Marvel has been slowly regaining the film rights to its characters ever since selling a load of them off in the '90s, and Namor the Sub-Mariner is the latest to return to the fold.

And any mention of Marvel's king of Atlantis inevitably leads to DC's king of Atlantis, Aquaman, who will be receiving his own solo film in 2018. Both are half-human rulers of the sea with an uneasy relationship to both the land and underwater worlds. Both are among the oldest characters in their publishers' stables. Both look a bit hokey.

We have to admit to a soft spot for both of them, but who do we really want to see twirling their tridents across the big screen? It's Namor vs Aquaman, and only one can win.

Who's got the higher profile?

DC Comics Marvel Comics

Aquaman is, if not a household name, at least someone who non-comics readers have heard of. You couldn't fairly be judged for not knowing who Namor is – although we're sure a few Marvel fans would give it a go.

But 'higher' profile doesn't always mean 'better'. Despite DC's repeat, concerted efforts to make Aquaman cool, he is still a byword for 'lame' – usually accompanied by complaints of him being a man who talks to fish. This judgement might be unfair, but it's still there, and meanwhile Namor is generally popular among the few who know that he exists at all.

Winner: Namor

Who's the original?

Marvel Comics

Aquaman might be better known of the two, but he was created in 1941's More Fun Comics #73, two years after Namor first menaced the 'surface world' in 1939's Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1.

Winner: Namor

Who has the best look?

DC Comics Marvel Comics

Let's face it, neither character is particularly known for their sharp style. Despite a recent Tumblr movement around 'sexy Namor', his look tends to fall into two categories: pants and nothing else, or this skin-tight collared thing. And don't even ask us to explain the pointed ears and wings on his ankles.

Aquaman has also been mocked for his garish orange-and-green look, but we like it, and at best it is portrayed as armour, which makes a lot more sense than the pants thing.

We're quite keen on Jason Momoa's movie costume, too, even if Warner Bros has made it as monochrome as everything else in the DC Cinematic Universe.

Winner: Aquaman

Who's the badass-est?

Marvel Comics

Oh Aquaman. Like the world at large, we're just not entirely sure what your personality is supposed to be. DC has tried to give him an edge on various occasions – like the time he got a beard and a hook for a hand, and the time he got snarky about being underestimated all the time – but at the end of the day, he defaults to do-gooder and, at best, Atlantean outcast.

Namor on the other hand, is what we call a magnificent bastard. He invades the surface, he tries to seduce Susan Richards all the time, he betrays his allies and blows up worlds. He's arrogant, proud and sarcastic, but still manages to be likeable, and even heroic and vulnerable on occasion. And Marvel has never needed to convince anyone of this – it's just the way it is.

Winner: Namor

Who's got the most backing from their company?

Warner Bros.

As already mentioned, DC has spent a lot of time trying to make Aquaman cool, and he has a film in the works. The 2018 Aquaman movie has been fairly high up on their slate for some time, even offering us an unusually early look at Momoa (aka him off Game of Thrones) in costume.

As for Namor, there were some faint rumblings about a film when the rights were still at Universal. Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and David Boreanaz (!) were rumoured for the role, while Lost's Daniel Dae Kim also threw his hat in the ring. But the recent revelation that Marvel Studios has the Namor rights was hardly a grand announcement, so we're guessing he's probably not very high on their list of priorities.

Winner: Aquaman

Results

Marvel Comics

Well, there's no doubt that it's Aquaman that will be first on our screens by some margin – probably with a generous helping of slow motion underwater action, if his brief Batman v Superman debut is anything to go by.

But we'd trade it all in for a dose of Namor snark. He did it first, and regardless of our Aquaman affection, he did it best. We hope Marvel's listening.

Winner: Namor

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