Was Namor the most powerful Superhuman of WW2 ?

[jetengine]

So I was thinking about the differences in Marvel/DC when it came to WW2. Depending on what continuity we're working in the allies on DCs side were rocking alot of heavy hitters including Superman. To explain why they dont just assault Germany directly and win the war they said "Hitler has the spear of destiny, with it he can control any superheroes who enter germany" meaning that they had to effectively fight everywhere BUT Germany.

Marvel on the otherhand had mostly Captain America Types or people with a single variable power (Ice/flight etc). Then we come to Namor. Who is a tank.

Now I know the Axis had various super goons of their own but I can't legitimately think of any equal to Namor.

[DragonsChi]

Hi,

Is your question "Was Namor the most powerful Superhuman of WW2 ?" Or "Why didn't Namor defeat Hitler?"

Because to answer the later the Human Torch- Jim Hammond was the one killed Hitler. (Tom Brevoort confirmed that Bucky was joking when he recently said he did). However, only a select few is suppose to know that the Human Torch did it. There was some reasoning behind it being a secret that I don't really remember.

As to your question about power, it is possible that he was the most powerful depending on what you mean by power. Namor was for sure Atlas Comics Superman analog at the time.

[DigiCom]

I'd say the Golden Age Black Widow (a.k.a. Claire Voyant) was more powerful, but not as well-known.

[pageturner]

Who was the superman nazi guy? he was basically superman wasn't he but i am not sure of his strength level.

could be one of the Twelve like Rockman, Dynamic Man or from another angle Mind Master Excel?

[Snoop Dogg]

Master Man's name was Master Man, so he's the most powerful. That's like your tag being Boss Guy.

[jetengine]

Hi,

Is your question "Was Namor the most powerful Superhuman of WW2 ?" Or "Why didn't Namor defeat Hitler?"

Because to answer the later the Human Torch- Jim Hammond was the one killed Hitler. (Tom Brevoort confirmed that Bucky was joking when he recently said he did). However, only a select few is suppose to know that the Human Torch did it. There was some reasoning behind it being a secret that I don't really remember.

As to your question about power, it is possible that he was the most powerful depending on what you mean by power. Namor was for sure Atlas Comics Superman analog at the time.

Was Namor the most powerful. I've no doubt Marvel had reasons why their heroes didnt just attack germany head on.

[DragonsChi]

Was Namor the most powerful. I've no doubt Marvel had reasons why their heroes didnt just attack germany head on.

Strength wise I would say yes.

Add that with the Atlantean tech, that was on the level of Wakanda back then, and the Atlantean army at his finger tips, then double yes. Most people don't know or realize that one of the main reason Namor probably didn't use his army more due to him always putting himself in front of confrontation so his people does not have to bare the burden and he feels he can handle most situations due to his power. However, any other king would be waiting at home while his army got involved.

[Michael Watkins]

didn't Hammond defeat Namor? i'd say that he is was the most powerful.

[MichaelC]

Namor was all over the place back then. There are issues where he struggles with ordinary thugs and carefully avoids pistol shots. And others where he seems quite powerful.

[JudicatorPrime]

I don't know that I'd ever say that Namor was the most powerful of the Golden Age characters, simply because he had his share of weaknesses that were readily on hand. In water, though, no, I'm not messing with him in his element. His strength submerged was very much Superman-like, able to toss around submarines and ships weight thousands of metric tons. Plus, back then he had a bit of a plot device power of being able to adapt some of the same attributes as any sea-born creature. And then there was his mutant X factor, which gave him additional unexpected powers. Namor may not have been Superman, but sometimes he was written like it. Still, that didn't make him the most powerful character of WWII.

Sidebar 1: Master Man and Warrior Woman may have been perceived as Superman and Wonder Woman pastiches respectively, but I don't believe either was nearly as strong as the real thing when they were first created.

Sidebar 2: Perhaps everyone missed the old Invaders comics, but Thor was around back then. He was conjured up at one point to help out the Nazis, if memory serves.

[DigiCom]

Sidebar 2: Perhaps everyone missed the old Invaders comics, but Thor was around back then. He was conjured up at one point to help out the Nazis, if memory serves.

That story may have taken place during WW2, but it wasn't a Golden Age comic. It was written in 1978.

[JudicatorPrime]

That story may have taken place during WW2, but it wasn't a Golden Age comic. It was written in 1978.

Yes, of course. The entire Invaders series was not Golden Age, but the OP didn't exactly specify a distinction between true Golden Age comics, or everyone that existed at the time, including retcons. I begged off at Thor so as not to overly complicate things, but when you consider all of the long-lived and immortal heroes, like the Eternals (Gilgamesh, Sersi, etc.), there really were quite a few characters that were pretty powerful. And don't get us started on the mystics, because I'm pretty sure there was at least one Sorceror Supreme running around at the time.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Was Namor the most powerful. I've no doubt Marvel had reasons why their heroes didnt just attack germany head on.

Because all things considered, evil Nazis and good allies basically balanced out in terms of strength and power. Marvel wasn't like DC, that had a million and one powered superheroes. Namor was an outlier, and he was checked by Warrior Woman and Master Man.

[Of Atlantis]

I'd say Namor and the original Human Torch were easily Marvel's powerhouses during WW2. I mean, Namor walked off the atomic bomb being dropped on him...

didn't Hammond defeat Namor? i'd say that he is was the most powerful.

Their first and only fight during that time iirc was the first ever crossover in comics. Actually helped coin the term "Fight of the Century" too. Anyways, it ended with Namor trapping Torch in a fireproof tube and them making peace in a very campy 40s way.

Then it seemed like the end of that fight was retconned in Brubaker's The Marvels Project, with Namor being defeated by a Cap/Human Torch team-up, though I remember him having a slight upper hand during that fight up until Cap got involved. Then that was un-retconned too in a later book that referenced the original end of that fight. I want to say either one of the Invaders books or back up Namor stories, but I forget.

[Vic Vega]

I imagine even for as brutal as Namor was in combat the average Nazi would far prefer to run into him than Jim Hammond.

Not only is death by burning a really bad way to die, not only do Jim's powers work at range but he had a sidekick Toro with the same powers and willingness to use them lethally.

All those scenes of the Torches burning thru tanks and or planes 5 or 6 at a time.

If the Torches didn't have to eat and sleep ( and weren't stopped dead by heavy rainfall) they could have practically won the war by themselves.