With Black Panther 2 dead set on expanding the MCU universe and featuring even more factions from the comic books, it's only a matter of time before Namor starts making waves. However, some of the more dedicated comic book fans will notice that the MCU seems to be doing its own thing with the Atlantean superhero. For that matter, Black Panther 2 noticeably changes up Atlantis as well.
Still, that's not an uncommon practice for a work of fiction. Atlantis is one of the favorite topics in pop culture and it has way too many renditions and versions. Fans who have been introduced to Black Panther via the MCU might want to familiarize themselves with how Marvel handled its Atlantis and what exactly will change in the film adaptation.
9 It Was Previously Located At The Center Of The World
Atlantis in many other works of fiction is situated at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, hence the name. But Marvel made it so that Atlantis wasn't always there. Because in its origin story for Atlantis, it was Marvel's Zeus' actions against the Titans that led to the founding of Atlantis. After he won against his oppressive forebears, he marked his territory using two eagles which he sent around the world.
Zeus then declared the spot where the two eagles converged as the center of the world. In addition, Zeus and other Olympians also condemned the Titan Atlas to this spot, and the chunk of land where he stood was named Atlantis. It was also there where Atlas held the heavens for eternity as punishment from the gods.
8 It's The Same Size As Australia
As for the size of the continent of Atlantis, the Marvel comic books estimated it to have around the same landmass area as the country of Australia. That's roughly 7.6 million square kilometers of space which is plenty of space for a large population and their required resources.
It made sense for the country or continent of Atlantis to be this big since Atlas initially held the heavens high in that spot. Moreover, Atlantis' actual location was somewhere between the continent of North America and Europe, the same as most other renditions of Atlantis in other media.
7 The Country Wasn't Always Advanced
In many versions of Atlantis, they were typically portrayed as an advanced and powerful— or even futuristic civilization of aquatic humanoids. This wasn't the case back in its origins in the Marvel comic books as Atlantis was initially just occupied by several warring tribes of barbarians. Of course, the most popular among them was the tribe of hunters and warriors called Atlanteans.
It didn't start out as the prosperous and intelligent civilization it is in the present timeline of Marvel comic books. Atlantis' status as an empire was hard-won and its throne was always a black hole of power struggles even before it sank to the bottom of the ocean. It did have its advantages due to its location, as well as some notable powerful rulers that also relied on some kind of sorcery.
6 Their Land Sank Because Of The Deviants
As for how Atlantis in Marvel sank, their version of the story involves the Deviants or the sworn enemies of the Eternals. It's worth noting that Thanos was a Deviant in the MCU. The Deviants were the anomalous counterpart to the Eternals which threaten the authority of the Celestials. It just so happens that they settled on an island near Atlantis called Lemuria.
It was the Celestials who unleashed a planetary event called the Great Cataclysm on the continent of Lemuria. The shockwaves sadly extended to Atlantis and it fragmented the continent before sinking it to the bottom of the ocean all in a span of one week.
5 They've Waged War Against Humans In The Past
Still, the Atlanteans managed to survive and even somewhat thrive despite their underwater disposition. Thanks to their city's protective domes as well as their genetics, they were able to adapt to their situation but not without difficulty. One problem was dwindling food and resources, which some of its rulers back in the BC era sought to fix through trade with the nearby land-based Greek civilizations.
They even tried to initiate a trade with Athens in Greece. However, their emissaries were welcomed with violence and this angered their current ruler, Kam'u. Naturally, such a transgression led to a war against Athens though this didn't lead to Atlantis getting much recognition in human history; their existence was still a myth after the war.
4 Its Most Popular Ruler Wasn't Born Until The Modern Age
Namor has always been Atlantis' most popular leader or person. The whole premise of Atlantis existing was so he could have a good backstory, after all. Still, he's way too young compared to his empire's age. Because Atlantis has existed for tens of thousands of years while Namor was only born in the 1900s in the Marvel comic book timeline.
Namor was the lovechild of a forbidden union between Atlantean royalty and a human sailor. It's similar to how Aquaman in DC is also a hybrid Atlantean in his own universe. In any case, Namor is relatively young when one considers the legacy of Atlantis.
3 Atlantis Helped The Allies In World War 2
It wasn't until the middle of the 1900s that Atlantis started helping humans in full force without much prejudice. Thanks to Namor's diplomatic skills, he convinced Atlantis and its rulers back in the 1940s to help the Allies back in World War 2. Apparently, the Axis' powers threatened the sanctity of their hidden kingdom.
Sure enough, they leveraged their nautical advantage to contribute to the war effort. Atlantis' forces helped sink German U-Boats using their own flying submarines. They helped the Atlantic clear the Atlantic supply line in WW2, which proved beneficial to aiding Allied forces in the European theater.
2 They Are Feuding With Wakanda
One would think that Wakanda and Atlantis would get along well since they're both hidden civilizations. But the opposite is true; in Marvel, these two civilizations are constantly locking horns in a conflict that has no end in sight. Namor apparently drew first blood back in the Avengers vs. X-Men comics where he sided with the X-Men.
Using his newfound powers, Namor unleashed a massive tidal wave against Wakanda after learning that the Avengers set up base in the hidden city. Since then, the Wakandans and Black Panther himself haven't forgiven Namor; through a series of retaliations, the two civilizations waged their long war. As such, Namor is set to be one of the villains in Black Panther 2, following the comic book tradition.
1 MCU's Atlantis Is Based On Mesoamerican Culture & Has A Different Name
Speaking of the Black Panther 2, it ushered a facelift for Atlantis and Namor in the MCU. In the comic books, Atlantis was mostly based on Greek themes and architecture. Even their most advanced buildings still had Greek or Roman designs. Appearance-wise, Namor whose surname is McKenzie was racially ambiguous since he's part Homo Mermanus, which is a fictional race of merfolk.
MCU touched up Atlantis and based on the trailers and promotional material for Black Panther 2, the underwater civilization is now based on Aztecs, Mayans, or other Mesoamerican cultures. Moreover, it's not named Atlantis anymore, but rather, Talocan. It's not clear how much backstory it will import from the comic book Atlantis, but one thing is for certain: they're angry at Wakanda.