Did ‘Avengers: Endgame’ drop a hint that Namor would be coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Others think there was an Easter egg hinting that Captain Britain would soon be a new addition. What about the Black Knight? Why not all three….
Let’s start at the beginning. After the initial killing of Thanos and the five year jump in ‘Endgame’, there’s a scene that features Natasha Romanov (Black Widow) in tele-conference with the future Avengers: War Machine, Captain Marvel, Nebula, Rocket and Okoye (played by Danai Gurira). After being informed that there’s an earthquake under the sea, Widow asks Okoye: “How are you handling that?” “It’s an earthquake under the ocean,” Okoye responds, “…we’re handling it by not handling it!” Many have speculated that this was a hint that Namor the Sub-Mariner may actually appear as a villain in the next ‘Black Panther’ film. I hope these guesses prove true.
In the comics, Namor was both hero and villain. As suitor to Sue Storm and member of the original Defenders, Namor was a frequently appearing figure in Silver Age Marvel but whose origins date all the way back to the Golden Age (his origin and first Marvel Comics appearance can fittingly be found in Marvel Comics #1 (Nov. 1939)). If he appears in the next 'Black Panther' movie, the comics that will get a real boost are Fantastic Four #4 (May 1962) and;
Of the two, Sub-Mariner #1 has the most room to grow. You can currently get an 8.5 for under $400.00. Expect that to change if Namor shows up in the MCU. The long term returns on this comic are already surging. Three month returns look as follows:
9.8 = positive + 36.8% after 2 sales (eBay fixed price on 05/04/2019 for $6,500.00 up from a previous eBay sale on 03/28/2019 for $4, 750.00).
9.6 = positive + 47.7% after 3 sales.
9.4 = positive +10.7% after 4 sales.
FMV in 9.8 currently stands at $5,250.00, dropping to $1,300.00 in 9.6 and $1000.00 in 9.4.
Captain Britain #1 (1976) – Marvel UK Premiere Issue
Another internet rumor is that 'Endgame' may have secretly introduced Brian Braddock aka Captain Britain into the MCU. If so, this confirms a more than year old rumor that the good Captain has been slated for a big screen appearance. In ‘Endgame’, the Captain Britain Easter Egg is hidden in the Camp Lehigh time travel visit, when Tony Stark and Steve Rogers attempt to get their hands on the Tesseract and spare Pym Particles. At the moment Steve ducks into an unused office that just happens to belong to Peggy Carter - the girl he left behind, reports are that Peggy’s dialogue mentions an agent “Braddock” who "hasn’t checked in for a while".
Featuring the first full appearance of Captain Britain, Captain Britain #1 was originally issued in the UK coming with a free Captain Britain mask! Braddock’s enemy, the Reaver, is also introduced and how Braddock became Captain Britain is revealed in flashback scenes . As in the case of Sub-Mariner #1, long term returns on this book are all positive across the board. Unlike Sub-Mariner #1 however, this comic is a little rarer. Only 225 copies listed on the CGC census. Compare that to Sub-Mariner’s debut Silver Age issue with 2, 558 copies and you get a sense of how much less common this book is. Three Month returns are as follows:
9.2 grade = has seen two sales for $349.00,
8.5 = returns are positive at +4.3% after 3 sales with an average price of $200.00.
Avengers #48 (January 1967) – First appearance of Black Knight III, Origin of Black Knight III
There are 415 copies of this comic on the CGC census. Dane Whitman is the Black Knight who joins the Avengers, and while there were no direct Easter Eggs in the movie to confirm the rumor that had circulated a few months before ‘Endgame’s’ release: this is a comic to keep your eyes on because we know that the old guard Avengers have already stepped down and a new generation will soon rise to replace them.
In the meantime, perhaps because no direct Easter egg was dropped in ‘Endgame’ about this, returns on Avengers #48 have been mostly negative:
9.4 = down -1.7% after 5 sales,
9.2 = down -6.5% after 2 sales and,
9.0 graded copies are down -13.2% after 6 sales
Still, given Marvel's track record and penchant for bringing lesser known properties to the big screen, on the assumption the Black Knight rumors do prove true, this is probably the best time to buy.
