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1941 Namor the Submariner Vs The Human Torch
Be prewarned! This is a long post people!
This was written long before I saw Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but only needed some minor edits to make it work with that movie.
The Talokanil have extremely long lifespans compared to humans, though none as long as Namor or Thor (for example). This way we can start to build a relationship between Namor, Namora and Attuma here.
Open on Talokan at night time. Guards on night watch are snatched one by one. We look from the last guards pov as they hear the commotion then see their comrades bio luminescent lamps dropping down in the ocean. The unseen attacker gets closer and closer, snatches the guard's partner and then them, Merrano's face (just for a second), blackout.
Cut to Jim Hammond (Human Torch) in his human disguise. He has been given a placement with the NYPD through the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). As an employee of the SSR he must secretly keep his ear to the ground for shenanigans in New York (mainly Hydra). He proudly vows to serve and protect.
Cut to another night time raid on Talokan.
Namora: Namor, wake up it's happening again.
He chases and loses Merrano but finds a seaplane with Talokanil being bundled inside. He swims towards it but it takes off. He flies after it and disables the engine. It lands bumpily. He frees the prisoners and interrogates the crew. They are Americans, just taking payment to deliver Talokanil (the Americans refer to them as Atlantis people and mermaids) to a floating fortress in the Atlantic. He leaves them stranded (with a warning) and heads for the fortress location with the Tri team (Namora and Attuma with water breathing apparatus). The scientists are from all over the world but they all work for Hydra (complete with snazzy green and yellow uniforms!).
They split up to scout the structure.
Jim is finishing up his first shift when he gets a call from Howard.
He was made aware of American seaplane pilots being repatriated after being stranded at sea off the coast of Mexico.
They have an incredible story of kidnapping mermaids and a floating fortress and a man with ankle wings. Something in the tale leads Howard to believe them.
Namora and Attuma come across the Atlantean living quarters. They are kept in a room with several sea water sprinklers which they all gather around, desperate to get some water over their gills. The Tri Team are horrified.
Attuma sets to working on their escape. Namora continues to scout.
Namor comes across Merrano in a seawater tank. He knows he should carry on covertly and meet back up with the team, but he can't ignore the traitor. He smashes the tank and engages in battle.
Merrano is much stronger than Namor remembers. He gets regular doses of a specially adapted version of Erskine's serum that adds to his Talokanilian strength. If he misses a dose, the strength wears off.
They are fairly evenly matched, but Namor is gaining the upper hand. Then Hydra goons arrive and set the flamethrowers on them. Namor, dehydrated, is subdued and captured.
He wakes to Merrano complaining about how he could have been killed by the flamethrowers. This is addressed to Johann Schmidt who is admiring his unusual specimen. His colleague, Arnim Zola, is particularly fascinated by the ankle wings and the fact that Namor isn't blue out of the water. Schmidt asks a suffering Namor where his friends are and, getting unsatisfactory answers, boasts about the horrible experiments his people are undergoing (discovery requires experimentation). The continued threat to his people does not break him.
Merrano is still complaining…
Schmidt: Do you still want to conquer Atlantis?
Merrano: Yes, of co-
Schmidt (interrupting): You can achieve this without Hydra?
Merrano: No.
Schmidt: Then shut up!
Arnim Zola: We need more specimens to study. We need more technology from Atlantis before we can strike.
Namor (spying Namora above, grinning): Actually, it's called Talokan.
She takes them by surprise, besting Schmidt and the scientists. She frees Namor from his arid prison and protects him as he is weakened. As they are surrounded by onrushing guards Attuma arrives with refreshed Talokanil.
The Talokanil are strong, but only the Tri Team have their weapons. They more than hold their own in the fight but are starting to fall to Hydra's flamethrower troops.
Outside we see the Talokanil conch division surface (they were always part of the plan but Namor couldn't keep his rage at Merrano in check leading to an early confrontation). This division will mind control humans in BP:WF but here they summon a Kraken with their toot horns.
Namor has been trying different tactics to limit their losses and stay in the fight until reinforcements arrived. When he hears the conch division he has Namora lead a retreat to the submarine bay. The Talokanil are escaping to the water with Hydra in pursuit when the Kraken strikes.
Namor has his Warriors take out any land dwellers escaping from the sinking fortress. No mercy. Though Schmidt, Zola and Merrano will all have to make an escape.
The survivors are returned home to much fanfare and remembrance of those who were lost. Namor is pissed off.
The next day.
The SSR go to investigate the reports of the floating fortress and find the wreck. They are mistaken for a raiding party by the Talokanil. They are attacked and their boat destroyed. Howard witnesses these incredible scenes (i.e. his team getting attacked by blue people and dragged underwater) from his propeller plane. He just about manages to get away from Namor who chases after him. He radios a message to HQ telling Jim to get back to work and listen out for anything out of the ordinary, especially if it involves blue people.
The SSR team are taken prisoner, though they protest their innocence. They are American.
Namor takes the Tri Team to attack a target on American soil. They trash the Coney Island lighthouse in retaliation and anyone who tries to stop them is put in their place.
Namor wants to go further inland, but Namora and Attuma are unsure as they cannot breathe the air like he can.
He sends them back and goes on to New York alone.
Jim overhears the call about blue people trashing the Coney Island lighthouse and takes Betty to investigate. She complains that it is not their beat and that it sounds ludicrous, but Jim says he has a hunch.
Namor is accidentally sucked into a sewage pipe, and comes out near a power station. He trashes the power station.
Jim and Betty survey the massive damage done to the lighthouse. The people who tried to stop the vandalism say it will take years to restore it it, but restore it they will. Jim asks about the blue people. They say they didn't think the police believed them. Jim says he does.
They say that two blue people swam back thattaway but the one with wings on his ankles swam up the river towards New York. Betty rolls her eyes.
Namor is accosted by a nervous security guard and accidentally kills him in anger after being shot. He flees another after being shot at again, though they miss this time. He is too tired, injured and weak to fly away so he runs.
NYPD Police start a big manhunt for a man with winged ankles. This information is not released to the press as Howard used some leverage to make them do it. The officers naturally don't believe the story. Jim does, of course, and he and Betty take part in the hunt.
Namor is fairly easy to spot on the run with his swimming costume and winged ankles (also with a bullet wound), too tired and injured to fly and can't get close enough to the water.
Whilst being pursued he causes havoc, wrecking New York along the way. Sometimes accidentally because of his strength while fleeing, other times on purpose using his super strength to help him escape. He is also still pissed off but pretty scared now.
Namor disguises himself with a homeless man's clothing. He manages to hide out in Central Park till near dark. He has a flashback of the security guard's death. He is quite terrified, out of his depth, literally.
He climbs in Central Park lake to calm down, but is spotted and soon has police on his tail again.
He escapes and swims down the Hudson. Namor is tiring. Police helicopters and boats are closing in. He can't outrun them.
He makes it to the Statue of Liberty. He uses his superhuman strength to barricade the door. Some sightseers are trapped inside, terrified. He says he will only harm those who would harm him or his people. He makes his way up to the head to recuperate.
Police set up outside. Officer Betty Dean is trying to talk him down with a megaphone. Jim says tell him that The Human Torch is on his way (The Torch is well known on the streets of New York for fighting crime). Namor says he doesn't care. He can beat the surface dweller's champion. Jim makes excuses and leaves the scene, turning on his flame in secret.
(If we're going with Sandy as a grown woman/romantic partner in Namor's solo movie then she can have a small role in this movie. Say, the Pierces are watching this on TV. Sandy says she has to go, she can help. Then she does go, despite her parents' protests.)
Torch flies up to Lady Liberty's head and tries to threaten Namor into coming down, Namor does not respond well to threats.
The police have breached the doors, released the civilians and are coming up. Namor decides to fight. Somewhat rested he is now able to fly and fight. He takes on the Torch and fights well. He has to break from the Torch periodically as his touch is dehydrating. In flight Jim is his match, but Namor will not run away. The Torch thinks he has the upper hand, but Namor really shows his strength. He strikes Hammond and knocks him all the way down to the police gathered at the base of the statue, including Betty
Namor stops the fight to check she's alright.
The Torch is back up…
THT: You nearly killed those police officers.
N: You were attacking me! I have a right to defend myself and my people.
THT: You trashed New York! And what's more, you did kill a man...at the power station.
B: He's right, you did.
Namor says the death was an accident but refuses to apologise, America attacked Talokan first. They both tell him America is not attacking his home as they didn't know it existed but he doesn't believe them.
The argument escalates.
Namor and Jim basically tell Betty to stand back (her response is something like 'for goodness sake') so they can fight again.
Namor is quite durable so can stand up to the heat without getting badly burned but he is becoming dehydrated. This is his weakness. Jim notices and tries to press his advantage.
Namor plunges back into the river and swims south, heading for open water.
Jim manages to catch up and grabs him, tries to pull him out of the water. The contact with water weakens Jim a little, Namor notices and tries to pull him down.
They do make landfall and have an epic battle back on Coney Island, wrecking the place. The residents are up in arms! 'Not again!' they cry.
After crashing together into an industrial building Namor mistakenly jumps in a water tank thinking it will lead into a tunnel like the one at the power station. Instead he is trapped.
Jim busts open the water tank and the spill knocks Namor out.
He comes to behind Howard Stark's unbreakable glass, though Namor tries.
Stark, Torch and Agent Flynn are discussing what can be done.
Officer Dean is being kept in an interview room nearby as Namor seemed to respond to her. Jim reveals his true identity and asks for her help.
((If we are having a Sandy storyline) Dean picks out an officer radioing that he has been approached by a Sandy Pierce, a woman, who is claiming to have befriended Namor. She also claims her father, Henry, went into business with the Talokanil. This would corroborate Namor's story that he is a prince of the underwater kingdom. Stark says he knows a Henry Pierce who's in the oil business.
Officer Dean goes to Namor says is it okay if she brings in a visitor, who claims to know him. He gets flustered when he sees it's Sandy.
Dean is called out. Sandy half convinces him that the USA is not attacking Talokan).
Officer Dean comes back with another visitor after a raised voices outside (Flynn doesn't think the visitor should go inside). President Roosevelt!
The PUSA further convinces Namor they are not enemies, "In fact, if your people are under threat, we will lend you our Human Torch and the resources of the fine men and women of the SSR to find the culprits"
"Thank you President Roosevelt"
"I must insist on a written apology for the family of the security guard that was killed. Accidental or not.
It won't bring him back, and I can't guarantee a pardon, it is a serious crime. But it would be a first step towards an understanding between our people."
Namor is uncharacteristically lost for words.
"Perhaps, with the help of your (two) friends here, we can negotiate a peace treaty between our nations...
And then, Prince Namor, I would ask for your help in return."
(Sandy and) Officer Dean encourage Namor through this whole exchange with the PUSA.
The SSR prisoners taken at the fortress are released at an agreed location and taken back to headquarters for medical checks.
Cut to boat with Jim, Betty Dean (Namor insisted she came) and Howard Stark following Namor, Namora and Attuma (J (aside to Betty): They really are blue… BD: Says the bright red man…)) to the ruins of the fortress where his people were taken. Hydra is long gone but Howard has a macguffin which allows them to track Talokanil. Most traces lead back to Talokan, but there are some heading to Europe. They follow the trail to (country? Spain maybe?) and discover Meranno and his mind controlled Talokanil army. They divide and conquer (dehumidifier for Stark, Betty Dean, Namora, Bobo and Jim's group, super strength for Namor) and manage to rescue the majority of Namor's people. Merrano is defeated but escapes again.
Namor returns to Talokan with Betty and the peace treaty and declares that he will help the allies against the axis.
Post credits:
Super-Axis
Lady Lotus, Master Man, Warrior Woman, Meranno/U-Man.
Lady Lotus admonishes Meranno and introduces him to the other members of the Super-Axis
1944 Captain America: The Invaders
We should learn more about Hydra and how they operate. Introduces the Invaders team.
Build up the relationship between Cap and Stark, as well as Cap and Peggy and Cap and Bucky. Also Cap and the Howling commandos.
Peggy should get to kick butt in this movie.
This takes place after D-Day. The allies are beginning to turn the tide of the war. Our heroes, however, are fighting a different battle.
Now that Red Skull has shown his true colours, his experiments are becoming less tolerable to the Third Reich. Hydra is a massive threat to the whole world and so Cap and the others are engaged in a somewhat secret battle in France.
Because of where we ended the IAC version of First Avenger, Cap and Peggy are still estranged. The last time she saw him she shot at him!
We open on the scene where Peggy sees that Cap has a picture of her in his compass from the propaganda film, but now from her point of view. This could be proceeded by an actual newsreel on D-Day.
Peggy: Where was that video taken?
Howard: Somewhere in the French countryside I think.
Peggy: Let's find an assignment in France, shall we?
We see Cap, Bucky and the Howling Commandos (HC) following a lead to a small Hydra factory, manufacturing one type of component. This is not the first one they have discovered.
They destroy the factory, wondering what Hydra are building. It is obviously some kind of weapon, but it is hard to tell what kind from the limited number of factories and components they have found.
Meanwhile Namor and his Tri Team have been pursuing Merrano and destroying experimental tesseract powered U-boats and other Hydra naval forces along the way.
Jim Hammond (The Human Torch) has been after Master Man. He has been destroying experimental tesseract powered air support and other Hydra air and ground forces along the way.
Peggy and Howard are now in the countryside, investigating whole squads, allied and German, that seem to have been beaten to death. They find one survivor who is embarrassed to tell them that it was a woman.
They surmise that it was Julia Koenig and that she must have gained her powers from the phase 2 super soldier serum in the lab accident from the Human Torch movie.
In the debris of another battle they fine no survivors at all. Allied and Nazi soldiers bodies alike, in no fit state to send home to their mothers, as Howard puts it. There is earth overturned and scorch marks everywhere, huge tank tracks in the ground...
They wonder if Red Skull has outgrown the Nazis. They follow the trail.
Namor's team pursue Merrano to a river based field laboratory where Cap's team have also traced their next components to.
Namor: The famous Captain America. I believe our meeting is long overdue. Now we shall see if you are as great a warrior as they say.
Steve: Pleasure to meet you Prince Namor. Please, call me Steve.
(Namor proceeds to call him Captain for the rest of the movie)
After a big laboratory fight including brainwashed Talokanil and experimental tesseract weapons the heroes triumph. Namor's team captures Merrano and rescues his people and Cap's team has their new component and new leads. They destroy the factory.
Namora and Attuma head home with Merrano and the freed Talokanil. Namor joins Cap to track down the next component.
In the countryside Master Man is supposed to be marrying Warrior Woman. A propaganda wedding to please the Führer. Master Man (aka Willie Lohmer) is quite excited about it, Warrior Woman…is not. Peggy and Howard arrive at the church in disguise as guests. Peggy, of course, speaks flawless German. She has told Howard to keep his mouth shut.
They manage to overhear that not only does Julia not want to go through with the wedding (not into arranged marriages or Willie) but her powers are on the fritz. Her super strength and agility come and go as a result of getting her powers in an accident, though she keeps her enhanced physique.
All very useful until Howard forgets himself, opens his mouth and soon they are running across the countryside with shots fired after them from Hydra and the Nazis present. Howard gets caught by Master Man but then The Human Torch shows up and challenges him to a fight. Willie can't back down in front of Julia. Jim keeps him busy and then Colonel Phillips and his troops arrive. They engage the enemy and Howard is freed. Cap, Bucky and the HC arrive (they were in the area obvs) and mop up the remnants. The whole wedding party (excluding Julia) is captured. Cap and Peggy are reunited.
The prisoners are relocated to their European base. One, Lotus Newmark, appeals to Howard. She says she started working for Hydra because they could get her family out of their detention centre in New York. Two years later, the centres are still intact and her parents still interred. If they can get them released, she will take them to where Schmidt's super weapon, Panzer Max ('Panzer Max? Sounds a little patriotic for Schmidt…'), is being built. She doesn't know what it is exactly, but it is meant to end the war. It sounds like the kind of machine that could cause the horrific scene that Peggy and Howard found in France.
Howard falls for it, no mind control necessary, and gets the crew together. They all head out to this rather large but otherwise unassuming factory back in the French countryside.
When they arrive the factory is empty save for something big covered in canvases up the back and a series of workrooms and offices behind that. They smell a rat, but Lotus is gone. From a safe distance, she mind controls them to fight eachother. It is clear she is toying with them, she could have them kill each other. Cap does get shot but it is fairly superficial.
Steve and Namor are able to resist due to their powers, Jim is unaffected as he is synthetic. They are surrounded by their friends and allies. Namor is happy to kill them all but Cap and Jim won't let him. They prepare to fight.
Lotus releases them and (psychically) tells them that her part is done, and that the allies are a-holes for the way they treated their own citizens.
Then, as everyone is recovering, Panzer Max rises from the canvases. At full height it nearly reaches the ceiling. It is ridiculously decked out with minigun hands and missiles on it's shoulders. Oh and a tesseract powered laser.
Zola, Warrior Woman, Hydra goons and the Red Skull are piloting. This is the second field test, the first was unsatisfactory as it only contained two opposing military companies and some light artillery. Red Skull is disappointed that Herr Rogers didn't bring more firepower. Panzer starts to lay into our heroes. They warm up the laser.
Dugan says reinforcements are ten minutes out. Cap says they have to hold out till then.
They assault Panzer from different angles to make themselves difficult to target. Cap, Bucky and the commandos try to damage the tank treads. Namor and Jim take to the air and try to break into the cockpit.
It appears to be impervious to conventional weapons, even Cap's shield. They have also made it fireproof and waterproof to combat Namor. Peggy and Howard hit it with rocket/grenade launchers from cover (crates or something? idk), the plating holds.
The laser finally fires and hits close to the crates. Peggy and Howard go flying but survive with minor injuries.
Red Skull is disappointed as it takes the laser a long time to charge. He shoots the goon operating and takes his seat. He asks for time to get it warmed up again.
Namor gets his spear to make a dent but it gets jammed in the plating. He gets hit with a flame thrower taking him out. The group are tiring and the blasts/bullets are getting closer.
Morita gets the call on the radio, reinforcements are here, open a wall and clear a blast zone. The Torch makes the hole and the others get clear. Cap helps Namor.
Panzer takes a volley from missiles, tank shells and mortars. It is unscathed.
The laser is ready. Red Skull retaliates and takes out a tank division with the laser and some missiles.
RS: See? It's not so hard to shoot a laser.
Dying goon: '…'
Then the mini guns go on the advancing infantry. Things are not going well for the heroes. But the distraction for Red Skull gives them a chance to regroup.
Howard and Peggy have some ideas. Howard thinks that the vibranium in Cap's shield could redirect the laser to the shoulder missiles causing them to explode. Peggy didn't like that one as it puts Steve in danger. She reasoned that the operators need to breathe so their must be an intake or exhaust somewhere and they have a powerful and sentient flamethrower.
Steve says they should do both to maximise their chances. Peggy and Howard get Namor to a workroom at the back of the factory.
Surviving reinforcements start arriving at the factory and immediately start getting picked off. Steve makes his presence known and goads Red Skull into concentrating fire on him. He has a hard time avoiding the miniguns but his agility just keeps him from any serious harm.
Jim quietly searches behind it for an intake or exhaust.
The laser warms up, the miniguns fall quiet and Cap stands his ground. Taking up his shield at the strategic moment, he redirects the laser. It is difficult, and the heat is almost unbearable but he manages to get it back to the rockets before Schmidt manages to shut it off.
BOOM!
An entire minigun arm comes off.
Meanwhile the Torch has found an opening and concentrates his flame in there. As the operators frantically try to assess the damage from Rogers' strike, the fierce flames disable the operating system and spread to the cockpit.
Realising the experiment has failed Zola suggests they are now outnumbered and should retreat. The Red Skull says he will deal with Zola's design failure later and they exit with 49 Hydra goons as cover. They head for the back rooms!
As the allies head for the back rooms, Panzer explodes and Jim is caught in the blast. He is thrown into the brickwork and gets buried in rubble.
Cap, Bucky and the commandos pursue Schmidt's party to an underground tunnel. The commandos engage Schmidt's personal goons while Cap and Bucky take on Red Skull.
Zola has quietly made his way to the tesseract powered high speed underground rail transport and is frantically trying to get it started.
Schmidt manages to grab Bucky and puts him between him and Cap. This gives him an opportunity to get on board the transport but with Cap in hot pursuit. Cap manages to get Bucky clear. Schmidt uses that distraction to force Steve off as well and the transport disappears into the distance.
Meanwhile, Julia discovers Peggy and Howard protecting Namor from some goons. She goes for Peggy and Howard tries to be all manly and get in the way. She says she never got the chance to thank him properly for ruining her wedding and she means it. But then she starts to strangle him. Peggy tries to intervene but Julia easily sends her flying. Peggy picks up a wrench and knocks down the goons and stands with it. Julia derisorily asks what she means to do with it.
With a wry smile she knocks a nearby water pipe open and it floods the room. Julia realises what this means too late and is soon in a pitched battle with a revived Namor. The goons recover and keep coming for him until Julia gets the upper hand. Peggy goes to intervene again and Julia hits her but it only lands as a normal punch.
Peggy: What's the matter? Powers on the fritz?
Peggy decks her and, being in a weakened state, she is knocked out. Namor bests the goons. He is impressed with Peggy. Probably tries to flirt with her because…Namor.
Then a debrief back at their European base. Colonel Phillips congratulates the allies for ensuring that Hydra didn't turn the D-Day invasion into a failure.
Howard has charmed some Locals into giving a crate of champagne. He starts passing out glasses and bottles as Phillips speaks. When he finishes, Howard proposes a toast to his favourite Invaders (too on the nose?).
Cap should have a moment with Peggy and with Bucky while Jim is welcomed to the gang by the Howling commandos. They ask where Namor has gone. Jim says he went home to have a party of his own.
Cut to Namor having a lavish ceremony to celebrate the capture of the traitor Merrano and the return of the kidnapped Talokanil. Big celebrations!
Then we track down to the prison where Merrano can hear the celebrations. But instead of being sad, he is SMILING…
Post credits:- Lady Lotus complains to the Red Skull that her parents haven't been released yet…"You said you would free them all, raze the internment camp to the ground".
Schmidt has realised that if Steve Rogers can resist her then he can too and he needed some insurance that she would stay and carry out the next part of the plan. He will need her talents very soon…
Panzer Max idea inspired by this article:
