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Monday, September 4, 2017

Namor the Neutral

A previous series of posts discussed the Defenders through the lens of the nine-alignment system from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

  Lawful Good    Neutral Good    Chaotic Good  
  Lawful Neutral    True Neutral    Chaotic Neutral  
  Lawful Evil    Neutral Evil    Chaotic Evil  

Early versions of the Players Handbook also included a Racial Preferences Table, noting how humans, elves, and other humanoids generally regarded one another within the game. For example, half-elven characters preferred elves and other half-elves while having tolerance for gnomes and humans.

Using this approach lends insight into the character of Sub-Mariner, who has preferred his Atlantean heritage, while his feelings about humanity could range from neutrality to tolerance to antipathy to hatred.

This explains how Sub-Mariner could work alongside the forces of good to defend Atlantis (or the entire planet), while taking a neutral stance when only the surface world was in danger, and even aligning with evil-doers when it served the best interest of Atlantis.

For what it's worth, elves from Dungeons & Dragons have no connection to the maniacal Elf who made recurring appearances throughout the original Defenders series.

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