Assault on Atlantis

This story runs concurrently with the events of Alpha Flight #39…

The Avengers have received a call from the Sub-Mariner requesting assistance in rescuing his lover, Marrina. She has been taken prisoner by Attuma, the barbaric warrior who now rules Atlantis.[1] Along the way, he tells Captain America how he met Marrina — an alien who adapted into an amphibian when she was born on Earth — Meeting her was the happiest moment of Namor’s life and he proposed marriage to her. Unfortunately, they were soon attacked by another member of Marrina’s race that was unleashed by the so-called Master of the World and Marrina went missing in the aftermath of that battle.[2] Namor had been searching for her until he learned that Attuma had kidnapped her.

At that same moment, Attuma holds Marrina prisoner with in a transparent sphere. He gloats over how he will finally defeat his arch nemesis. Soon the Avengers arrive and help Namor fight his way through the armies of Atlantis. Although the legions are massive, the Avengers are soon joined by the members of the Canadian super-hero team Alpha Flight, who have come to aid in rescuing Marrina, a former member of their team.[3] The two teams regroup and formulate a plan before resuming their attack. While most of the two teams deal with the army, Northstar is sent ahead to free Marrina, while the Sub-Mariner confronts Attuma.

The armies of Atlantis are defeated shortly after Marrina is rescued. While there are no casualties, Box has to retreat from the battle because he has begun to feel dizzy after spending so much time merged with his robotic body. With the battle over and Attuma defeated, the Sub-Mariner learns that this was all carried out because the warlord felt that Namor might threaten his rule of Atlantis. Namor tells Attuma that his fears were baseless and this whole scheme unnecessary as he has no interest in ruling Atlantis again. That’s when Marrina tries to attack Attuma for capturing her and she is shot by one of the guards. As Marrina flees the scene, the Sub-Mariner swims after her to find out what’s wrong. As the Avengers and Alpha Flight prepare to depart, Captain Marvel warns Attuma that if he pulls a stunt like this again the Avengers will come down on hard on him.

Meanwhile, Namor catches up with Marrina who doesn’t want him to see how her face has bee transformed. However, the Sub-Mariner tells her that her change in appearance or their incompatible biology doesn’t change how he feels about her. This conversation is observed by Captain Marvel who arrives unseen in her neutrino form. Realizing that she is intruding on a private matter, Monica is about to go when Marrina tries to flee Namor. Monica makes her presence known and offers the Avengers aid in restoring her Marrina’s lost humanity. The alien woman refuses her aid and takes off. When Namor follows after her, Monica once again offers the Avengers aid. The Sub-Mariner tells Marvel that this is now a private matter again. He also asks her to inform the Wasp that he will be on an indefinite leave of absence until he can sort this out, despite the fact that Namor has a huge lawsuit on the surface that he has to fight.[4] As Namor takes off, Monica discovers that she has a newfound respect for the Sub-Mariner. Now that she can finally trust her teammate, she wonders if she’ll ever see him again.[5]

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Wasp, Black Knight, Hercules, Captain Marvel, Sub-Mariner), Alpha Flight (Vindicator, Northstar, Aurora, Puck, Marrina, Box, Shaman, Snowbird), Attuma

Continuity Notes

1. Namor was recently forced to abdicate the throne following the events of Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner #1-4. He will remain in exile until Namor the Sub-Mariner #40.

2. Marrina is a member of the Plodex. Alpha Flight #4 explains that the Plodex send ships filled with the unborn eggs of their offspring to worlds they wish to conquer. Once they hatch, the young Plodex adapt to life on that world and conquer it. Namor’s proposal to Marrina and her subsequent disappearance happened in Alpha Flight #16. She fled because her Plodex biology was reactivated after encountering the male creature unleashed by the Master. She has come to believe that Namor would find her ugly in this less-human form and took off.

3. Was Wasp remembers meeting Alpha Flight during the final battle with the Beyonder in Secret Wars II #9.

4. The Sub-Mariner is being sued for property damage he has caused in New York during past attacks on the city. This suit was filed in Avengers #270. The lawsuit against Namor never really comes to fruition. The closest thing is a trial for Namor’s crimes against humanity which happens in Namor the Sub-Mariner #13. I would presume that since Namor was found not legally responsible due to insanity, it made the civil suit a bust.

5. Namor’s pursuit of Marrina continues in Alpha Flight #40 where Namor tracks Marrina down, helps her regain her lost humanity and the couple finally get married.

Topical References

• In this story, it is stated that Namor is being sued for two billion dollars worth of damages he has done to private property over the years. This figure should be considered topical due to inflation. 2 billion of 1986 money would be worth nearly 5 billion in 2021.