Atlanteans (Marvel)

Revision as of 05:53, 22 June 2017

The Atlanteans led by Namor rise from the depths in Torch v1 #4.

Atlanteans are an aquatic offshoot of Humanity that feature in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

Namor and the Atlanteans in Sub-Mariner v1 #33.

Around 20,000 years ago, Atlantis was ruled by Emperor Kamuu who led the city's defenses against the raiding Lemurians. To defeat their foes, the Emperor ordered magma from deep underground to be released but this destroyed the seal wall thus sinking Atlantis beneath the waves. (Sub-Mariner v1 #62) It was said that 15,000 years ago, Atlantis was a major world with their kind ruled by a benevolent ruler where they discovered the Savage Land. Whilst exploring it, they learnt of the alien Nuwali's heating systems and replicated the technology in a neighboring region called Pangea that was used as an Atlantean amusement park. However, their reign came to an end when the Deviants invaded Atlantis in order to enslave the human race but their onslaught was thwarted when the Celestials struck against their creation's uprising causing Atlantis to sink. (Fantastic Four v1 #316) One account held that when Atlantis was on the surface, the Atlanteans were noted for dominating the world but in time began to grow decadent to the point that they could no longer be bothered to conduct their own battles. Thus, they began hiring the Amazons who were led by Queen Myrina. Among their campaigns saw the purging of a Gorgon nest in the western peaks where they kept some of the creatures alive so that their family line could continue in the Amazon nation. In order to avoid payment, the depraved Atlantean rulers slew the Amazon garrison left behind whereupon the council of sorcerers created a scheme against the Amazons. This saw them create the Omphalos that saw them steal the power of Atlas himself who was the axis of the world thus controlling the world. However, they underestimated the power they were harnessing which devastated Atlantis during the Cataclysm which saw the Atlanteans turned into a race of water breathers. (Incredible Hercules v1 #123)

During a dark age, the kingdom of Atlantis faced the threat of the Old Atlanteans who were considered the scourge of the oceans in that era. Their number included three different species such as the predatory Chordai, the pillaging Mala and the parasitical Uhari. It was known that these races sought to destroy their enemies, those that they could not destroy they sought to possess and those that they could not possess; they sought to consume. Millennia ago, the Atlanteans fought these ancient foes in a battle underneath the great expanse that used to be their dominion. During the struggle, the Old Atlanteans were driven to near extinction and hunted down with their history being stricken from records. The only piece of knowledge that existed on them was passed down the royal line; from King to King which consisted of a visual record of the three races that made up the Old Atlanteans. As such, despite the passage of millennia, the Atlanteans were the bitterist of enemies of the Old Atlanteans. (Fantastic Four v1 #586)

Around two millennia ago, under the reign of the patriarch Ossem the Atlanteans were attacked by the barbarians of Skarka who killed many of the young inhabitants of Atlantis. The survivors in anger wanted revenge with these being led by Ossem's son Balaal where they formed a warmongering faction who also created a cult that worshipped a rival god named Father Set. Ossem went to consult with the god of Neptune but upon his return a coup was initiated by Balaal who intended to sacrifice his father to Set. Neptune intervened where he struck to stop the sacrifice that would empower the serpent god with the cultists being killed in the process. In fear, the Atlanteans dispersed into the oceans with Ossem seeking to find them and reunite them into a nation. He succeeded in this task over the span of decades with their city being rebuilt. Ossem later died of old age but on his deathbed he begged for Neptune to look after his people with the Olympian deity being touched by the Atlantean king's words with him agreeing to the dying request. Neptune began to live among the Atlanteans where he showed them kindness instead of anger with them referring to him as Father Neptune and it was a period referred to as a Golden Age of Atlantean history. (The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #9)

Centuries ago, the Atlantean scientist Kyral perfected the cloning process but Thallo later outlawed it. (Namor v1 #20)

Modern

During World War II, Nazi Germany launched an offensive against the Atlanteans at their kingdom beneath the Antarctic Circle where a flotilla dropped bombs on their settlements. In the attack, the Emperor was seemingly killed with Namor rallying his people for a counterattack where he was briefly captured but managed to escape. With the Emperor's death, Namor was made the new ruler of the Atlantean realm. (Sub-Mariner Comics v1 #1)

A faction of Atlanteans rejected Attuma and sided with Namor where they created the city of Deluvia. (Alpha Flight v1 #40)

The inhabitants of New Atlantis were briefly conquered by Attuma after he became Nerkkod, Breaker of Oceans of the Worthy. (Fear Itelf: The Deep v1 #1)

New Atlantis

Among the subparts of New Atlantis was a region known as Little Lemuria that was home to a number of Lemurians. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #7)

Overview

Atlantean/Human hybrids from Namor v1 #11.

Atlantean society was divided into a caste system that included builders and mechanists with it expected that an individual to be grateful in their role and not to change castes. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #2)

One source of entertainment was a game called Whips that involved a ball with instruments used in order to win. It held a long history as a sport to the lower castes of Atlanteans. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #7)

The Atlantean system of faith was complicated and arcane. (All-New Invaders v1 #10)

At Atlantis, one tradition was the Ritual of Renewal whereby the monarch dipped Neptune's Trident into the flames that created it. (Sub-Mariner v1 #17)

The monarch of Atlantis wore the Seal of Governship as a ring to signify their position. (Tales of the Marvels: Inner Demons v1 #1) Another relic from Atlantis was the Horn of Gabriel that could be used to summon mighty sea monsters. (Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America v1 #2)

Atlanteans punished their criminals by taking their skin off in strips. (Wolverine v3 #45)

As a people, they had seven thousand years experience in the art of waging war. Among their military infantry included centurion-class soldiers where large numbers of them formed into legions. (Namor: The First Mutant)

The people of Atlantis did not separate magic from science with them holding skilled science-mages. (Invaders Now! v1 #4) Followers of Ophion hid their faces in shame of Atlantis's limited dominion with these radicals that mankind was destined to fall on its own accord whereupon Atlantis could rule both land and sea. (Secret Empire: Brave New World v1 #1)

An artefact of importance to their people was the Vault of Law that was an ancient ornate storage chest used by ancient kings to safeguard precious items. It was mystically sealed by the Prime Logomancer and could only be opened by the true ruler of Atlantis. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #1) It was held as one of the most sacred Atlantean artifacts. The Vault of Law was mentioned in the Coral Scrolls and the Book of the Eighteenth Cataclysm with the legends stating that only a king or queen could open it. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #2)

Their genetic engineering skills allowed them to create new breeds of animals such as the heefa fish that were held sacred by the Atlantean people. (Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual v1 #2) One drug created in Atlantis was Hook that was noted for being vile but it had an even worse affect on humans as it was aggressively addictive to them. (Heroes for Hire v3 #1)

They made use of specially designed Whale Ships and Shark Ships. (Sub-Mariner Comics v1 #1)

Members

• Namor :
• Namora :
• Namorita :
• Attuma :
• Andromeda :
• Krang :
• Dorma :
• Thakorr :
• Tyrak :
• Vyrra :
• Aradnea : a female Atlantean mystic who served Attuma with her being born, bred and engineered as a conduit for the Undying Ones. She aided in the conquest of New Atlantis but was killed by Loa. (Fear Itself: The Deep v1 #3)
• Ossem : male patriarch of Atlantis around two millennia ago who led his people during the predations from the barbarians of Skarka who killed many leading to the young survivors forming a warmongering faction that created a cult which worshipped the rival god Father Set.
• Balaal : male son of king Ossem of Atlantis who two millennia ago was among the survivors of Skarka attacks that created a warmongering faction who formed a cult that worshipped Father Set. He staged a coup against his father and intended to sacrifice him to Set only for Neptune to intervene where he killed the cultists. (The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #9)
• Kurod Ormaon : a male Atlantean who disguised his true identity as a human bio-chemist and pharmaceutical engineer named Bernard Waterman that hated his fellow kind and humans. He established a criminal operation on the surface where he farmed the drug Hook on humans that were used to produce better narcotics that he sold back on the Atlantean market with him making a great deal of profit. (Heroes for Hire v3 #1)
• Oudvrou : a name given to an elderly female Atlantean warrior who survived an encounter with the Aqueos vampires and lived during the time of the Shallow Peace with them. (Namor: The First Mutant v1 #1)

Notes

Alternate Versions

• In Ultimate Fantastic Four #24 & #25 (2005), the Atlanteans were introduced into the Ultimate Marvel universe. It was revealed that Mary Storm was part of a secret project known as the Atlantis Project to find the lost city which was a goal that took 15 years to accomplish. Her obsession and being hired by a major corporation meant that she seemingly abandoned her family leading to Franklin Storm telling his their two children that she died. When the Susan and Johnny Storm grew up, she returned to their lives and asked for their help in uncovering the city. There, they found the sarcophagus of "King" Namor who was actually an Atlantean criminal imprisoned 9,000 years ago. When speculating the fate of Atlantis, he stated that there was a war between Atlantis and Lemuria for centuries which led him to conclude that the war ignited leading to the destruction of his civilization. He further stated that Atlantean civilization was millions of years more evolved than Humans and it was an easy feat to learn English within an hour.
• In House of M v1 (2015), a version of the Atlanteans resided on Battleworld with these residing in the Monarchy of M and led by King Namor. They were making diplomatic negotiations with the House of Magnus though secretly Quicksilver was meeting with Namor to stage a coup to unseat his own father Magneto who was the Baron of his realm.

In other media

Television

• In The Marvel Super Heroes, Atlanteans featured in a number of episodes in Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner series.
• In Fantastic Four, the Atlanteans appeared where they were from the city of Pacifica in the 1967 animated television series which appeared in the episode "Danger in the Depths". They were a highly advanced underwater civilization of blue-skinned natives who could not survive on the surface without technology. The Atlanteans of Pacifica were ruled by Prince Triton and had numerous aristocrats with their city besieged by the barbarian tribes of Attuma.
• In Avengers: United They Stand, the underwater dwelling blue skinned people of Atlantis made an appearance in the episode "To Rule Atlantis". They were ruled by Namor with the barbarian Attuma seeking to usurp control of the kingdom. To achieve that goal, Attuma used a dynamo machine to cause earthquakes to devastate Atlantis and blame the surface world. Members of Atlantis's court were secretly aligned with Attuma and sought to depose Namor.
• In Avengers Assemble, a horde of homo mermanus led by Attuma attack the surface world where they seek to sink New York City. The Atlanteans in this setting except for Attuma have a much more fish-like appearance. In the episode "Beneath the Surface", it was shown that Lady Zartra who was formerly a lieutenant of Attuma began to see him as a corrupt tyrant leading to her rebelling against his rule. She and other likeminded Atlanteans formed resistance movement seeking to overthrow him and arranged for the acquisition of the Serpent Crown. Zartra would use the Crown to summon Giganto to serve her as a weapon against Attuma but had a confrontation with the Avengers who were pursuing the Serpent Crown. Ultimately, the Avengers allied with Zartra's forces when Attuma's horde arrived leading to a battle against them for the Serpent Crown with the Atlantean warlord being defeated. In "Avengers Underground", after the Avengers apparent death a number of Atlanteans arose to the surface to claim the surface world for the exiled Attuma. They were effortlessly defeated by the Squadron Supreme who now ruled Earth where Hyperion left one alive to take this news back to Atlantis whilst he killed the others.

Video games

• In Marvel Ultimate Alliance, a mission involves the heroes journeying to Atlantis that had been taken over by the Masters of Evil who had supported a coup against Namor and placed Attuma in charge. Atlanteans within the game are shown to worship a deity known as Negrete and have a temple in her name.

Appearances

• Fantastic Four v1:
• Namor:
• Namor: The First Mutant:

External Links

• Marvel Wiki Entry

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