Atlantis and its signature ruler, Namor, are foundational elements of the Marvel Universe, predating the company's official name. The kingdom made its debut alongside the Sub-Mariner in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 in April 1939, a promotional comic that was never released to the public. The work was created by the visionary writer-artist Bill Everett for the Funnies, Inc. comic book packager. Namor and his undersea realm were then officially introduced to the world in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), published by Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Everett's creation was a product of the Golden Age of Comics, a period defined by archetypal heroes and clear-cut conflicts. Namor was one of comics' first anti-heroes, a vengeful monarch from a mysterious kingdom with a legitimate grievance against the surface world. This dynamic made Atlantis a compelling and threatening presence. Alongside Captain America and the original Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner was one of Timely's “Big Three,” and Atlantis played a key role in his World War II-era stories, eventually allying with the Invaders against the Axis powers. After the Golden Age, Atlantis and Namor fell into obscurity until they were brilliantly revived for the Silver Age by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four Annual #1 (1963). This issue re-established the kingdom within the new, interconnected Marvel Universe. The Fantastic Four discover an amnesiac Namor in New York, and upon regaining his memory, he returns to find his kingdom destroyed by deep-sea nuclear testing. This tragic rediscovery cemented Atlantis's modern identity: a proud, beleaguered nation with a powerful reason to hate and fear the surface world, setting the stage for decades of epic conflict and drama.
The origin of Marvel's undersea kingdom is a tale of cataclysm and adaptation, though the specifics diverge dramatically between the primary comic continuity and the cinematic universe.
The story of Atlantis begins over 20,000 years ago with a thriving, technologically advanced continent located in the Atlantic Ocean. Around 18,000 BCE, a cosmic event known as the Great Cataclysm occurred. The Celestials destroyed the power center of their enemies, the serpent-worshipping Deviants, located on the continent of Lemuria. The resulting tectonic upheaval caused widespread devastation, sinking both Lemuria and the continent of Atlantis beneath the waves. While many of the human inhabitants perished, a small group survived thanks to the intervention of brilliant Atlantean scientists and priests who erected a massive protective dome over their capital city. Trapped beneath the sea, the survivors faced a choice: adapt or perish. Over millennia, the scientists found a way to genetically alter their people, granting them the ability to extract oxygen from water, withstand the crushing pressures of the deep, and thrive in their new aquatic environment. This engineered evolution created the Homo mermanus, the water-breathing humanoid species that populates Atlantis today, identifiable by their characteristic blue skin. The city itself, now also called Atlantis, became the capital of a new undersea empire. For thousands of years, the Atlanteans lived in near-total isolation, their existence becoming mere myth to the burgeoning civilizations on the surface. They developed a monarchical society, a fierce warrior culture, and technology that in many ways surpassed that of the surface. During the 20th century, an American sea captain named Leonard McKenzie formed a relationship with Princess Fen, the daughter of the Atlantean Emperor Thakorr. Their union produced a son, Namor, a hybrid mutant possessing the abilities of both races and unique powers of his own, destined to rule Atlantis and bridge the gap—or widen the chasm—between his two worlds. The kingdom's modern history is intrinsically linked to Namor's reign, marked by multiple destructions, relocations, and a perpetual, simmering war with the surface.
In the MCU, as detailed in the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the kingdom is not named Atlantis but Talokan. Its origins are not tied to a mythical lost continent but to the very real history of 16th-century colonialism in the Americas. The Talokanil were originally an indigenous Mesoamerican tribe living in the Yucatán Peninsula. When Spanish conquistadors arrived, they brought not only violence but also a devastating smallpox epidemic that ravaged the tribe. Desperate, their shaman was guided by visions to a glowing, vibranium-infused plant growing in an underwater cenote. The tribe's shaman created an elixir from the plant, which they all consumed. The process was agonizing, but it transformed them: their skin turned blue, they grew gills, and they gained the ability to breathe water, along with superhuman strength and longevity. However, it also rendered them unable to breathe air, forever severing them from the surface world. The tribe's chieftain had a pregnant wife who consumed the elixir. Her unborn son was uniquely affected by the plant's properties and the unique conditions of his birth. This child was born with all the abilities of his people, but also with winged ankles that allowed him to fly, pointed ears, and the ability to breathe both air and water. He was a mutant, the first of his kind. His people revered him as a god, naming him K'uk'ulkan, the feathered serpent god. To the surface world, he would become known as Namor. Under K'uk'ulkan's leadership, the newly transformed people established a magnificent hidden city deep in the ocean, powered and built with the vibranium from their ancestral home. They named their new kingdom Talokan, after the mythical Aztec paradise. Their isolation was absolute, a self-imposed exile born from the trauma of their first encounter with the surface world. For 500 years they remained hidden, a powerful, vibranium-rich civilization vowing to protect themselves from the outside world at any cost, a vow that would inevitably bring them into conflict with another hidden, vibranium-rich nation: Wakanda.
The nature of Atlantis—its people, society, and power—is a reflection of its unique environment and history. While both the comic and MCU versions feature powerful undersea nations, their foundations are fundamentally different.
As a sovereign and powerful nation, Atlantis's foreign policy is a critical component of its identity, defined by a small number of trusted allies and a vast sea of enemies.
The history of Atlantis is marked by cataclysmic events that have shaped its destiny and redefined its relationship with the world.
This foundational Silver Age story reintroduced Atlantis to the world. After Johnny Storm helps an amnesiac Namor regain his memories, the Sub-Mariner returns to his ancestral home in Antarctica only to find it in ruins, destroyed by nuclear weapons testing. Enraged, he summons the monstrous Giganto and declares war on New York City. This story perfectly encapsulates the core tragedy of Atlantis: a kingdom forever under threat from the surface, ruled by a monarch whose grief and rage make him one of the planet's most dangerous forces. It established the complex dynamic between Namor and the Fantastic Four, particularly his romantic interest in Sue Storm, that would drive decades of storytelling.
This sprawling crossover event saw the Deviant priest Ghaur and the Lemurian sorceress Llyra manipulate the various undersea races, including the Atlanteans and Lemurians, into a united war against the surface world. The epic scale of the conflict involved nearly every major Marvel hero, from the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to Captain America and Spider-Man. “Atlantis Attacks” was significant for its deep dive into the lore of Marvel's undersea cultures, showcasing their political divisions, rivalries, and immense collective power when united against a common foe.
This event had catastrophic consequences for Atlantis and its standing in the world. When the cosmic Phoenix Force arrives on Earth, it possesses five X-Men, including Namor. Wielding near-limitless power and believing he is creating a better world, Namor turns his attention to the Avengers, who are hiding in Wakanda. In a pivotal moment of the war, he single-handedly floods and decimates the golden city of Wakanda. This act of mass destruction, even while under a corrupting influence, created an unshakeable blood feud between Atlantis and Wakanda, and between Namor and King T'Challa, leading to a brutal and protracted secret war between the two most advanced nations on Earth.