Why the Reed–Sue–Namor Love Triangle Needs to Be Retired for Good

The Fantastic Four finally found a promising future in live action. With Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby stepping into the roles of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, audiences were given a grounded, emotionally rich power couple. Yet even with that fresh start, tired speculation about Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta, continued to hover. A storyline that began as a brief flirtation in the 1960s had hardened into a recurring gimmick that neither honored the characters nor reflected the source material. It was time to move on.

The Comics Never Gave Us A Real Triangle

Despite widespread assumptions, the Reed–Sue–Namor dynamic was never a sustained canon love triangle in Fantastic Four. Sue Storm never cheated on Reed Richards in mainline continuity. In the early Silver Age, writers briefly flirted with the idea of Namor’s attraction to Sue, but it functioned as one-sided pursuit rather than a reciprocal romance.

Sue consistently chose Reed, and by the mid-1960s, the narrative had firmly committed to their relationship, leading directly to their engagement and marriage. Namor, meanwhile, has a long romantic history independent of Sue, including significant relationships with Betty Dean and Lady Dorma. The so-called love triangle endured less as a matter of comic canon than as a product of fan exaggeration and editorial shorthand, repeatedly revived despite never being central to the story itself.

Racist Tropes Undermine Namor’s Character

Namor deserves better than the role Marvel has repeatedly assigned him. Since the Silver Age, writers have used him as a provocation in Reed and Sue’s relationship, leaning on racialized tropes to generate tension rather than character growth. From his earliest appearances, Namor was coded as nonwhite, often specifically Asian, and framed through Orientalist ideas of the exotic, hypersexual, and dangerous outsider. His interest in Sue Storm has frequently been written in ways that echo those stereotypes, positioning him as a threat to white domestic stability rather than a fully realized character.

In earlier comics, this dynamic aligned neatly with Cold War anxieties about foreign power and infiltration. In later decades, it persisted more subtly under the language of romantic tension. The pattern is neither accidental nor neutral. It flattens Namor into a trope and ignores the depth of a character now rooted in Mesoamerican mythology, anti-colonial themes, and cultural pride. To insist that race has nothing to do with this framing is to ignore the history written directly onto the page.

Sue Storm Deserves Agency Not Objectification

Reducing Sue Storm to the object of a rivalry between two men betrays everything her character has become. She is a mother, a leader, and a scientist. She is not a trophy to be fought over. Modern comics have consistently shown Sue standing beside Reed as his equal. She does not need Namor to validate her. And she certainly should not be written as disloyal for cheap drama. These love triangle teases do not challenge gender norms. They reinforce them. When Sue gets dragged into recycled tension, she loses depth.

For the first time in decades, Reed and Sue are being portrayed with emotional maturity in mind. Casting Pascal and Kirby signals a new chapter, one that focuses on partnership rather than insecurity. Fans have long asked for a Fantastic Four where Sue is not sidelined and Reed is not emotionally stunted. That story is finally now here. So why bring back a dynamic that never worked? Why reduce a family-centered team to a forced love triangle? It does not serve the story, and it does not serve the fans.

Namor Has Moved On, and So Should Marvel

Namor’s history is rich and complex. His Golden Age love story with Betty Dean, his long arc with Lady Dorma, and his evolution from villain to antihero give him more than enough depth without inserting him into someone else’s marriage. Even Namor fans have grown weary of the tired narrative. They want stories that explore his legacy, his kingdom, and his internal conflict. Not more recycled drama that exists to make Reed look jealous and Sue look weak. It’s time for Marvel to write Namor with the respect he deserves—and leave the outdated love triangle behind.

The Reed Sue Namor love triangle was never as deep or romantic as fandom discourse would have you believe. It was built on a misreading of canon, and it often leaned on sexist and racist tropes. Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby now have the chance to define a new Reed and Sue, one grounded in respect and teamwork. Let them. And let Namor return to the role he earned long ago: a ruler with his own story to tell. Not a prop in someone else’s relationship drama.