Warning! Spoilers for Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #7 ahead!The Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest big screen superhero, Namor the Submariner, is one of the oldest characters to exist within Marvel Comics, and in all that time one of the few heroes he's come to respect happens to be the first superhero Stan Lee ever created. Alongside the Human Torch, Namor helped paved the way for future Marvel superheroes such as Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and another World War II ally known as Destroyer, who became one of the undersea leader's staunchest supporters.
The emergence of the Fantastic Four may have heralded the likes of Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, and Doctor Strange to the prime Marvel Universe, but there were additional heroes who existed decades prior. Introduced in Stan Lee, Jack Binder, and Alex Schomburg's Mystic Comics #4, the very first Destroyer (Kevin "Keen" Marlow) was a former journalist turned into a super soldier by a platoon of Nazis. It did not take long for the newly powered Destroyer to make his escape and make himself known to Earth's existing cadre of heroes. Two outsiders from different worlds, Destroyer and Namor would go on to serve as members of the Invaders, which consisted of fellow WWII superhuman allies Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Human Torch, Blazing Skull, Union Jack, Spitfire, and several others.
Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelley, and Carmen Carnero's Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7 reintroduces Destroyer to the Marvel Universe, albeit with another individual carrying the moniker of the legendary hero. This hero is Roger Aubrey, formerly "Dyna-Mite" and another former victim of the Nazi regime who, just like Stan Lee's original Destroyer, found himself subject to various experiments. An investigation into the mysterious "Outer Circle" organization leads Captain America and an aged Roger to a WWII conspiracy involving their original Invaders group. After bringing his and Roger's recent findings to Namor, Cap learns to find that the Submariner is quite fond of Roger retaining Destroyer's "proud legacy." This is not the first time in which the Destroyer mantle has been passed down to another, but it is one of the very few instances in which Namor has outwardly admitted his respect for a fellow hero.
Namor Fondly Remembers His Days With The Invaders
Sentinel of Liberty #7 confirms the exploits of Destroyer largely remain a forgotten legacy that only few heroes like Cap and Namor still remember. As the King of Atlantis, Namor's first and most recurring threats were those derived from the surface world. Due to his repeated battles, there are few surface dwellers whom Namor trusts and even fewer he outwardly admires. Though Namor has had a place on a plethora of superhero teams following his taking leave of the Invaders, there are only a handful of heroes whom the Atlantis ruler truly respects.
Namor's friendship with Destroyer and the other Invaders came at a period prior to the superhero and mutant explosion of the modern era. The Sub-Mariner was a revelatory entity to the people of Earth and there were only a select few who could challenge his astonishing powers and authority. It was out of this Golden Age exposure, that the friendship between Namor and Stan Lee's first superhero, the Destroyer, truly took form.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.