Publication history

The first Kamuu first appeared in Sub-Mariner #62-63 (June-July 1973), and was created by Steve Gerber

Steve Gerber

Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....

 and Howard Chaykin

Howard Chaykin

Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material...

. The character subsequently appears in Adventure Into Fear #15 (August 1973), Sub-Mariner #66 (October 1973), Marvel Spotlight #17 (September 1974), Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22 (1989), and Namor #62 (May 1995).

The second Kamuu first appeared in Sub-Mariner #64-66 (August-October 1973), and subsequently appears in Saga of the Sub-Mariner #1 (November 1988).

Pre-Cataclysmic Atlantis

King Kamuu was the last emperor of the pre-cataclysmic continent of Atlantis

Atlantis (Marvel Comics)

Atlantis is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It is based on the mythical island of Atlantis first mentioned in Plato's initial dialogue the Timaeus, written circa 360 BC. In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis was a small continent with many human settlements...

, and husband of Zartra, about 21,000 years ago.

Kamuu banished the sorceress Zhered-Na from Atlantis for prophesying that the content would sink below the ocean. She started her own cult, which included her favored disciple Dakimh

Dakimh the Enchanter

Dakimh the Enchanter is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Dakimh, a wise but eccentric wizard, lived in pre-cataclysmic Atlantis, and was the pupil of the sorceress Zhered-Na. Zhered-Na was banished from Atlantis by King Kamuu for prophesying that the...

.

In releasing flaming magma from beneath Atlantis to defeat the invading forces of Mu and Lemuria

Lemuria (comics)

Lemuria is the name of two fictional locations in the Marvel Universe.Lemuria had been a small continent and group of islands in the Pacific Ocean 21,000 years ago, which was ruled by the Deviants. Lemuria became the center of the Deviant empire, and the only remaining free land was Atlantis, the...

, Kamuu unwittingly caused Atlantis to be affected by the nuclear cataclysm through which the Celestials

Celestial (comics)

The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....

 were simultaneously sinking Lemuria, home of the Deviants

Deviant (comics)

The Deviants are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. They are an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth instigated by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Eternals...

, on the other side of the world. Kamuu died in the sinking of Atlantis caused by the "Great Cataclysm."

Thousands of years later, the spirit of Kamuu visited Namor, modern-day heir to the throne of Atlantis, in his dreams. Kamuu revealed that Morgan le Fay

Morgan le Fay (Marvel Comics)

Morgan le Fay is a fictional character in the , based loosely on the Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. In this version of the character, she is the half-faerie half-sister of the mythic Arthur. Her elven heritage granted her immortality, and she used this time to master the mystic arts. She...

, who Namor was fighting against, was descended from people whose islands had survived the Great Cataclysm. Kamuu warned Namor that Morgan Le Fay sought to raise Atlantis, giving Namor the knowledge to stop her.

Homo mermanus Atlantis

A young member of the water-breathing species of humanity called Homo mermanus

Homo mermanus

Homo mermanus is a fictional race of gilled aquatic humanoids that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This race is best known as the people who live in the Atlantis of Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...

also had the name of Kamuu, about 8,000 years ago. The spirits of the original Kamuu and his wife Zartra appeared to this young Homo mermanus, who had taken up the Sword of Kamuu after finding it in the ruins of Atlantis. They showed him the history and future of Atlantis, and told him that he would help his people achieve this destiny. The young Kamuu therefore founded the first undersea city of Atlantis on the site of the capital city of the original Atlantis. Kamuu swore that his people would never again be nomads, and restored the glory of the original Atlantis.

Kamuu later took another Altantean woman named Zartra as his bride and first empress of undersea Altantis.