One of Marvel’s Oldest Heroes Just Got the Most Insane Version Yet (and He’s Totally Evil)

Marvel has been putting some of its best and most entertaining heroes through it in New Avengers. The latest incarnation of the heroic super team sees Carnage, The Hulk, Namor, Clea, Wolverine (Laura Kinney version,) Bucky Barnes, and Black Widow coming together to deal with the threat of the Killuminati, demented clones of the actual Illuminati that are a danger to the world. Of course, some of the evil clones are bigger threats than the others and for one of Marvel’s oldest heroes, that means dealing with the craziest upgraded version ever — one that happens to be totally evil.

In New Avengers #3, readers got a tease of Namor’s clone, Imperius Rex and in this week’s New Avengers #4, things get huge and literally. Imperius Rex has become a kaiju-level threat, but there’s far more to it than merely that. As it turns out, the Superior Sub-Mariner has a distinct advantage over Namor that causes huge problems for the heroes but teaches Namor a lesson in the process.

Godzilla Ain’t Got Nothing on Imperius Rex — and Neither Does Namor

New Avengers #4 puts Namor in a unique predicament for the Atlantean king. You see, Namor is beating the crap out of his fellow heroes and it’s something that is beyond his control. While Namor has always had some level of mind-control powers over sea life, he’s the one who does the controlling. Here, Namor is the one being controlled. Imperius Rex is able to turn those mind-control abilities on Namor himself and treats him like a puppet, using him to batter and harm his own teammates and Imperius Rex makes it very clear he has bigger and more sinister plans for how he seeks to use his double.

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But if the mind-control issue wasn’t bad enough, things quickly get even worse. Namor soon learns that Imperius Rex is now a full-on kaiju-style monster with the evil alter ego going on a spree of destruction. It’s a wild development; the last time Imperius Rex was scene he wasn’t exactly monstrous so he’s gone through a bunch of growth to get to this size and power. Add to it that he’s incredibly intelligent and the aforementioned mind-control and you’ve got a massive threat that the team has to deal with Namor nearly helpless to stop him.

Heroes Prevail But It’s a Turning Point For The Team (And Namor)

While Imperius Rex is a huge, powerful threat, the New Avengers are able to take him down. The villain’s hubris is certainly a factor, but between Carnage and Namor — who manages to break the telepathic hold over him — he is defeated. His skeleton is literally torn out of his body by Namor and the threat is neutralized. However, the whole experience is significant for Namor. First, this situation introduces a new weakness for Namor. We’ve seen Namor be vulnerable to telepathy before so it’s not entirely a new thing. Emma Frost, for example, has gotten into Namor’s mind in the past. However, this is the first time we’ve seen Namor made victim of his own particular brand of mind control. HIs own power was literally used against him. For a hero as arrogant as Namor, this is a very different kind of weakness and it’s something that has a humbling effect on him, particularly when considering that he’s only able to break free thanks to the help of his team.

A key component of Namor taking back his autonomy is Wolverine. When things are at their worst in the battle with Imperius Rex, Wolverine is fighting a controlled Namor, trying to get him to break free from the mental control. Namor, for his part, is trying to goad Wolverine into killing him to do it but she doesn’t. Instead, it’s her efforts, specifically her telling him that they don’t need “noble Namor” in that moment, that prompts him to regain control, stepping back into his own power as the terror of the surface and the wrath of the seas. It’s something that is not lost on Namor and by issue’s end we see him finally call Laura “Wolverine” properly. Given Namor’s history and somewhat prickly personality, this is a major turning point. It symbolizes the team truly coming together which is something that will be very important as the fight continues, but more than that, it marks a moment of understanding for Namor. While it’s unlikely we’ll ever see the Sub-Mariner ever be truly humble, the whole experience shows just how much depth of character there is there and his understanding that sometimes even he needs a little help.

New Avengers #4 is available now.

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