Warning! Potential spoilers for Avengers by Marvel Comics #49 below.
It seems that Namor the Sub-Mariner's rule of Atlantis is about to come to an end. In a brand new preview for Avengers #49, the King of Atlantis throne is being challenged as one of the most dangerous threats to ever come to his underwater home is on the way to take him down. Both Namor's rule and Atlantis are facing some serious and dangerous trouble.
In the current Avengers run at Marvel Comics, the Winter Guard's plan to capture and turn She-Hulk into their own personal weapon was successful. After torturing Jennifer Walters, the Russian superteam transformed her into the Winter Hulk - turning the powerful hero into an assassin. One of the first missions the Winter Guard sends the Winter Hulk on was to assassinate Namor the Sub-Mariner. However, the brainwashed Hulk isn't the only conflict the King of Atlantis is about to encounter, as the Winter Guard (or at least Red Widow) plans on wiping out Atlantis and its inhabitants altogether.
Several Atlanteans challenge Namor for the throne in a new preview for Avengers #49 by Jason Aaron, Javier Garron, Flaviano, David Curiel, and VC's Cory Petit. Namor, as cocky as ever, tells the large group they are traitors and says he'll have no problem killing them one and a time or in "heaps." It's suggested to Namor he listens to the cries of his people, as his reign is called a "disaster." From trying to turn humans into sea-breathers in Invaders, or his recent play to gain the powers of the Pheonix Force, his attempts to gain control in the surface world are called failures.
Despite calls for a peaceful transfer of power, Namor doesn't relent. He tells the angry crowd that Atlantis stands because he's fought for them and that glory lies ahead. However, his words fall on deaf ears, as calls for him to step aside louden. Namor just gets angrier as She-Hulk arrives in the middle of the coup. A message playing from Okoye's daily briefing for the Avengers suggests Namor's rule is unlikely to survive.
Namor is one of Marvel's most prideful and arrogant characters. His determination to rule and keep Atlantis safe has put him in direct conflict with heroes and villains alike throughout his history. However, with his own people now calling out his failures as a leader and She-Hulk coming to try to kill him, Namor the Sub-Mariner's time as ruler of Atlantis is seemingly coming to an end. Avengers #49 is in comic book stores on Wednesday.