All Hail Attuma--Ruler of Atlantis!

 

One villain whom we can always count on to remain a villain and never be reformed is surely the undersea barbarian known as Attuma, who goes as far back in Marvel history as late 1964 when he made his first appearance in Fantastic Four--and claiming a spot in their rogues gallery as one of their "most famous foes" for his trouble.

I don't know if Attuma would even rate an appearance on the FF's top 10 list of foes, much less as one of their "most famous." Yet he made the rounds often enough over time to cement his status as a viable threat for not only the Sub-Mariner but for other team books such as the Avengers and the Defenders, an aggressor which would add scope to a conflict as well as, it goes without saying, hordes of barbarians for our heroes to somehow fight their way through.

That would also be the case in a 1986 series of stories which pits Attuma against Namor, the Avengers, and Alpha Flight--a two-title/two-team crossover which centers on Marrina, the amphibious member of Alpha Flight whose future, sadly, is a tragic one, especially when taking into account Namor's proposal of marriage to her. For now, however, all we need to know are a few facts going in: Following Namor's second abdication of the throne of Atlantis, a triumvirate of Atlanteans acted to assume control and rule in his stead. But as Namor learns from his cousin, Byrrah, who has approached Namor in earnest while on the surface as a member of the Avengers, Atlantis then erupted in civil war when one of the triumvirate turned against the others--a vulnerability which drew the attention of Attuma, who then tried a different approach to conquering the realm.

Namor's pride and rage are a familiar sight to many of us who have followed his adventures through the years--yet Byrrah proves to be correct, when both lead to near-disaster for him when he arrives in Atlantis to free Marrina only to find that Attuma's propaganda strategy has successfully turned his former subjects against him. And despite his undeniable power when in his element, Namor is left with only one choice.

As Byrrah observes, it's evident that despite Namor's clarion call to his people to join with him in opposing Attuma, he is adamant in his desire to distance himself from the throne of Atlantis, his only concern now being to rescue his lost love.

And so to the Avengers he returns to petition for their aid, while Byrrah seeks out Alpha Flight to join in the effort--developments which will eventually lead to Vashti's prediction of Namor not letting this matter drop, and, consequently, another Attuma cover to add to the barbarian's credentials.

On approach to Atlantis, we find a more orderly and strategic posture on the part of the Avengers--Namor included--than what took place in the previous assault on Atlantis. And while we learn more of Marrina in the process (events which came about thanks to our old friend, the Master of the World), Captain Marvel, who would one day lead the Avengers, has reservations about Namor's motives in this affair.

Nevertheless, it's a united front the Avengers present when they reach Atlantis, where Captain Marvel's scouting mission has allowed the team to circumvent any front line buildup and resistance on the part of defense forces. That's not to say that the tactic will make this battle any less of a struggle against the combined forces and weaponry of Atlantean troops and those of Attuma--but it's provided the Avengers an opportunity to scatter their opposition almost immediately and remain on the offensive.

It seems almost ridiculous that not one of these undersea fighters has realized that targeting the Avengers' helmets and oxygen tanks would cripple them to a man and effectively nullify their offensive (with the exception of Captain Marvel or the Sub-Mariner, though the latter having demonstrated that he has no chance alone)--and equally astonishing that Attuma has not issued orders to that effect, having been alerted to the approach of Namor's "air-breathing friends" in advance. Even if he had chosen to, say, face the Avengers in a might vs. might contest, why would Attuma, a warlord and a barbarian, even think twice about not taking advantage of such a vulnerability?

There are even more helmets to target when Alpha Flight arrives; but Captain Marvel's lightning-quick and devastating strikes continue to prove to be an asset for both teams, leaving Namor and Attuma to eventually face off.

But when his troops come to his rescue, Attuma manages to rally his forces--to no avail, however, as the two teams renew their own assault, giving Namor the chance to make clear to the opposition that this operation isn't at all a coup but rather a rescue mission. Once that point has been driven home, and in light of the fact that Alpha Flight and the Avengers have already seen to that rescue, the hostilities finally come to an end.

Yet the story doesn't end well for either Marrina or Namor--the former acknowledging her monstrous existence and fleeing one and all, while Namor decides to leave the Avengers in order to pursue and help her as best he can. And that he manages to do, in time; but when Marrina undergoes further transformation to a leviathan and begins to cause havoc on and under the sea and lives are threatened, it becomes clear that no one can help her, and Namor is forced to take her life using the Black Knight's sword. To make matters worse, the tragedy unfortunately produces a cascade effect on the Avengers and leads to their eventual demise under the corrupted leadership of Dr. Druid, whose tenure the PPC has profiled in a prior post.