Namora was created with style in the Marvel Mystery Comics #82 (May 1947) 12-page story “The Coming of Namora!” Created by Ken Bald and Bob Powell with costume design by Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett, she is the daughter of an Atlantean man and a woman from the surface.

Like her cousin Namor, she has superhuman strength and durability, can swim at incredible speeds, and can breathe water and air. She ages slowly and has wing-like appendages on her ankles that she can use to fly. Originally named Aquaria Nautica Neptunia, she took the name of Namora, which means “avenging daughter” in Atlantean, after her father was killed by treasure seeking surface dwellers.

Namora was poisoned by Llyra, a Lemurian terrorist, and presumably died, then during Agents of Atlas a coffin was found with what appeared to be her mummified remains. Inspecting it farther, Marvel Boy disabled a holographic display that was creating the image and underneath, they discovered Namora was alive and preserved in the coffin. Once she wakes up, Namora joins a fight against dangerous sea creatures and shows that she is as powerful as her cousin Namor.

Namora joins the Agents of Atlas, leading Venus to recover memories of her past life as a siren, and the process almost drives her crazy. After Jimmy Woo becomes leader of the Atlas Foundation, Namora and the other Agents travel around the world in Marvel Boy’s ship to stop Yellow Claw’s cells that were engaging in criminal activity.

Enraged when her daughter dies during Civil War, she left Agents of Atlas and joined Hulk, Amadeus Cho, Hercules, and Angel in World War Hulk. Following Secret Invasion, she and Hercules have a romance that is interrupted by an Amazon attack.

Back with the Agents of Atlas, they confront a group led by Norman Osborn and Namora discovers that one of his members is her cousin, Namor. Though they initially disagree with each other, Namora and Namor end up kissing and a relationship starts. However, Namora learns that the Atlantean elders orchestrated their situation, hoping that they’d had a child to create another powerful human/Atlantean hybrid. The pair part ways since they aren’t sure how much of their feelings are real versus fabricated.

When a new Agents of Atlas team was created for War of the Realms, Namora was not part of it, though given her contributions to the organization, it is likely that she’ll return at some point to stop evil doers.