Defending Aquaman

*Originally published on 11/9/09




Aquaman gets a lot of flak from the general populous. He's often seen as the quintessential "lame" superhero. People don't even bother with him due to a preconceived notion that, I will admit, does hold some truth. However, I maintain that Aquaman can be a great character when handled right.
Part of his image of being "lame" comes from his ability to communicate with sea life, often summed up as "talking to fish." One must remember that we're not just talking minnows and salmon, but whales, sharks and giant squids. I'd say that's someone to be reckoned with. I saw one fan illustration of Aquaman riding and commanding Cthulhu; you have to give him props for that.

That's all well and good, you say, but he's still useless on land. I agree and disagree at the same time. He is a skilled fighter and has superior resiliency and strength, being able to withstand the awesome water pressure of the ocean depths, but practically every hero has that, so he doesn't really stand out.

I think the problem is that some writers try to bring him in as a land dweller when he isn't one. They make him part of the Justice League to try and give him more exposure. It's a well meaning endeavor, but it takes him out of his element. Batman can join in and not really lose anything, he still has his gadgets and is a strategist when fighting crime on the streets of Gotham and that's what he brings to the table with the League. Aquaman is just kind of there.

What really ruined Aquaman though was Superfriends. After that portrayal, fans and viewers just couldn't get over it. Honestly though, every superhero was portrayed in a campy fashion. Superman was really the only one who came out of it OK. I know, that's how comics were back in the day and it's still fun to watch if you go in with a chip on your shoulder, but for the more serious minded comic fan, it wasn't pretty.

The funny thing is that for all the complaints about Aquaman being lame and useless he wasn't the lamest and he wasn't the most useless. Hawkman, who in the comics is well revered for his badassery, was more useless than Aquaman. You could make the argument that each episode tried to divert the plot to the water to give Aquaman a chance to shine, but at least he tried to pull his own weight. All Hawkman did was fly, literally. Hawkman's primary weapon is a mace, but because the show didn't allow violence, he couldn't use it. He honestly and truly did nothing in any appearance he made.

As for lame characters it begins and ends with the Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna along with their space monkey, Gleek. I hate Gleek. I really do. Every moment with him was cringe inducing and my hatred for him is justified by anti-life.

While all of the Superfriends characters were portrayed in campy, silly ways, many were able to move on. Batman was able to survive the campy years as well as Wonder Woman, both of whom remain DC icons to this day. This was done with more recent interpretations of the character.

Now, Aquaman has appeared in a lot of various media since those days. He's guest starred on a couple of episodes of Smallville, appeared in the recent Justice League/Unlimited series as well as Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Despite this, Aquaman still can't seem to shake off the general idea that he's lame.

The good news is that younger audiences are getting the more recent, superior takes on the character so hopefully, it's only a matter of time before Aquaman becomes a more well respected figure.

While I know what Aquaman is capable of as a character, there are some pro-Aquaman arguments that don't make a whole lot of sense. Many say that, as king of the seas, he controls three-quarters of the world. They say that it's a much more daunting task than patrolling the rest of the world and that he does it all by himself. Heck, Aquaman himself said it in Kingdom Come.

The more you think about it, the less sense it makes. Yes, three-quarters of the Earth is ocean, so you could say he rules it, but what crimes do fish commit? He rules Atlantis, which is one city. As for the crimes against nature that Aquaman is often seen fighting, the other heroes often get involved in that as well to provide assistance, which means that he's not doing it by himself.

While Aquaman may not be the caliber of hero of such heroes like Green Lantern, Flash or Wonder Woman, he is capable of having great stories. Taking the right elements, it is possible to make a compelling and interesting character even out of someone who is almost solely defined by his ability to talk to fish.