One of Marvel’s most classic heroes has made his position on one of his fellow Avengers perfectly clear, and it could end up being lethal.
The following contains major spoilers for Avengers #58, available now from Marvel.
Namor has drawn a line in the sand, and if Echo, aka the Phoenix, ever crosses it he is prepared to end her life.
Avengers #58 finds the time-displaced heroes strewn across feudal Japan in their race through time against Mephisto’s demonic army. When Namor and Echo are pinned on a beach by an onslaught of similarly out-of-their-own-time Vikings, the Ghost Ronin emerges to lend them a hand. That isn’t all this Samurai of Vengeance does, however, as it also urges the King of Atlantis to finally open up to his teammate about his true feelings.
Though he stammers over his words initially, Namor finally managed to eke out a promise to slay Echo should she ever take on the Dark Phoenix persona. Despite the overtly violent nature of his promise, Echo takes it for the subtle, strange display of affection that it truly is. Not only does she find his vow as a show of affection, the current Phoenix even makes the same promise to Namor in turn.
First appearing in Bill Everett’s “Here is the Sub-Mariner!” from 1939’s Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1, Namor is one of Marvel’s oldest comic book superheroes. The now King of Atlantis was born to Princess Fen and the human adventurer Leonard McKenzie. While Namor now fights alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, his relationship with them has been fraught with tumultuous times when the two were openly at odds. Namor’s grating, frequently imperialistic personality has never done him any big favors when it comes to the Sub-Mariner’s personal relationships, although it seems that he is beginning to build bridges with his teammates where he can.
Maya Lopez aka Echo, was introduced to the Marvel Universe in 1999’s Daredevil #9 written by David Mack and illustrated by Joe Quesada. After she discovers that he father had been shot and killed by Kingpin, she was taken in by the villain and trained as one of his top agents. It wasn’t long before she realized the truth behind her father’s death and turned on her mentor, embarking on a new life as a hero. When the Phoenix Force last came to Earth and forced a select number of its champions to fight for a place as its host, Echo was pitted against Namor at the bottom of the ocean. In spite of the obvious advantage he had, Echo emerged victorious and has carried the Phoenix Force with her ever since.
Avengers #58 is written by Jason Aaron, with art by Javier Garron, colors by David Curiel, and letters by VC’s Cory Petit. Main cover art is provided by Garron and Curiel, with variant cover art courtesy of E.M. Gist and Rob Liefeld. Avengers #58 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel
