As the half-Atlantean ruler of the world's undersea civilizations, Aquaman swims in an ocean of enemies. Some lurk in the deepest parts of the sea while others hide behind courtly robes in the Throne Room of Atlantis. Of course, the Aquatic Ace's time with the Justice League has given him his fair share of surface-dwelling enemies too.
As a character who's been continually published since the Golden Age, Aquaman's battles range in tone from silly to serious. The past eighty years have seen the Protector of the Deep brawl with characters of all stripes, but a few rise above the rest.
10 Qwsp Is A Malevolent Mister Mxyzptlk
For a time in DC Comics, every major hero had an all-powerful, mischievous imp causing issues in their life. Superman had Mister Mxyzptlk, Batman had Bat-Mite, and Aquaman had Qwsp. An imp from the Fifth Dimension, Qwsp (first Quisp) had reality-warping powers that he used to aid Aquaman and also pull pranks on him.
However, the '90s saw their relationship sour when, after some time apart, Qwsp returned to Earth and encountered the newer, grimmer Aquaman. Qwsp changed his own personality to match, but in doing so, became malevolent. Qwsp's growing power required the intervention of both the Justice League and the Council of Interdimensional Imps to combat.
9 Scavenger Is A Sixties Supervillain Turned Sinister
Just as every DC hero has an impish enemy with mind-bending powers, they also have a variety of tech-wielding villains from the sci-fi sixties. Peter Mortimer, aka Scavenger, is one of Aquaman's foes. He's a sea-scouring scoundrel who sought treasure on the ocean floor.
The first Scavenger has a complicated history. After battling Aquaman for an alien object called the Time Decelerator, Scavenger's molecules were blasted through a Limbo-esque dimension. After his molecules reformed, he battled Aquaman one more time and seemingly turned to the side of good. However, his moral reformation didn't last, as Hawkman killed Scavenger for the creation and possession of violent pornography.
8 Siren Is Mera's Evil Twin
While two villains named Siren have menaced Aquaman, the more dangerous is the first. The twin sister of Mera, Queen of Atlantis and Aquaman's romantic partner, Hila was the odd one out of her family, leading to rebelliousness and then violence against the King of Atlantis.
Siren's stories often stem from her familial jealousy. As an identical twin, she's often impersonated her sister to fool Aquaman. Siren also led the Death Squad, a group of elite underwater mercenaries, in a quest to help Black Manta find his biological son and kill Aquaman.
7 Nereus Is A Rival King To Aquaman In DC Comics
As King of Atlantis, Aquaman must contend with various attempts on his throne. One such challenger is Nereus, a military leader from the Kingdom of Xebel. An underwater kingdom sometimes at war with Atlantis, Xebel's princess Mera disappeared from her betrothed, Nereus, one day.
When Mera returned and revealed she'd fallen in love with the King of Atlantis, Nereus refused to accept it. Instead, he turned the Xebellian armies against Mera and her partner for not standing with Atlan, the original King of Atlantis, when he returned after a millennium. Though routed, Nereus fled Aquaman and sought an alliance with Ocean Master.
6 The Trench Are Monstrous Fish-People
When Geoff Johns set his sights on Aquaman as a part of the New 52 relaunch, he reinvigorated the character, much like he had with Green Lantern and the Flash. Johns expanded Aquaman's lore and introduced the concept of seven undersea kingdoms, many of which appeared in the 2018 movie, Aquaman. Undoubtedly the most fearsome of them all was the Trench.
A species of angler fish-like humanoids who live in the Marianas Trench, the Trench adapted to their lightless environment after Atlan sundered Atlantis thousands of years ago. Neither good nor evil, the Trench follow whoever wields the Dead King's Scepter.
5 Charybdis Made Aquaman Lose His Hand
When DC rebooted their major heroes for the darker, grittier '90s, Aquaman and his bright orange tunic needed a major reinvention. Enter Charybdis, a terrorist with the ability to steal others' powers. Seeking to kill Aquaman, he and his wife Scylla led Aquaman, Dolphin, and Aqualad into a trap.
The confrontation didn't go well, and Charybdis kills Scylla. Aquaman pursues Charybdis to land, where, in an attempt to make Aquaman use his powers, the villain forces his left hand into a pool of piranhas. Aquaman loses his hand and Charybdis falls into the water, merging with the fish to become Piranha Man.
4 Atlan Built and Destroyed Atlantis
Aquaman (aka Arthur Curry) wasn't the first king of Atlantis. That honor went to Atlan, a wise ruler who saw the land grow into seven kingdoms under his reign. However, Atlan's brother, Orin, was furious at his brother's allowance of race-mixing and killed the entire royal family as punishment. His heart broken, Atlan sunk his kingdom along with seven mystical weapons he'd forged.
Atlan slept for centuries until he was eventually returned to life by Vulko. Now going by the Dead King, Atlan sought to destroy Atlantis once and for all, uniting the Trench and Xebel behind him to wage war against Aquaman.
3 The Fisherman Has A Lovecraftian Secret
The Fisherman is one of the most mysterious of Aquaman's foes. A hooded pirate specializing in theft, the Fisherman uses fishing-themed gimmick gadgetry to pull off his heists. However, the Fisherman was thwarted many times by Aquaman's forces on the sea floor.
The Fisherman has appeared both alone and with groups like Kobra and the Society, making it difficult for heroes to get a read on the Fisherman's identity. This is because the Fisherman is not a man but rather an alien parasite that attaches itself to host heads and takes on the form of a hood, pumping the host full of fear to do its bidding.
2 Ocean Master is Aquaman's Tragic Brother
The story of Orm, the Ocean Master, is a tragic story. Traditionally, Orm is Arthur Curry's half-brother, at least by love if not by blood. However, his brother's heroic actions made Ocean Master extremely jealous, which led him down a never-ending spiral of failed revenge plots.
Alternately, Ocean Master has been portrayed as a human pirate, a human sorcerer, and an Atlantean xenophobic noble. Orm's actions have ranged from outrageously violent to petty crime, something often explained in-universe as mental manipulation or amnesia. Still, Ocean Master's attacks on the surface world have granted him a place in DC's highest circle of supervillainy.
1 Black Manta Is Aquaman's Most Iconic Enemy
The red-eyed helmet of Black Manta is perhaps the most recognizable image in Aquaman's rogues' gallery, worn by a man dedicated to the destruction of Aquaman. Much like Ocean Master, Black Manta has a variety of origins, ranging from a kidnapped child whose cries for help weren't heard by Aquaman to an autistic child who was violently experimented on at Arkham Asylum, and finally as a mercenary hired to steal Aquaman's blood.
Regardless of his origin, Black Manta is always a thorn in Aquaman's side. He's attempted to steal Aquaman's throne, joined with villainous teams, and, most notably, killed Aquaman's infant son in front of him. Cunning, ruthless, and driven, Black Manta is Aquaman's greatest foe.