Homo mermanus

Homo mermanus
A group of Atlantean Homo mermani berate Namor the Sub-Mariner (cover to Sub-Mariner #33, art by Sal Buscema).
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (April 1939)
Characteristics
Place of origin Atlantis, Earth
Notable members Namor
Namorita
Namora

Homo mermanus is a fictional race of gilled aquatic humanoids appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This race is best known as the people who live in the Atlantis of the Marvel Universe. Namor the Sub-Mariner is the most notable character representative of the race. Bill Everett often called sub mariners and Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, but Stan Lee began call everyone Atlanteans and undersea kingdom Atlantis.

An offshoot of the Homo sapiens species with an as yet undisclosed origin, Homo mermanus are a mammalian species, but with some fish-like characteristics. Each one possesses two twin gills located on their necks near the clavicle bone, which allow them to breathe underwater. Their skin pigmentation can be either blue (most Atlanteans) or green (most Lemurians and nomads)

Their physiology is also much stronger and more durable than that of the Homo sapiens, necessitated by their exposure to the vast pressure of the deep sea. As a consequence they are physically much stronger than regular humans and can swim up to 30 miles (48 km) per hour. The typical lifespan for a Homo mermanus is 150 years. However they cannot survive outside of water for longer than five minutes without aid.

The total population of Homo mermanus has been estimated at over 1,000,000 globally.

Publication history

Atlanteans first appeared in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (April 1939).

Fictional race history

The Homo mermanus are often referred to as Atlanteans, as it is in the city of Atlantis that their first complex society emerged. Like humans they learned to domesticate animals, such as dolphins, while humans domesticated horses, dogs and camels.

Atlantis itself had been a small above ground continent with many human settlements, when an event 10,000 years ago called the "Great Cataclysm" caused it to be submerged into the sea. 2,000 years later, a group of Homo mermanus made the ruins of the human settlements in Atlantis their home and went on to develop a society there using as much of the material as they could scavenge from the wreckage. Many of the warring tribes united under a single emperor (although by the 20th century there were still some barbarian tribes).

500 years after the settlement of Atlantis, another group of Homo mermanus left Atlantis to found their own city -this time in a part of the ruins of another continent submerged during the Great Cataclysm - Lemuria in the Pacific Ocean.

These "Lemurians" would discover the Serpent Crown in the ruins of their city, and through their Leader Naga's exposure and extensive use of the ancient mystical device, they would become more serpent-like in appearance than their Atlantean cousins.

Many Atlanteans worship Neptune, Roman god of the sea.

During the 20th century the Homo mermanus race began to come into sustained contact with their human cousins. These contacts have often been hostile, and have included many aborted invasions (Atlantis Attacks etc.) and even separate occasions when large numbers of Homo mermanus were rendered comatose or sterilized for periods. During the Second World War the kingdom of Atlantis also fought against the Axis Powers in alliance with the Allied Powers.

However, not all interactions between Homo sapiens and Homo mermanus have been hostile - during the 1920s a Homo mermanus female, Princess Fen of Atlantis mated with the human sea captain Leonard McKenzie - a union which produced the first human/Atlantean hybrid - Namor {avenging son in atlantean}, the Sub-Mariner.

In the aftermath of the Civil War and the World War Hulk events the homo mermanus, being blamed for the terrorism due to the actions of Kamar, militaristic son of Namor, are forced to leave the seas, using the established sleeper cells to live within humanity. The Atlantean Army resided in Latveria, guests of Doctor Doom, and the civilians lived alongside the rest of humanity.

After their leader Namor allied with the X-Men, the Atlanteans began to build a support pillar that would keep the newly established mutant nation of Utopia (near the coast of San Francisco) from sinking.[1] Around this pillar, called the Atlantean column, they established a city called New Atlantis.[2]

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Atlantis was later attacked by the Squadron Supreme in retaliation for Namor and the Cabal having destroyed the worlds of some of its members. After Hyperion beheaded Namor and Power Princess killed Attuma, the Squadron Supreme recalled the information of Atlantis' previous attacks on the surface world. Hyperion then lifted Atlantis above the ocean and then threw it onto the ground enough to kill the other Atlanteans present.[3]

Subraces

Homo mermanus is divided between the Atlanteans and the splinter group that settled in the sunken continent of Lemuria and took the name of Lemurians. They differed as they possessed a more reptilian greenish skin color compared to the blue skinned Atlanteans.

Known Atlanteans

Golden Age characters

  • Namor McKenzie[4] - Ruler of Atlantis; member of the Invaders, Defenders, Avengers; retained his mutant powers after M-Day
  • Blabek[5]
  • Byrrah[6] - Cousin of Namor and Challenger of the Throne; currently deceased
  • Chemil[7] - Wartime Nurse
  • Cogolla[6]
  • Daka[8] - Uncle of Namor and possibly the Father of Byrrah; briefly took over the crown of Atlantis before Pearl Harbor; later allied with the Nazis and the Seal People and led an invasion of Argentina
  • Daro
  • Dorma[4] - Wife of Namor; currently deceased
  • Ertve[5] - Wartime High Priest and member of the Council of Three.
  • Fen[4] - Mother of Namor; currently deceased ...Appears in Sub-Mariner segment of Marvel Super Heroes TV show (1966).
  • Folma[9] - Wartime Lieutenant
  • Harla[10]
  • Jadda[10]
  • Kalo
  • Kamara
  • Karal[4] - Royal Guard
  • Lerza[10]
  • Lucas[11]
  • Mara[12]
  • Mel[11]
  • Mephistios[13]
  • Naka
  • Namora (Aquaria Nautica Neptunia)[14] - Cousin of Namor
  • Narvick[15] - Member of the Atlantean High Council
  • Nostromas[7] - Wartime Physician
  • Petrod[5] - Wartime Sentry
  • Rad
  • Rathia[7]
  • Sarna[12]
  • Sigor
  • Tarna[13]
  • Tarot
  • Thakorr[4] - Grandfather of Namor; currently deceased ...Thakorr appears in Sub-Mariner segment of Marvel Super Heroes TV show (1966).
  • Til[5]
  • Tor
  • Toro[16] - Atlantean Tailor
  • Vayos
  • Zarot
  • Zolma

Modern Age characters

Known Lemurians

Other media

Television

  • The Atlanteans appear in the Sub-Mariner segment of Marvel Super Heroes TV show (1966).
  • The Atlanteans appear in the Fantastic Four episode "Now Comes the Sub-Mariner."
  • The Atlanteans appear in The Avengers: United They Stand episode "To Rule Atlantis."
  • The Atlanteans appear in the Fantastic Four episode "Imperious Rex."
  • The Atlanteans appear in the Avengers Assemble episode "Depth Charge." Attuma leads his Atlantean soldiers in attacking Manhattan and trying to sink it. In "Beneath the Surface," it is revealed that Attuma's chief adviser Lady Zartra and those with her have gotten tired of Attuma's tyranny and planned to use the Serpent Crown to control Giganto into helping them fight against Attuma's army. Following a misunderstanding between Lady Zartra's group and the Avengers, both groups work together to fight Attuma's army when he obtains the Serpent Crown and controls Giganto. After Attuma is defeated, the Atlanteans on Lady Zartra's side gain the trust in the Avengers. In the episode "Avengers Underground," some of the Atlanteans on Attuma's side arrived in Manhattan only to encounter Hyperion. The Atlantean soldiers present were annihilated by Hyperion after he threw one of them back into the ocean to inform Attuma what he just saw and that Earth is under the Squadron Supreme's rule.

Video games

  • The Atlanteans appear in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The game features a stage where the players must travel to the underwater city of Atlantis to stop a riot orchestrated by Attuma, who believes he will become the sea kingdoms' new ruler as foretold in the Atlantean Chronicles. Attuma uses sonic emmiters to cause the Atlanteans to riot and turn against Namor. Attuma is assisted in his goal by Byrrah, Tiger Shark, and Warlord Krang. When Attuma and Tiger Shark are defeated, Tiger Shark mentions that Doctor Doom was their benefactor in Attuma's plot. Within the game, there is also a temple devoted to Negrete, whose shrine is protected by temple guardians trained to defeat any trespassers. The Eyes of Negrete are holy objects used by the temple priests for access to the inner sanctums of the temple. In the Atlantis briefing, Captain America mentions that the Atlanteans dislike surface dwellers.

References

  1. ↑ Uncanny X-Men 520
  2. ↑ Uncanny X-Men #521
  3. ↑ Squadron Supreme Vol 4 #1
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (1939)
  5. 1 2 3 4 Marvel Mystery Comics #4 (1940)
  6. 1 2 Sub-Mariner Comics #35 (1954)
  7. 1 2 3 Human Torch Comics #5 (1941)
  8. ↑ Marvel Mystery Comics #24 (1941)
  9. ↑ Human Torch Comics #3 (1941)
  10. 1 2 3 Sub-Mariner Comics #5 (1942)
  11. 1 2 Sub-Mariner Comics #1 (1941)
  12. 1 2 Human Torch Comics #7 (1942)
  13. 1 2 Sub-Mariner Comics #34 (1954)
  14. ↑ Marvel Mystery Comics #82 (1947)
  15. ↑ Sub-Mariner Comics #32 (1949)
  16. ↑ Marvel Mystery Comics #13 (1940)
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Namor the First Mutant #1 (2010)
  18. 1 2 3 4 Namor the First Mutant #2 (2010)
  19. 1 2 Wolverine #42 (2006)
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Avengers #154 (1976)
  21. ↑ Defenders #143 (1985)
  22. ↑ Fear Itself: The Deep #1 (2011)
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Sub-Mariner #1 (2007)
  24. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #3 (2007)
  25. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #63 (1973)
  26. ↑ New Warriors #3 (1999)
  27. ↑ Namor #6 (2003)
  28. ↑ Fantastic Four #33 (1964)
  29. 1 2 Night Thrasher #11 (1994)
  30. 1 2 3 Hulk/Sub-Mariner 1998 Annual (1998)
  31. 1 2 Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9 (1989)
  32. 1 2 3 4 Namor #1 (2003)
  33. 1 2 New Thunderbolts #1 (2005)
  34. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #31 (1970)
  35. ↑ Avengers #272 (1986)
  36. ↑ Captain America 2001 Annual (2001)
  37. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #4 (2007)
  38. ↑ Defenders #5 (2001)
  39. ↑ Sub-Mariner #56 (1972)
  40. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marvel Comics Presents #12 (1989)
  41. 1 2 3 Dark Reign: The Cabal #1 (2009)
  42. 1 2 Iron Man Annual #10 (1989)
  43. 1 2 3 4 Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner #1 (1984)
  44. ↑ New Warriors #43 (1994)
  45. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #4 (1994)
  46. 1 2 3 4 Namor the Sub-Mariner #20 (1991)
  47. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #13 (1991)
  48. 1 2 Fantastic Four #2 (1996)
  49. 1 2 3 New Mutants Annual #5 (1989)
  50. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sub-Mariner #64 (1973)
  51. ↑ Web of Spider-Man Annual #4 (1989)
  52. ↑ Incredible Hulk #118 (1969)
  53. ↑ Saga of the Sub-Mariner #2 (1988)
  54. 1 2 3 Sub-Mariner #4 (1968)
  55. ↑ Civil War: Front Line #8 (2007)
  56. ↑ Defenders #7 (1971)
  57. 1 2 Namor the Sub-Mariner #38 (1993)
  58. ↑ Captain America #10 (2003)
  59. ↑ Sub-Mariner #7 (1968)
  60. 1 2 Namor the Sub-Mariner #34 (1993)
  61. ↑ Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner #2 (1984)
  62. ↑ Wolverine #43 (2006)
  63. ↑ Civil War: Front Line #3 (2006)
  64. ↑ Namor the First Mutant #11 (2011)
  65. 1 2 3 Sub-Mariner #66 (1973)
  66. ↑ Marvel Team-Up #8 (1998)
  67. ↑ Fear Itself: The Home Front #4 (2011)
  68. ↑ Uncanny X-Men #527 (2010)
  69. ↑ Sub-Mariner #17 (1969)
  70. ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #1 (1963)
  71. ↑ Heroes for Hire #1 (2011)
  72. ↑ X-Club #1 (2012)
  73. ↑ Sub-Mariner #54 (1972)
  74. ↑ Marvel: The Last Generation #12 (2001)
  75. ↑ Vengeance #1 (2011)
  76. ↑ US Agent #2 (2001)
  77. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #35 (1993)
  78. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #50 (1972)
  79. ↑ Avengers Arena #1(2013)
  80. 1 2 Marvel Comics Presents #121 (1993)
  81. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #36 (1993)
  82. ↑ New Invaders #2 (2004)
  83. ↑ New Thunderbolts #3 (2005)
  84. ↑ Sub-Mariner #23 (1970)
  85. ↑ Daredevil #77 (1971)
  86. ↑ Human Torch #3 (2009)
  87. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #36 (1971)
  88. ↑ Alpha Flight #14 (1984)
  89. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #46 (1994)
  90. 1 2 Defenders #84 (1980)
  91. 1 2 Marvel Comics Presents #7 (1988)
  92. ↑ Uncanny X-Men #528 (2010)
  93. ↑ Avengers #43 (2001)
  94. ↑ Tales to Astonish #98 (1967)
  95. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #15 (1991)
  96. ↑ Avengers #282 (1987)
  97. ↑ New Invaders #0 (2004)
  98. ↑ Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment #1 (1989)
  99. ↑ Sub-Mariner #16 (1969)
  100. ↑ Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner #3 (1984)
  101. ↑ Agents of Atlas #6 (2009)
  102. ↑ Invaders #3 (1975)
  103. ↑ Tales to Astonish #71 (1965)
  104. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #19 (1991)
  105. ↑ New Warriors #1 (2014)
  106. ↑ Infinity: The Hunt #3 (2013)
  107. ↑ Saga of the Sub-Mariner #6 (1989)
  108. ↑ Tales to Astonish #72 (1965)
  109. ↑ Namor #5 (2003)
  110. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #10 (1969)
  111. ↑ Defenders #2 (2001)
  112. ↑ Sub-Mariner #12 (1969)
  113. 1 2 Sub-Mariner #32 (1970)
  114. ↑ Namor the Sub-Mariner #51 (1994)
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