When Aquaman hits theaters at Christmas, DC Comics fans will get a chance to see the ocean-faring superhero in all his glory. It is also another chance for the DCEU to prove to fans that Aquaman was never a joke, regardless of what Super Friends and Robot Chicken would have you believe. At the end of the day, Aquaman is one of the most powerful heroes in the world -- above or below the depths of the ocean. He isn't alone either, as there are many underwater heroes and villains that stand as some of the most powerful characters in both Marvel and DC Comics.
Both comic companies have versions of Atlantis, and while Aquaman is the clear King of the Seas in DC Comics, it is Namor that stands as his equivalent in the pages of Marvel Comics -- and the two heroes are polar opposites. With that said, the two lead huge casts of characters -- both with allies and enemies in the battle for subaquatic supremacy. While the clearest power for most of these characters is the ability to swim and breathe underwater and increase their strength while there, there are many other powers that these superheroes and supervillains possess, making many of them seem somewhat overpowered. With an entire ecosystem of its own under the water, these beings end up as some of the most powerful in their world, and they are almost always unbeatable when battling in their own habitat.
15 BLACK MANTA
Black Manta, aka David Hyde, has two very different origin stories. In the pre-New 52 DC Comics, he was an autistic boy who was taken by pirates, giving him an intense hatred of water life -- which included Aquaman, who represented water. In the New 52, he was a treasure hunter with evil intentions -- once again garnering the attention of his number one enemy Aquaman.
As one of the top rogues for Aquaman, he is the most successful treasure hunter in history. He can also swim extremely fast, with Deathstroke saying in Deathstroke Vol. 3 #4 that Black Mantis can swim like "a torpedo." His power comes from his armor, which is a diving suit that allows him to survive untold depths. It also gives him superhuman strength, durability, and can also emit shocks as an offensive weapon.
14 STINGRAY
Stingray is one of the older characters when it comes to underwater superheroes. Dr. Walter Newell is a scientist and made his first appearance in 1967 in the pages of Tales to Astonish. He became Stingray, the underwater superhero, in the pages of Sub-Mariner where he came in contact with Namor himself. Since his debut, Stingray has been a member of the Avengers and Defenders and remained a friend and ally of Namor for years.
When it comes to powers, Stingray possesses no natural superhuman abilities, but he is a genius and one of the most significant oceanographers in the world, as well as an engineer. It was as an engineer that he developed his Stingray suit, which can operate at up to 1,200 feet underwater and gives him superhuman strength, with the ability to lift 25 tons. It also has electronic blasts -- as expected from his name.
13 LORENA MARQUEZ
Lorena Marquez is one of the characters that went by the Aquagirl moniker when she made her appearance in DC Comics. Unlike other heroes in the Aquaman universe, Lorena got her start as a surface dweller in Aquaman #16. When an earthquake sent part of San Diego into the ocean, Lorena had her DNA fused with that of Aquaman and learned quickly she could breathe underwater.
She helped Aquaman and took on the name Aquagirl -- the previous person using the title being Tula, who had passed on years earlier. Lorena had a number of Aquaman's powers on a smaller level, including breathing underwater, greater strength when in the water, and enhanced senses. She was also trained by Aquaman in self-defense and fighting skills, and learned weapons training from the Teen Titans.
12 TULA
Tula is the first character who used the name Aquagirl. She was a childhood friend of Aqualad (Garth) and the two became partners, even following Garth to the Teen Titans as a member. In the original timeline, Tula perished when the water she was in was poisoned. Over time, she returned in Young Justice and in the New 52, as well as the DC Rebirth titles.
The original Tula had the basic powers of an Atlantean, with superhuman speed while swimming, strength underwater and increased durability. She also had limited telepathy. The new version of Tula is even faster and stronger, with enhanced vision and hearing. This newer version of the character also has weapons training as a soldier.
11 JACKSON HYDE
Jackson Hyde might be the most popular version of Aqualad to mainstream audiences. This is because he was one of the leaders of the Young Justice team and was a key player in the cartoon. However, while Jackson is popular, he is nowhere near as powerful as his counterpart, Garth. Jackson is the son of Black Manta, but remained loyal to his friends and earned the name Aqualad when Garth himself bestowed it upon him in the comics.
As for powers, Jackson has the basic abilities of an Atlantean, including breathing underwater, swimming very fast and showing both superhuman strength and durability when underwater. However, added to those skills were the powers of Xebelians, which includes the ability to emit electricity from his body, similar to an eel. In the New 52, Jackson also has the skill to shape water into weapons.
10 LADY DORMA
Lady Dorma was not so much a superhero as she was a member of Atlantean royalty. She was a cousin of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, and while they did not get along well in their early years, the two grew very close over time. She was one of the earliest characters in what would become the world of Marvel Comics, appearing first in Marvel Comics #1 for Timely Comics, which was also Namor's first appearance.
However, unlike many other Atlanteans that appeared in Marvel Comics, Lady Dorma's power was not as strong. She could lift up to two tons and could swim at speeds of up to 30 mph. Lady Dorma has also been gone for years, falling in a battle for the throne with Llyra -- but not before saving Namor's life at the expense of her own.
9 KING SHARK
King Shark is an interesting underwater supervillain in DC Comics. He is actually a humanoid shark, with his father widely known as the Shark God. He first appeared in Superboy Vol. 4 #0 and became a nemesis for the Boy of Steel. In the New 52, King Shark's father was known as Kamo -- a shark deity -- and he was captured and raised in a lab by Amanda Waller, eventually battling Aquaman when he made his way to Atlantis. Fans also got to see King Shark on TV's Flash.
For his powers, King Shark can live underwater indefinitely and can also survive on land for much longer than other underwater heroes and villains. He possesses superhuman strength of which the levels have never been revealed, and this also includes his claws and teeth, which can cut through just about anything. As part-shark, he also has empathy with other sharks and can get their aid on occasion.
8 TRITON
Not all the underwater heroes in the Marvel Universe reside in the world of Namor, the Sub-Mariner. When it comes to Triton, he is actually a member of The Inhumans Royal Family. Making his debut in Fantastic Four #45, Triton's abilities both overpower and hurt him at the same time. When it comes to Triton's weakness, he is unable to breathe air without a breathing apparatus -- making him only capable of fighting well when underwater.
However, when underwater, he is extremely powerful. His blood circulation helps him withstand freezing temperatures and he is superhumanly strong and durable thanks to his body adapting to the water pressure beneath the sea. When it comes to strength, it varies as he is listed as being able to lift two tons; of course, Namor the Sub-Mariner #45 showed him lifting 50 tons. He is also extremely fast and can swim at 40 miles-per-hour.
7 NAMORITA
Namorita is the daughter of Namora and the second cousin of Namor, the Sub-Mariner. She was born due to genetic manipulation and was actually the clone of Namora, which gave her the genes of the greatest warriors in Atlantis. Namorita was raised in the surface world and soon joined the New Warriors. This would eventually make her one of the most important (and infamous) characters in the Marvel Universe.
Namorita was there when the New Warriors accidentally caused an explosion of an elementary school, in which many children -- as well as the New Warriors -- perished. She had the same powers as her mother, including Atlantean underwater breathing, speed, and strength, as well as the ability to fly. She also had the unique ability to absorb electricity.
6 NAMORA
Namora is the Sub-Mariner's cousin, and has been around for many years. Her first appearance pre-dated the silver age of Marvel Comics, making her debut in Marvel Mystery Comics #82 back in 1947. Marvel later changed her into an alternate reality version of Namor and then she returned in 2006 in Agent of Atlas, once again the cousin of Namor.
Much like Namor, Namora has superhuman abilities due to the mixture of her Atlantean bloodlines and her mutant abilities. She is superhumanly strong and can lift up to 75 tons, and is extremely fast both in and out of the water. She has healing abilities and her aging is slowed to allow a long life. She can also fly, has enhanced hearing and can sense when Namor is in danger.
5 GARTH
While Jackson Hyde remains the most popular character to work as Aqualad thanks to Young Justice, it is the original Aqualad -- Garth -- that remains the more powerful of the two. Garth used the name Aqualad as a teenager where he was a sidekick to Aquaman and he was a founding member of the Teen Titans. Later in life, he changed his name to Tempest and gained even more powers.
At the base of his abilities, Garth has the same powers as Aquaman but at a lower level. He can swim up to 85 miles-per-hour and can lift up to eight tons when underwater. He also has superhuman durability and is able to withstand most physical injuries. However, what makes him so powerful is that he has magical powers as Tempest and can project force beams, control water, change the temperature, turn things invisible, teleport, and much more.
4 OCEAN MASTER
While Black Mantis has been Aquaman's primary nemesis for years, his greatest enemy is actually known as the Ocean Master. This underwater supervillain is Orm, the half-brother of Aquaman and the second son of Queen Atlanna. Unlike Aquaman, who was raised in the surface world, Orm was raised in Atlantis and taught to fear the aggressive surface dwellers, so while Aquaman had empathy for humans, Orm's fear led to a hatred of them.
As the son of Queen Atlanna, Orm has similar powers to Aquaman, including superhuman strength, durability, reflexes and speed. However, his power levels are all below that of Aquaman. Despite that, he showed in the Throne of Atlantis storyline that he could take on Justice League members like Superman and Aquaman, which makes him a level higher than almost any other Atlantean.
3 MERA
Mera first appeared in the pages of Aquaman #11 in 1963. Originally, she was simply the love interest and sometimes went on adventures with Aquaman and Aqualad. However, starting in Adventure Comics #452, Mera became a character all her own, becoming both a hero and villain over the years when her son perished. It was later revealed that she was sent to Atlantis to take out Aquaman, but they fell in love instead.
With the Aquaman movie coming out this year, Mera plays a large role in the story and will become a major player in the DCEU. She is extremely strong, and while Aquaman is stronger, she is arguably on the same level of power as Wonder Woman, as shown in Aquaman Vol. 7 #1. She can also form water into weapons to use in battle.
2 NAMOR
The question of who the most overpowered underwater character in comics comes down to two men -- Aquaman and Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Usually, the decision comes down to whether a person is a fan of Marvel Comics or DC Comics. Still, the argument for Namor is strong. He is an Atlantean but is also an alpha-level mutant. If he has any downfall, it is his arrogance and anger, which often cloud his decision-making skills.
His body can withstand freezing temperatures and he can see in the dark. He is superhumanly strong and has beaten Luke Cage, She-Hulk, Red-Hulk and the Savage Hulk in physical fights. He can also swim up to 345 mph. He can absorb energy, mentally communicate with underwater sea life and manipulate them. He can also fly, and while he is super strong on land, he is unbeatable once he enters the water.
1 AQUAMAN
Aquaman was one of the first superheroes ever created, making his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. While Namor, the Sub-Mariner arrived first for a rival company, Aquaman grew into one of the most important heroes in DC Comics over time. Yes, things like Super Friends and Robot Chicken have made him a joke, but in comic books, Aquaman has never been a joke.
He is easily the most powerful underwater super-being in DC Comics. He is pretty much bulletproof and even the strongest-teethed beast will break its teeth without piercing his skin. He is one of the strongest beings in the world, at one time pushing a 44 quintillion ton tectonic plate over the entrance of a lair. Aquaman stands toe-to-toe with Superman as one of the Earth's most powerful heroes!