Aquaman VS Namor – Who Is Most Powerful & Who Would Win in a Fight?

DC and Marvel are well known for copying each other’s ideas for characters. One of the clearest examples is Marvel’s Namor the Sub-Mariner and DC’s Aquaman. Ever since Aquaman’s introduction two years after Namor’s first appearance in 1939, these characters have shared similar origins, powers, and overall aesthetics. Both act as the half-human, half-Atlantean kings of the underwater city of Atlantis in their respective universes. While Aquaman’s initial incarnation was an almost joke-like character and would have easily lost to the original Namor, these characters have evolved with significantly enhanced abilities and feats, making this a close contest. So, which of these two underwater heroes is the true king of the seven seas?

DC’s and Marvel’s propensity for mutual inspiration has left these two characters with nearly identical powers. In addition to underwater breathing and fish-talking, both Namor and Aquaman have enhanced strength, speed, and durability. And they both wield powerful tridents that fire energy blasts, while also allowing them to command storms and water. Namor’s ankle wings may initially seem to give him a flight advantage, but Aquaman’s trident equalizes things by giving him the power fly too. Namor and Aquaman also share similar vulnerabilities. Both become weaker the longer they are out of the water. Because their powers, arsenals, and deficiencies seem to be nearly identical on a surface level, the debate of who is most powerful can only be settled by looking at who has used their powers to the greatest effect.

Aquaman Outclasses Namor in Feats of Raw Strength

Namor and Aquaman have fought some of the strongest heroes of their worlds. Namor routinely battles the likes of the Hulk and Thor. At the same time, Aquaman has matched Wonder Woman and even Superman in combat. However, such comparative fights can only reveal so much about their limits and capabilities. When comparing direct feats of physical strength, Aquaman knocks Namor out of the pool.

Namor is considered by many to be one of the strongest heroes in Marvel, with numerous feats to back up this claim. He has thrown giant submarines, made Thanos bleed with a punch, and torn through a weakened Celestial’s armor. Namor’s most remarkable feat of strength was holding up a pillar that supported the small island of Utopia. Pushed to his physical limits, Namor ensured that Utopia didn’t fall and crash into New Atlantis. While impressive, it pales in comparison to Aquaman’s own feats.

Aquaman’s feats of physical strength over the years show that he is much stronger than Namor. Aquaman has lifted an entire city block, defeated gods like Triton, and blocked a continent-destroying hit from the Dead King’s scepter. Aquaman’s most impressive feat, however, is moving an entire tectonic plate to prevent an army of Trench from reaching the surface during his New 52 comic run. Tectonic plates are massive slabs of rock that make up the outer layer of the entire planet’s surface, with all continents and islands resting on them. This makes Aquaman’s most extraordinary feat of strength millions, if not billions, of times greater than Namor’s island-supporting feat.

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Aquaman’s Telepathy is Leagues Above Namor’s

One of the most iconic powers of the two Atlantean kings is their telepathic ability to communicate and command all manner of sea life. Namor and Aquaman have used this power to order legions of marine life and sea-monsters the size of skyscrapers to fight on their behalf. Both of them are capable of using this ability to communicate with sea life miles away from their location. However, Aquaman’s telepathy and connection to aquatic life are far beyond Namor’s own capabilities.

While Namor has the power to command sea life telepathically, Aquaman can directly bend the minds of marine life to his will. This means that Aquaman can easily turn Namor’s own forces against him. But what truly sets Aquaman’s powers apart from Namor’s is that DC’s King of Atlantis can tap into an unseen force known as The Clear, which is an invisible force that connects all marine life in the universe. With this connection, not only can Aquaman talk to and control marine life, but he can also make them physically stronger. Animals like whales that The Clear empowers are capable of incredible feats of strength, including breaking through Green Lantern constructs. So, while Namor controls normal fish, Aquaman can control an army of super marine life.

Another significant deciding factor is that Aquaman’s telepathic power goes beyond marine life. Not only can he control all manner of animal life, but he can even use his telepathy to attack his opponents mentally. He can give people migraines and even seizures, such as he did to the supervillain Zum in 1997. What’s even more significant about this specific instance is that Zum is a White Martian, a species with incredibly potent telepathic abilities. This feat means that Namor’s own telepathy wouldn’t be able to protect him from Aquaman’s seizure-inducing powers. Thus, Aquaman could attack Namor telepathically and physically.

Winner: Aquaman

Given the fact that Namor and Aquaman’s abilities are so well-matched, a fight between them would definitely be a close call. Neither has any abilities the other didn’t possess in some way, and their powers have allowed them to contend with some of the strongest beings of their universes. Still, even though Namor may be the strongest Atlantean in the Marvel Universe, in the end, he wouldn’t have what it takes to defeat Aquaman in a head-to-head fight. With his superior strength and telepathic ability, Aquaman would prove once and for all that he is the strongest king of the ocean.

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