (Yes, Really)

Namor the Sub-Mariner has been credited as Marvel’s original mutant hero as well as a character with a history longer than even Captain America’s! Namor has been portrayed in many ways, with some stories seeing him as noble and charming while others showcase his hot-tempered and isolationist side.

Few comics, however, acknowledge Namor’s almost forgotten link to an even older undersea character: Hans Christian Andersen’s little mermaid. Better known today as Ariel from her Disney movie, the mermaid has an unexpected connection to the King of Atlantis – something one anti-hero found hilarious.

The bombshell is dropped in Deadpool Killlustrated, an alternate universe version of Deadpool decides to kill the Marvel Universe. Remarkably, the Merc With A Mouth actually accomplishes his goal – but then he realizes that he only killed the heroes in a single version of their universe. Undaunted, Deadpool travels the multiverse slaughtering heroes with unnerving efficiency – but soon learns that even this isn’t enough, since there are literally infinite universes out there.

Frustrated, Deadpool comes up with a metafictional plan – kill off the literary inspirations for the Marvel Comics characters. Reasoning that if these original characters never existed that Stan Lee and the other comic book creators would have no literary figures to base their creations off of, Deadpool travels into the realm of classic literature and begins taking out figures like Captain Ahab from Moby Dick and the Three Musketeers.

As he does, Deadpool sees something very unusual – for as the classic literature characters die, they momentarily transform into the Marvel character they inspired. When he murders Pinocchio, for instance, the puppet momentarily transforms into the Vision (another artificial being striving to be a real person) while the Headless Horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow becomes Ghost Rider.

Eventually, several fictional heroes unite to defend themselves against Deadpool, forming their own version of a classic literature Avengers. Other characters also form unexpected alliances – including Captain Ahab and the pirate Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Unfortunately, Deadpool also teams up with a version of the Frankenstein monster and uses the additional firepower to take them out.

While taking down Ahab and Nemo, Deadpool finds that the two captains have formed an alliance with the Little Mermaid who’s been leading them to several damaged ships. Deadpool ends up killing both Ahab and Nemo and fires a missile at the mermaid – who momentarily transforms into Namor The Sub-Mariner before dying.

Erupting into laughter at the revelation that Namor was inspired by the Little Mermaid, Deadpool wishes he could share the information with the comic book Namor – but then realizes that by killing Namor’s inspiration he’s also ended the Sub-Mariner. It’s a moment of very black humor – and one that gets only worse as Deadpool continues his murderous campaign, but it’s also an amusing look at how one of Marvel’s toughest characters owes his existence to one of the most unlikely of classic characters.

About The Author

Michael Jung
(700 Articles Published)

Michael Jung is a mild-mannered freelance writer-for-hire, actor, and professional storyteller with a keen interest in pop culture, education, nonprofit organizations, and unusual side hustles. His work has been featured in Screen Rant, ASU Now, Sell Books Fast, Study.com, and Free Arts among others. A graduate of Arizona State University with a PhD in 20^th Century American Literature, Michael has written novels, short stories, stage plays, screenplays, and how-to manuals.

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Michael’s background in storytelling draws him to find the most fascinating aspects of any topic and transform them into a narrative that informs and entertains the reader. Thanks to a life spent immersed in comic books and movies, Michael is always ready to infuse his articles with offbeat bits of trivia for an extra layer of fun. In his spare time, you can find him entertaining kids as Spider-Man or Darth Vader at birthday parties or scaring the heck out of them at haunted houses.

Visit Michael Jung’s website for information on how to hire him, follow him on Twitter Michael50834213, or contact him directly: michael(at)michaeljungwriter(dot)com.

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