talan-atlanthm-faceproftalan-atlanteanhm-fullish TALAN

Real Name: Talan

Identity/Class: Terrestrial "Hidden race" (Atlantean/homo mermani)
    active circa 1955-1961 A.D. (also the edge of the pre-modern time period and an unspecified number of decades prior to that)

Occupation: Unrevealed;
    his outfit made me assume that he was a soldier, but I didn't encounter any information to support that...

Group Membership: Atlantean Royal Family via marriage

Affiliations: None detailed beyond his immediate family

Enemies: Unidentified humans involved in the nuclear weapons testing that destroyed Maritanis

Known Relatives: Namora (Aquaria Nautica Neptunia, wife), Namorita (Namora's genetically-altered clone, implanted into her; Talan had no knowledge of this and raised Namorita as his daughter);
    Namora's unidentified father (father-in-law, deceased), Namora's unidentified mother (mother-in-law, presumably deceased)
    extended adoptive family via Namora (see her profile)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    apparently perished in the Atlantean sub-polar colony of Maritanis;
    formerly another Atlantean city

First Appearance: (Mentioned) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#8 (August, 1983);
    (full) Namor I#20 (November, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Talan presumably had the normal abilities of an Atlantean male, including superhuman strength (lifting perhaps 4 tons) and durability.

    He lived and was adapted to survive underwater, and he presumably could only survive for very short periods of time out of water.

    His natural lifespan would likely have been roughly twice that of a human being.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10"; he looked about the same height if not a little shorter than the 5'11" Namora)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 180 lbs.)
Eyes: Dark (likely dark blue or solid black)
Hair: Black (including mustache and "handlebars" connecting his sideburns and mustache; he also appeared to have a bit of a receding hairline)

History:

talan-atlanthm-embrace(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry / Agents of Atlas II#7 (fb) - BTS) <1955 A.D.> - Talan married Namora, the daughter of an unidentified Atlantean male -- who had been selected through a secret Atlantean Eugenics Program that sought to combine homo sapien and homo mermanis DNA in order to create a powerful breed of hybrids in the service of Atlantis and whose parents were forced to allow the Royal Family of Atlantis to adopt him -- and a an Icelandic woman similarly selected by the Atlantean Eugenics program.
    As a result, Talan apparently became part of the Atlantean Royal Family, if he had not already been.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation#2 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#8: Namora entry) - Despite her willingness to start a family, Namora retained her interest in surface adventure. In 1956, several adventurers, most of them superhumans, organized as the Monster Hunters, and eventually Namora joined their exploits.

(Namor I#20 (fb) - BTS) - As Namora did not conceive any children, Talan became frustrated, as Atlantean societal customs and belief made him think of himself as something less than a man as the husband in a childless marriage. As a result, their marriage became strained.

    Namora included the arguments they had about this matter in her journal that she kept hidden in a cavern in the deepest part of the boundary trench.

    After the worst such argument thus far, Namora appreciated that Talan did not mean to be cruel but that the demands made upon Atlantean males were great.

(Namor I#20 (fb) / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry) <1957 A.D.> - Perhaps aware of the possibility of her own infertility as a hybrid of two races, Namora reminded Talan that he had to have understood this to be a possibility when he married her. She asked him why he must torment her with the problem at this time. Talan assured Namora that he did not mean to torment her, but...and Namora cut him off, telling him as she swam away not to say anything else but that if he wised to be free of this union, she would do nothing to hold him against his will.
However, even as she spoke those words, Namora knew in her heart that she would do anything to hold the love of the man she worshipped above all.

(Namor I#20 (fb) - BTS) - As Namora swam to the trench to put her feeling and memories into her journal, she discovered the secret cave laboratory of Vyrra, the infamous Atlantean geneticist who was banished because of his experiments in cloning. After Namora shared the situation between herself an Talan, Vyrra performed some testing and then agreed to impregnate Namora with a clone of herself, with a small amount of manipulation to the fetus so the resulting child would turn out to be at least something of a unique individual. Namora left Vyrra's cave pregnant.

(Namor I#20 (fb)) - Talan was overjoyed when Namora returned to Atlantis with the news that she was pregnant.

(Namor I#20 (fb) - BTS) - Namora kept both her husband and the rest of Atlantis in the dark about the true origins of her pregnancy.

talan-atlanthm-nita(New Warriors I#44 (fb) / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry) <1958 A.D.> - Months later, Namora and Talan were the proud parents of a beautiful baby, girl: Namorita.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation#2 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry) - Soon after Namorita's birth, Talan presumably watched Namorita as Namora participated with the Monster Hunters in an encounter with the First Line.

Sub-Mariner I#1 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry) - Namor subsequently went missing (following his clash with Destiny (Paul Destine)), and Talan presumably watched Namorita as Namora searched fruitlessly for Namor.

(Agents of Atlas I#1 (fb) / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#8: Namora entry) <Late spring, 1958> - Although unwilling to abandon her search for Namor to join Jimmy Woo's Department Zero mission to rescuing President Dwight D. Eisenhower from the Yellow Claw (Plan Tsu), Namora guided Jimmy Woo to locate M-11 (aka the Human Robot).

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry) <1961 A.D.> - Finally accepting Namor's loss, Namora and her family (including Talan and Namorita, at least) left Atlantis for the sub-polar colony Maritanis.

(Sub-Mariner I#51 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#8: Namorita) - When Namorita was three, Talan was killed when Maritanis was destroyed by a nuclear weapons test of the surface dwellers. Namora and Namorita were among the few survivors, and Namora escaped with Namorita amidst the carnage. After weeks of drifting, Namora stumbled upon the Pacific kingdom of Lemuria.

Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald and/or Peter Sanderson, presumably;
    given form, etc. by John Byrne.

    When Namorita first appeared in Sub-Mariner I#50 (1972), Namor didn't recognize her and initially mistook her for a human girl, but he eventually remembered her. In that issue, she was identified as the daughter of Namora's cousin Namora. No father was mentioned.

    In Sub-Mariner I#51, Namorita related the information she had been told, and a flashback stated that "our sub-polar kingdom was destroyed by the atomic fire of the surface people -- and you (Namor) disappeared -- my mother, Namora, your first cousin -- escaped with me from the carnage. After weeks of drifting, she stumbled upon the Pacific kingdom of Lemuria..." The flashback showed Namora with the infant Namorita in her arms.
    Again, no mention of a father.

    In Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#8 (1983), the Namorita entry revealed that Namorita was the only child of Namora, and that her father's name was Talan, a blue-skinned member of the genus Homo mermanus, and that he had been killed when the Atlantean city of Maritanis was destroyed by a nuclear weapons test of the surface dwellers when Namorita was three, and that she and her mother were among the few survivors.

    The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II (Deluxe Edition, 1986) reiterates that information with nothing additional to Namorita's origins that I could see.

    Namor I#19 (1990) reveals that Namorita was a clone of her mother.

    Namor I#20 (1990) first pictures Talan. The story further reveals that Namorita was a genetically-altered clone of Namora who was subsequently implanted into her uterus, and that Namora kept this information from Talan, who believed her to be his own daughter and raised her as her father.

    New Warriors Annual#1/6 "Origins of the New Warriors: Namorita" (July, 1991) has Namorita telling her origins to a friend as an interview for an unspecified assignment. Namorita's retelling starts with a scene mirroring the one from Sub-Mariner I#51 where Namora arrived in Lemuria with the infant Namorita. She identifies her father as Talan, noting that she was a baby when her father was killed by the atomic explosion.

    The subsequent Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition#14 (1992) does not mention Talan that I saw, nor does it provide additional information about Namorita's history.

    New Warriors I#44 (1994) shows Talan and Namora with the newborn Namorita but otherwise has nothing additional for him.

    The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004: Namora entry specified that Namora married Talan in 1955 A.D. and was active in the Monster Hunters in 1956. It also added that Vyrra implanted Namora with the altered clone in 1957,and  that Namorita was born in 1958. Further details included that Namor had gone missing (following his clash with Destiny (Paul Destine)) shortly after Namorita's birth and that Namora and her family had left Atlantis for the colony Maritanis in 1961; soon afterward, Talan was killed in atomic bomb test, after which Namora took Namorita to live in Lemuria.

    The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#8: Namora entry (2009) expanded on the 2004 profile. The additional information relevant to Talan were the notations that after marrying him, despite her willingness to start a family, she retained her interest in surface adventures; and that she participated with the Monster Hunters in an encounter with the First Line after Namorita's birth but before Namor's disappearance; and that after Namor's disappearance she guide Jimmy Woo in his Department Zero mission to locate M-11; and that the 1961 relocation to Maritanis followed Namora's acceptance of Namor's loss.

    I don't believe that the Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades Handbook: Namora entry (2010) added anything with regards to Talan.

    Namorita is consistently shown as having an infant appearance when Namora brought her to Lemuria, while she is described as having been three-years-old at that time. We know Atlanteans age at roughly half of the human rate and that hybrids/mutants like Namor, Namora, etc. may age even more slowly, so I think her infant appearance is easily explained thusly. Additionally, those appearance are typically flashbacks from the memory of Namorita herself, who may not have remembered the details from such a young age and/or just remembers herself as young and helpless.

    Talan previously had a sub-profile under Namora originally published 09/21/2029.
    I used two of the images from Namor I#20 (specifically the fullish body one and the one of him embracing Namora) from that profile for this one, as it appeared to me as Luc had improved the quality of the images/scans, as they are not digitally available on Marvel Unlimited when I looked for them.

   This profile was completed 07/12/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent Namorita's stories and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Talan should be distinguished from:


images: (without ads)
Namor I#20, pg. 16, panel 1 (face, profile);
          panel 2 (fullish);
       pg. 18, panel 5 (jubilantly picking up Namora);
New Warriors I#44, pg. 3, panel 3 (with Namora and newborn Namorita)
Appearances:
Sub-Mariner I#50 (June, 1972) - Bill Everett (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#51 (July, 1972) - Bill Everett (artist; presumably involved with the plot), Stan Lee (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#8 (August, 1983) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/head writer/designer), Michael Carlin (associate editor/designer), Peter Sanderson, Mark Lerer, Tom DeFalco, Dan Fingeroth (writers), Frederick Baumann, Myra David, Robert Simpson, Joanne Harras, Roger Stern, Kurt Busiek (researchers), Alan Weiss (Namorita penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Eliot R. Brown (technical advisor/typesetter), Michael Carlin (associate editor/designer)

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II (Deluxe Edition) #9 (August, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/producer), Peter Sanderson (writer/researcher), Alan Weiss (Namorita penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Harry Eidelstein & David Wohl (editorial assistant), Howard Mackie (assistant editor)

New Warriors Annual#1/6 "Origins of the New Warriors: Namorita" (July, 1991) - Gary Barnum (writer), Tom Morgan (penciler), Marie Severin (inker), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Namor I#19-20 (October-November, 1991) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Mark Powers (assistant editor), Terry Kavanaugh (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition#14 (January, 1992) - Len Kaminski, Peter Sanderson, Glenn Herdling, Murray Ward (writers), Keith Pollard (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
New Warriors I#44 (February, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Darick Robertson (penciler), Larry Mahistedt (inker), Paula Foye (assistant editor), Rob Tokar (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004 (December, 2004) - Ronald Byrd & Michael Hoskin (writers), Jennifer Grunwald (assistant editor), Jeff Youngquist (editor), Tom Brevoort (consulting editor)

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#8 (June, 2009) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator), Stuart Vandal, Mike Fichera & Madison Carter (coordination assistants), Sean McQuaid, Michael Hoskin, Stuart Vandal, Ronald Byrd, David Wiltfong, Madison Carter, Mike Fichera, Chad Anderson, Chris Biggs, Eric J. Moreels, Mark O'English, Al Sjoerdsma, Jacob Rougemont, Gabriel Shechter, Anthony Flamini, Rich Green, Markus Raymond, Andrew Goletz, Rob London, Mike O'Sullivan & Jeph York (writers), Brian Overton (copy editor), Alex Starbuck (editorial assistant), John Denning & Cory Levine (assistant editors), Mark D. Beazley (editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)

Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades Handbook (September, 2010) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator), Mike O'Sullivan (project manager/coordinator), Ronald Byrd, Jeff Christiansen, Madison Carter, Mike Fichera, Michael Hoskin, Rob London, Sean McQuaid, Mike O'Sullivan, Gabriel Shechter, Stuart Vandal, David Wiltfong & Jeph York  (writers), James Emmett & Joe Hochstein (editorial assistants), Alex Starbuck (assistant editor), John Denning (associate editor), Jennifer Grunwald (editor), Mark D. Beazley (editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist (senior editor, special projects)

First posted: 09/23/2026
Last updated: 07/12/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters