Namor Movie Rights Explained - what they can or can't do

Namor Movie Rights Explained - what they can or can't do 

Movie rights to Namor the Sub-Mariner has long been described as a posh situation, and though Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige et al. at Marvel have commented on the matter within the past, exactly what Marvel can and can't do with one among its oldest heroes has never been explicitly stated. The Followers of this character remain hopeful that the Avenging Son will finally have an area in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

At now, Namor is arguably the foremost important character from Marvel Comics never to be represented on the large or small screen. In fact, he would are one among the primary superheroes to possess his own television program, since a Namor the Sub-Mariner TV series was in development for a quick time within the 1950s. Since then, there are other attempts to bring Namor to life, but none have made it very far. As Namor was one among several characters whose rights were sold to other studios, it appeared that the sole way for a Namor movie to ever move forward was with Universal, but this never happened.

If Namor does appear in live-action, it'll now need to be with Marvel Studios. Here's what you would like to understand about Namor's movie rights, and what quite a role the first Marvel anti-hero can have within the way forward for the MCU.

Who Owns Namor's Movie Rights: Marvel Or Universal?

Movie rights to Namor did belong to Universal, who acquired them within the 1990s. As  of 2013, this was still the case, but in 2014, Kevin Feige gave an update on Namor when he said that Marvel, and not Universal, had the rights to Namor; still, Feige also declared that "entanglements" and "older contracts" stopped them from going forward on a Namor movie.

These comments indicated that the matter stemmed from distribution rights, which were still with Universal. In 2016, Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada repeated that Namor is back by Marvel. But what of the distribution rights? In 2018, Feige admitted that things with Namor were still "complicated", which suggests that at this point, Marvel still did not have complete control over the property.

Namor Has Been Referenced within the MCU

Marvel Studios isn't using Namor — yet — but there are a couple of instances of flicks within the MCU seemingly hinting at his existence, or a minimum of the existence of his underwater kingdom, Atlantis. A map in Iron Man 2 featured a marker on the Atlantic, which is usually where the mythical city is assumed to be located. In Captain America: Winter Soldier, a ship named the Lemurian Star was quickly introduced. Connected to the Deviants, Lemuria was an underwater continent whose people often had a conflict with Namor and Atlantis.

The most noteworthy reference came in Avengers: Endgame, though whether or not it's really about Namor becomes been disputed. When Okoye (Danai Gurira) makes a comment about underwater earthquakes near the coast of Africa, Latrodectus mactans (Scarlet Johansson) asks how Wakanda is responding. Okoye replies, "It's an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it by not handling it". Avengers: Endgame authors apparently debunked the Namor theory through a later meeting, but the followers still think the exchange on the underwater earthquakes had to maintain some point so as to form it into the movie. Both way, it appears that those Namor references are purposely vague. they do not confirm Namor's existence but can provide the setup for a later appearance — if the likelihood of an MCU debut from Namor ever does occur.

Can Marvel Use Namor during a Solo Movie?

Namor the Sub-Mariner is usually high on the list of flicks fans want to ascertain from Marvel Studios. As an anti-hero, Namor would be a stimulating addition to the MCU, albeit DC beat Marvel to create a movie about an aquatic hero. But while Aquaman is unlikely to face within the way of a solo Namor movie, Universal could still be an obstacle, and it all boils right down to distribution rights.

If Universal stills hold distribution rights to Namor, there could also be no Namor the Sub-Mariner film within the MCU anytime soon. His situation might be almost like the matter with the Hulk if the deal between Marvel and Universal regarding Namor is that the same because of the Hulk deal. Hulk is within the MCU, but because the distribution rights belong to Universal, Marvel can't make a solo Hulk movie, which is why Hulk is restricted to supporting roles within the Avengers movies and Thor: Ragnarok. there's no clear answer about the likelihood of a Namor movie. things were described as "complicated" in 2018, but it's now 2020. Whether or not the problems with Namor are ongoing remains to be seen 

Marvel Use Namor during a Different Movie?

What if Namor the Sub-Mariner is indeed off the table, or, Marvel simply doesn't have any plans to offer him his own movie? Either way, it's possible that Marvel should make use of the aquatic character. The comic books are an ideal indication of how Namor is often utilized. Decades of comic books have proven that Namor is quite capable of headlining his own comic series, but are often "> this is often faraway from the sole way he can be used effectively. Namor was a Villain And he was anti-hero before. He's served as a member of the Avengers, the Defenders, and therefore the X-Men, so Namor is not any stranger to villainous or supporting roles.

Since Marvel has said they own the rights to Namor, it seems likely that albeit Marvel can't make Namor the Sub-Mariner, they will still include him within the MCU. Namor is massively rumored to be the villain of Black Panther 2, which might add, considering that deep hatred shared among Namor and Black Panther in the comics and therefore the troubled history between their respective kingdoms. Namor, a longtime ally of Doctor Strange, is additionally one among numerous characters rumored for Doctor Strange within the Multiverse of Madness. A since-deleted tweet from Scott Derrickson (which at the time was Doctor Strange 2's director) apparently teased his inclusion, and there is a big reason to suspect Namor is Doctor Strange 2's mystery guest character. In any case, the sheer size of the MCU and therefore the number of projects in development over just the subsequent three years leaves many avenues open for the Avenging Son to finally join the MCU.