All sorts of questions swirl around the role Namor the Sub-Mariner will play in Avengers: Doomsday. In the case of most of the characters confirmed for the fifth installment in the Avengers series, there's little doubt they'll be doing what they can to stop Doctor Doom's plan. But in the case of Namor in particular, things are much less clear-cut.
As a result of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's ending, Namor is currently allied with Wakanda and his comic counterpart does have a history as a hero, so Namor opposing Doom would make sense. However, he's such a complex character that nothing should be assumed about what the Avenging Son will be up to when he makes his second big-screen MCU appearance.
Due in part to the varying roles in he's held in Marvel Comics, not to mention the possibilities opened up by other developments in the MCU, there's a long list of directions the MCU could potentially take Namor when he returns for Avengers: Doomsday.
5 Shuri Recruits Namor For The Fight Against Doctor Doom
Easily the most obvious – and arguably the most likely route – for Avenger: Doomday to take with the Sub-Mariner would be to have his role tie in directly with the shaky alliance Talokan formed with Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. If Doctor Doom attacks, it makes sense that Shuri would be contacted by the Avengers.
If so, it stands to reason that she'd turn to Namor for help. The Wakandans wouldn't trust him, but Shuri's actions in Black Panther 2 suggests that she recognizes that they could be stronger together. Also, Namor himself pointed out that Wakanda may indeed require Talokan's assistance one day.
After years of off-and-off-again fighting between himself and the Avengers, Namor accepted official membership from Captain America in 1985. The offer was a response to Namor being forced off the throne of Atlantis. Apparently, Steve Rogers had intended to give Namor a new purpose. As an Avenger, Namor participated in several adventures, doing battle with the likes of Doctor Doom, Kang the Conqueror, and the Masters of Evil.
Theoretically, Marvel could use a similar twist to kickstart a similar chapter in Namor's MCU journey. Namor's final conversation with Namora in Wakanda Forever strongly hinted at political unrest in Talokan, so the Sub-Mariner finding himself isolated from his own kingdom isn't outside the realm of possibility.
Such a move would allow the Phase 6 film to show off a whole new side of Namor by forcing him to humble himself a bit.
3 Namor Joins Forces With Doctor Doom
Namor joining the Avengers is far from the only comic-accurate team-up that's feasible for his character's story in Avengers: Doomsday. One possibility is an alliance between him and Doctor Doom. Back when Namor was more of a villain than a hero, he enjoyed many team-ups with Doctor Doom, often in an effort to defeat their shared enemy, the Fantastic Four.
Namor isn't a foe of the Fantastic Four in the MCU, but that doesn't mean he couldn't find common ground with Doom, as both are rulers seen as pariahs by the rest of civilization. And given his raw power and resources as the King of Talokan, Namor could be an attractive option for Doctor Doom if he begins to scout the MCU for potential allies.
Of course, that's not to say that this would lock Namor into being a villain for good. After all, it shouldn't be forgotten that his team-ups with Doom rarely end well, and the same would likely the case for any sort of alliance their MCU counterparts form. Their clashing egos, conflicting goals, and Doom's own evil nature are sure to drive them apart.
When one inevitably betrays the other, the stage will be set for Namor to side with the Avengers for the final battle.
2 Namor & Doctor Strange Set Up A Comic-Accurate Defenders Team
An unexpected, but welcome, turn of events that Avengers: Doomsday could offer for Namor would be an adventure with Doctor Strange. Despite differing backgrounds, Namor and Doctor Strange have an extremely rich and complicated history in Marvel Comics; in addition to co-founding the Defenders and seeking each other's aid on multiple occasions, Namor and Doctor Strange have also been at odds over the years.
As for how they could cross paths in the MCU, it's possible that a mystical artifact in Talokan's custody capable of gaining the heroes an edge against Doom brings Strange to Namor's doorstep. That could allow the two to form some semblance of the interesting dynamic they share in the comics.
If that were to happen, the MCU would have the foundation for an incarnation of the Defenders that's more accurate to the original team, which was defined by its status as a "non-team." Consisting of some of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe, the Defenders didn't function as a formal team and only came together when the need arose.
1 Namor Fights Alongside The X-Men
The MCU quietly acknowledged Namor's "mutant" identity onscreen in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. With Marvel gradually building on this new corner of its universe, combined with the inclusion of Fox's original X-Men team, it's entirely plausible that Avengers: Doomsday will be much less subtle about Namor's connection to the X-Men.
One of the three aforementioned characters could lean on their own mutant heritage to relate to Namor in an effort to sway them to their side ahead of the fight with Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.
