With the upcoming release of Aquaman starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, and Willem Dafoe, there appears to be a renewed interest in the underwater superhero. Suddenly, people seem to be waking up to the fact that, yes, Aquaman can, in fact, be useful. After all, he's more than just a guy who talks to fish. Aquaman has a variety of superpowers that give him an edge in fights on land or underwater. Not only is he a founding member of the original Justice League, but he has been a huge figure in DC comics and a valuable friend to heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Like them, Aquaman has led his own stories and had his own mythos built up over time.

Just like those other heroes, Aquaman has saved the world on his own and fought enemies that seemed like they would be too powerful for him to stop alone. However, also like those other heroes, Aquaman has also fallen short on occasion. He has faced defeat, exile from Atlantis, and one of the most tragic moments that anyone can face in his lifetime. It hasn't always been easy for Aquaman to save the day, even when he tries. He has had his own trials, tribulations, and failures that have shaped him as a character. He may not always win the day, but Aquaman never gives up and continues to dedicate his life to protecting not just Atlantis, but the entirety of the human race. Sometimes he's won the day, but other times he's been defeated pretty badly.

20 WIN: FIGHTING THE TRENCH

In this first storyline of Aquaman's New 52 incarnation, Arthur Curry is forced to do battle with a deep sea species of carnivorous monsters known as the Trench. He and Mera eventually win the day. However, Aquaman is reluctant to destroy an entire species who are simply trying to survive.

This story was one of the first that demonstrated how the public perceived Aquaman and how it ran counter to his actual abilities. Even though he is seen as a joke by people, he knows it is his responsibility to protect both humans and the residents of Atlantis. It is also the introduction of Aquadog, so that's fun.

19 LOSS: SACRIFICING A WHALE

Aquaman is known for being a friend and devoted ally to all living things under the ocean. That goes double for whales since they are already endangered. While Aquaman can often count on undersea creatures to aid him in his heroic duties, one of his most valued friends was Pakuul, a whale who helped Aquaman save Wonder woman from Triton in Aquaman: Year One.

However, Aquaman later does something to Pakuul that is not cool. After promising Mera that he will stay with her during her pregnancy, Poseidon tells Aquaman that Pakuul is in danger from a whaling ship. However, not wanting to break his promise to Mera, Aquaman forsakes Pakuul, allowing his friend to be lost to whalers.

18 WIN: SUB DIEGO

After a huge chunk of San Diego falls into the ocean, Aquaman declares himself the protector of the city, which comes to be known as "Sub Diego." The mystery of what happened to the city deepens as Aquaman discovers that some residents of the city have adapted to be able to breathe and live underwater.

Aquaman takes it upon himself to become the protector of Sub Diego, making it his Gotham City or Metropolis. This storyline saw Aquaman taking matters into his own hands and doing his best to help the people of Sub Diego adapt to their new environment, as, unlike Aquaman, they are unable to breathe on land as well.

17 LOSS: LOSING TO STEPPENWOLF

Jason Momoa's Aquaman in the Worlds of DC movies is an attempt to make the character cooler for the screen. As evidenced throughout his history, Aquaman has not always been taken seriously. On the big screen, he is given a more rockstar look and attitude in order to correct his reputation as being kind of lame.

However, they probably shouldn't have started with Aquaman getting thrown around by Steppenwolf while fighting underwater. After all, Aquaman should have the upper hand on his home turf (or surf, as it was). Even though he proves he can take down a few parademons, this first fight is more than a little disappointing.

16 WIN: THE SEARCH FOR MERA

Mera is the true love of Aquaman, and the two have had a long history together. So it was only natural that when Mera is captured, Aquaman would leave Atlantis to go and find her. Despite the fact that Atlantis is threatened by his absence, Aquaman is unwilling to give up on finding Mera.

Aquaman puts himself through many trials trying to find Mera, including putting himself and Aqualad in mortal danger. He demonstrates great strength and will when he fights against a magic spell that was holding him in place, using only his sheer strength. Aquaman shows dedication, perseverance, and the willingness to fight for the ones he loves.

15 LOSS: BEING FROZEN BY CAPTAIN COLD

It makes total sense that a water-based superhero might be vulnerable to attacks that could freeze water. It's just a little bit silly that Aquaman would fall victim to something like that. He is, after all, a hero of the ocean. You would think that he would have had experience with ice before.

However, that is not the case, apparently, as Aquaman has been defeated by ice at least two times. He and Mera were frozen by Captain Cold during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline. He was later frozen again when he confronted a new enemy who was trying to take over Atlantis. Maybe Aquaman should stick to warmer climates.

14 WIN: PREVENTING ALL OUT UNDERSEA WAR

Aquaman in a blue suit? Believe it or not, it happened. The suit never made much of a comeback, but this storyline proved to be a lasting Aquaman adventure. In this 1986 story titled "Thicker Than Water," Aquaman once again does battle with Ocean Master in order to prevent him from bringing a war to the surface world.

In addition, Aquaman must prevent war from breaking out under the water as well, as Atlantis is torn apart in his absence. He must travel to other kingdoms who are also going to war against each other. Though this miniseries only lasted four issues, it spanned an entire world and managed to build up the history of Atlantis.

13 LOSS: RIDING ON A SEAHORSE

The Aquaman of the animated series Super Friends is most likely the reason any disdain for the character exists to this day. Not only was he entirely useless on the show, but even when he was helping out the other superheroes, he looked really silly. Case in point, he chose to ride a giant seahorse.

Aquaman can swim, right? In fact, he's pretty good at it. So why did he have to resort to riding a silly looking seahorse everywhere? It's a little unfair that Aquaman gets made fun of for his actions on this show, as it actually made every hero look pretty bad. Aquaman just didn't have the reputation to fall back on like Superman or Batman did.

12 WIN: DEFEATING THE CHIMERA

Aquaman has his share of powerful enemies, but one of the most vicious he has ever faced is the Chimera. Formerly a diver known as Coombs, the Chimera came into existence after Coombs's DNA was combined that of several sea creatures. The Chimera and Aquaman do battle, with Aquaman being evenly matched against Chimera's many abilities.

Chimera considers Aquaman an enemy because he sees him as being genetically inferior. Even though Aquaman saved Coombes's life, it did not matter to Chimera. The two fight each other on land and underwater, with the Chimera proving more than a worthy opponent against Aquaman. This is because of Chimera's numerous powers granted by the combination of human and sea life DNA.

11 LOSS: LOSING ARTHUR CURRY JR.

A lot of people might not know that Aquaman suffered one of the most devastating things a person can experience in their life: the loss of a child. After Mera gave birth to their son, Arthur Curry Jr., he was threatened by all of his enemies to be dethroned and exiled from Atlantis. While fighting his way back into the kingdom, Arthur Jr. is taken by Black Manta.

Black Manta "drowns" Arthur Jr. in oxygen, leaving Aquaman and Mera totally distraught. It's a truly horrible scenario and one that Aquaman might have been able to prevent. However, he and Mera eventually have to realize that it was no one's fault and fight the common enemy together.

10 WIN: DEFEATING THE NIGHT GOD

If there was any ever doubt that Aquaman really is protecting all of Earth from the oceans, that should easily be put to rest after the events of The Brave and the Bold #32. In this issue, Aquaman teams up with Etrigan to fight an enemy that no one might have thought it possible to defeat: an elder god.

While not technically Cthulu, this elder god, known in the story as a "night god," is an absolutely massive monster with a face made of tentacles, so you can see what they were going for. Apparently, Aquaman and Etrigan get together regularly to fight these monsters and keep them from taking over everything.

9 LOSS: JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT

Most people forget that Aquaman was a founding member of the original Justice League. That should be enough to garner him some respect. He actually also went on to form a new Justice League after the original one disbanded. However, this new league, known as the Detroit League, was not well-received.

Consisting of Aquaman, as well as some of DC's most B list superheroes, this new Justice League couldn't even defeat a single alien threat on their own, calling in members of the old Justice League to help. Aquaman even leaves the team, ceding leadership to Martian Manhunter. All of this happened after Aquaman disbanded the original team. What a mess!

8 WIN: FREEING ATLANTIS

Aquaman sometimes leaves Atlantis for long periods of time, trusting that the city will survive any sort of attack. Unfortunately, that proves to be untrue in Aquaman vol. 3 #1, when Aquaman returns to find that an invading force has taken over Atlantis and has taken a large portion of the population prisoner.

On top of that, the invaders, who turn out to be giant jellyfish, have forced the Atlanteans into servitude, leading Aquaman to front a rebellion against them. This story demonstrated how Aquaman could rally people behind him and fight for the greater good. This story also revealed that Aquaman's outfit is actually an old prison uniform.

7 LOSS: SITTING ON THE LASSO OF TRUTH

Justice League had plenty of issues already without also resorting to Aquaman being kind of gross. In a scene where the heroes are discussing their plan of action, after finally all coming together, Arthur accidentally sits on Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, leading to some unsavory comments about her appearance.

This is probably one of the worst Aquaman moments out there. Not only does not make sense (that's not how the Lasso of Truth works), but it reveals that he's kind of a creep. On top of that, why is Diana just leaving one of the most valuable weapons in her arsenal just lying around? The whole moment is pretty bad on every level.

6 WIN: DEFEATING TRITON

Triton is the son of Poseidon, the God of the ocean, and he has a little bit of a grudge against Aquaman. This is mostly due to the fact that Triton wants to be feared, but realizes that the people of Atlantis have no reason to be afraid of him. In one story, he challenges Aquaman to one-on-one combat.

Despite the fact that Triton is practically a god, Aquaman fights him with all of his strength, never giving up and keeping at it until Triton is finally taken down and defeated. Poseidon strikes Aquaman blind after these events, saying that no mortal should witness the fall of a god.

5 LOSS: GETTING STRANDED ON LAND

Even though Aquaman has proven time and time again that he can fight just as well on land or in water, there are still times when the ocean-based superhero needs a little help from the other members of the Justice League. In Aquaman: Year One, Arthur is stranded on an island in the Carribean after a hurricane washes him ashore.

He has to wait there until he is rescued by Superman, which seems kind of silly considering that Aquaman is a superhero himself. Despite the fact that there is not much he can do, this part of Aquaman's story took the time to reflect on how real people suffer after severe storms.

4 WIN: PREVENTING WAR BETWEEN ATLANTIS AND N.E.M.O

Black Manta has always been one of the greatest threats to both Aquaman and Atlantis. During the "Deluge" storyline, Black Manta takes control of N.E.M.O, an organization that has been working since the 1870s to take control of the oceans. Black Manta uses the organization to start a war with Atlantis.

The Deluge, a radical group of Atlanteans, want to fight back not just against N.E.M.O, but the United states as well, leading Aquaman to try and stop the war from happening. This wouldn't be the only time that Aquaman had to work to prevent an all out war between the surface world and Atlantis.

3 LOSS: BEING SAVED BY MERA

In "The Missing Peace," a storyline from 1988, Aquaman must do battle with forces that are beyond his control, including his brother and a giant blob. In this story, Aquaman shows signs that there is something wrong with him. Mera especially becomes concerned as he almost allows a Submarine to sink with the entire crew on board.

It is later revealed that Aquaman had been separated form part of his soul when battling his brother. It takes Mera to help him recover the part of him that was lost in that fight. while Aquaman eventually defeats the blob, he does not act like a hero for most of this story.

2 WIN: THE THRONE OF ATLANTIS

Throne of Atlantis was one of the first storylines that saw Aquaman's section of the DC Universe being treated seriously. After a naval warship accidentally launches missiles at Atlantis, Ocean Master declares war on the surface world. Aquaman and the rest of the Justice League put a stop to things, and discover the whole thing was a plot to put Arthur back on the throne.

This was an important storyline because it showed that Aquaman's enemies could be just as dangerous to the surface world as anyone else. It was also important in establishing Arthur as a key member of the Justice League, one who could look after a part of the world that no one else could take responsibility for.

1 LOSS: BEING SAVED BY FISH IN FIRST APPEARANCE

Let's talk about Aquaman's first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 because it is not exactly flattering. While most superheroes still manage to save the day and be heroic in their initial appearances, Aquaman does quite the opposite. It's no wonder that he was considered a joke for so long, considering this is how his superhero career began.

Aquaman is telling the story of when he was fighting some German soldiers. Unfortunately, they managed to get the drop on him. Aquaman was tied up, had weights chained to him, and was thrown overboard into the ocean. Not being able to save himself, he relied on his fish friends to free him from the ropes. Not exactly a promising start, but things did get better.