Aquaman may be king of the Seven Seas in the DC Comics universe, but in the real world the superhero has been the butt of jokes for decades, likely dating back to the animated Super Friends, on which his powers -- and usefulness -- were constrained by geography. In the public consciousness, he was the guy who rode the giant seahorse and talked to fish.

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However, Aquaman director James Wan thinks Zack Snyder's "stroke of genius" casting of Game of Thrones alum Jason Momoa as marks a sea change in the perception of the hero.

"Momoa is not a guy that you would go up to and make fun of," Wan told TheWrap. "I really think you immediately remove any of the stigma of the character from the cartoons that we are familiar with."

Some of the other cartoon depictions are Robot Chicken and Family Guy, which doubled down on Aquaman's goofy perception, with running gags calling out his relative limitations in comparison to the other members of the Justice League.

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"Having said that, I’m not completely unaware of the stigma," Wan continued. "If anything, I embrace it and being able to laugh at yourself and have fun at yourself is important, and that’s something I am aware of as I make Aquaman right now."

Arriving Dec. 21, 2018, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman/Arthur Curry, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Murk, and Michael Beach as Jesse Kane.