The Avengers (vol. 1) #3
Title: “The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!”
Medium: comic
Cover date: Jan. 1964
Publisher:
22 characters in this story:
Reprints of this comic:
Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 1) #21 (July 1969): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!"
BELOW: The Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner join forces, united in their hatred for humanity: Upon meeting the Hulk for the first time, Prince Namor tells the green behemoth: "We BOTH share a burning hatred for the human race! If we act TOGETHER, we can bring humanity to its knees!" The Hulk concurs, saying, "I hate humans, too!" Their shared hatred for humans is somewhat ironic, given he fact that Namor is half-human and the Hulk's alter-ego is fully human.
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 17-18. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: hate; The Hulk (Bruce Banner); The Sub-Mariner (Namor)
BELOW: The alliance between the Hulk and Sub-Mariner is a tenuous one: Although temporarily allied against the Avengers, they are both already thinking about betraying each other.
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 18, panel 3. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: betrayal; The Hulk (Bruce Banner); The Sub-Mariner (Namor)
BELOW: Thor invokes Asgard: In an utterance which seems as though it might be the equivalent of "By God" for an American, the Norse god Thor invokes his homeland, Asgard. Asgard is the mystic realm of the Norse/Teutonic pantheon of deities.
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 18, panel 6. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: invocation (other); Norse/Teutonic paganism; Thor (Donald Blake)
BELOW: The Wasp: "Thank Heavens": The Wasp is not portrayed as particularly religious, but she appears to have at least some religious sensibility. When she finds herself alive rather than tramples because of a fortuitous gap in the ground, she spontaneously thinks "Thank Heavens the ground here is so uneven!" The phrase "Thank Heavens" or "Thank Heaven" is often used by religiously observant people as an intentional way to avoid taking the Lord's name in vain (one of the Ten Commandments). Is this why the Wasp uses this phrase? Possibly. But this may be more of a linguistic expression borne of a religious background or upbringing rather than a conscious, intentional expression of gratitude to the Divine.
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 21, panels 4-5. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: gratitude to God; Heaven; The Wasp (Janet van Dyne)
BELOW: The Hulk's irrational hatred of humanity is not shared by his Bruce Banner, his alter-ego: During a battle with the Avengers, the stress the Hulk is experiencing causes him to revert to his normal form: Bruce Banner. Banner does no hate humanity (he is, after all, completely human). He has no desire to battle the Avengers. He simply flees the scene, leaving his temporary ally the Sub-Mariner to face the super team alone. The Hulk's hatred of humanity may seem irrational, given the fact that the Hulk is actually a human, Bruce Banner. But this hatred is understandable on one level when one considers the fact that the Hulk is not really a distinct individual, but is a manifestation of Bruce Banner's negative emotions, primarily his inner rage and hatred.
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 24, panel 5. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: hate; The Hulk (Bruce Banner)
BELOW: After the Hulk (as Bruce Banner) flees the battle against the Avengers, his ally Sub-Mariner finds yet another reason to hate humanity: Namor exclaims: "He DESERTED me... BETRAYED me! Now I realize NO human can be trusted! I despise you ALL!"
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 25, panel 2. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: hate; betrayal; Iron Man (Tony Stark); The Sub-Mariner (Namor)
BELOW: Namor to the Avengers: "I pray we meet again!": This may not be the most sincere ever prayer uttered. It's probably not really a "prayer" at all. Namor is actually hoping for another chance to battle the Avengers and exact his revenge against humanity.
Source: The Avengers (vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1964): "The Avengers Meet... Sub-Mariner!", pg. 25, panel 7. Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman. See also: pray; The Sub-Mariner (Namor)