A Surprising Marvel Romance May Have Just Reignited And That Might Not Be a Good Thing

X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1 gave readers a mutant murder mystery, one that sees one of the X-Men‘s greatest villains – Sebastian Shaw – killed. It all takes place at a new Hellfire Gala that Shaw threw, with the beginning of the book seeing a lot of characters we don’t often get to see together hanging out. One of the most interesting interactions comes from two of the most arrogant mutants ever – Emma Frost and Namor. The two of them have long had a rather interesting relationship. Namor joined the X-Men in the early ’10s during the Utopia Era of the team. During this period, Emma and Cyclops were together, but Namor saw a beautiful blonde woman with a boyfriend and thought, “Waifu.”

Namor and Emma made for a very interesting couple. The two of them had a massive amount of chemistry and fans really enjoyed them together. Both of them are imperious, arrogant, and catty. Namor is more martial and physically threatening than Emma, but both of them are known for their cutting barbs and throwing their weight around. Emma has been single since the end of the Krakoa Era, when she entered into a blah relationship with Iron Man, and Namor is basically perpetually single. It may seem like it makes sense to put the two of them back together – the insults alone would be worth it – but it would honestly be a mistake in the long run. Neither characters needs it and it would derail one of them completely.

Namor Would Stifle Emma Frost’s Shine

Namor and Emma Frost are perfect for each other in a lot of ways. While opposites often attract, as in the case with Emma and Cyclops, there’s also something to say for two similar people being brought together. They can gel in numerous ways, shoring each other up where the other is weaker. Frost and the Sub-Mariner are both known for being, for lack of a better word, snobs. They are the pinnacle of their worlds and they don’t have a problem reminding everyone of that. Their physical chemistry is off the charts; both of them really love to wear the most revealing costumes they can and have no problems being overtly sexual in any situation. It’s the kind of pairing that is always entertaining; the White Queen and the Atlantean king reading their inferiors for filth is one of the most fun things that I can think of reading.

As far as it goes, Namor would definitely do well with Emma. To begin with, it would mean that he would get more page time. Frost is always in a spotlight of some kind; she’s become a favorite of X-fans. Namor is fantastic on X-teams, so it honestly seem like a good idea to bring him back; Lord knows that X-Men United could use a shot in the arm. He’s one of the most important mutants ever and with the X-books starting to go in a more Avengers direction, it might be a good idea to bring him into the fold. Plus, again, I think that everyone should want to see Emma and Namor take everyone to the library and show them that reading in fundamental for more than just RuPaul’s Drag Race.

However, that doesn’t really mean it would good for Emma Frost. If you trace the character’s history, you can see one thing that dominates her life – men. She played second fiddle to Shaw in the Hellfire Club. She was partnered with Banshee in Generation X, a relationship being built between the two of them. When she came over to New X-Men, she was paired off with Cyclops, and their relationship would define her time with the X-Men. The Krakoa Era’s Marauders (Vol. 1) saw her juxtaposed with Shaw again (you could also argue that she played back-up to Kitty Pryde). Later in that era, she was paired off with Iron Man, mostly because Gerry Duggan, who had written her in Marauders (Vol. 1), was writing Iron Man and they wanted to use a mutant to help his run sell (it didn’t work). Exceptional X-Men didn’t have her in the shadow of a man, but it’s one of the rare times lately when she hasn’t been.

Emma Frost is one of the best characters in the X-Men mythos. She has a rich history, part of which is the fact that she didn’t want to live in the shadow of her father and the Frost family. There’s a lot of irony to the fact that a character whose origin is all about not being defined by men being defined by men. She’s a great character completely on her own, an engine of genteel chaos who you can inject into any situation and get something fun. As great as Namor is and as good as they are together, there’s a chance that Frost could get overwhelmed by his massive personality. Emma needs to be kept away from male characters; she deserves a chance to shine like the diamond that her mutant powers allow her to become.

The Last Thing Emma Frost Needs Is Another Man

X-Men: The Hellfire Murder #1’s ends with Emma and Namor seemingly parting ways, but it’s a weird thing to bring up for one issue if you’re just going to keep them separate. Their interactions were highly entertaining throughout the story and often times, creators and editors will do something like this as a showcase for plans they have in the future. Fans like the two of them together, so there’s a chance that this was a tease of something to come. However, as much fun as it could be to have Namor enter the current X-Men books and hang around with Emma, it’s exactly the last thing that Frost needs right now.

Frost has been paired off with men for almost the entirety of the last 25 years of her existence; even when she’s been single, there’s a man looming over her life. Emma is great to play off of other characters, but she’s also just great on her own. It’s fun to see her show everyone that she’s not just the power behind the throne, but someone who deserves their time in the big chair. Emma can easily become an A-list Marvel hero at the height of the company’s pecking order, but she’s not going to get there if she always has to deal with being overshadowed by man. I love Namor and Frost together, but I sincerely hope that this dalliance wasn’t a teaser of things to come.

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