Originally Posted by
Doombot
I think Steve is one of the few humans that Namor truly respects, which helped him calm his hatred, fear and mistrust of humanity. Considering this took place during a horrific global war that easily showcased humanity's worst aspects, it's pretty remarkable Steve was still able to impress and endear Namor to him. That being said, it does seem like a relationship with it's connection or strength being only in the past. I don't feel the two men really know how to relate to each other in the present at all. They both still see each other in the light of the War and their experiences during that time. I think we have all had a relationship like this, where you and the individual can speak and fall quickly into feelings about who you once were, how you both used to be, full of nostalgia and memories, yet really don't have much to hang on to in the present. Old lovers, old friends from school or childhood, and most definitely people who went to war together.
I do not feel Steve and Namor are really friends in the present. They maybe believe they are, and will come to each other's aid when needed, but this seems to be out of a sense of obligation to who they once were, maybe even to who they both wish they still were, but not who they are now. Steve and Namor could not be more different. It's difficult to get a real feeling of how Namor feels now, but I think it's deep respect he has for Steve and not a real friendship. As for Steve, it seems clear from books in the last few years, he doesn't approach Namor really out friendship but because he feels responsible for him. That whenever Namor loses it or lashes out, regardless of Namor's motivations, Steve feels he has some duty to "fix" whatever Namor is doing, certainly out of respect to their once strong friendship, but almost more out of pity. He treats Namor as if he were one of his children who has lost their path, or an old lover, someone who you once cared deeply about, who now is on a bad or destructive path (like drugs/alcohol etc) and he feels responsible somehow. Whatever it is, it's not true friendship in my opinion. Steve, as kind hearted and smart as he is, is unable to truly see Namor beyond where he fits in his own story, his own perspective.
Captain America, and all the surface heroes, having a serious blindspot and narrow view of Namor as a hero is another issue with perspective. Namor is only a great hero when he's joining heroic adventures with them. The stems from Namor crossing over into American narratives with American heroes having American adventures and fighting American foes. I mean this in both the sense of in universe for the characters and as a media product made by Americans for American audiences. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this, but people in the comics and reading the comics can overlook the fact that Namor is NOT an American hero, he's an Atleantean hero. His motivations are to protect and defend his people, his countrymen, and not ours. When he helps the American heroes, he's doing it because his views align with the heroes at the time. As soon as his views and values DON'T align with theirs he immediately becomes a villain. I can only imagine this would be a maddening contradiction to Namor and he would feel jaded and betrayed by his "friends" constantly on the turn of a dime. "I help you save your world and your people countless times, for years, since my youth, and then you poison and destroy my people and my home, and when I react I am treated as a monster, as an enemy." When things go bad Namor is asked to put his life on the line to face whatever world threat the Avengers etc have gotten themselves into, but if there is a threat FROM humanity, against his people, Namor can expect those same Avengers to show up at his doorstep, not to help, but to stop Namor from doing anything about it.