Aquaman is DC's most bizarre icon. He's played a huge role over the years, but he's often been a laughingstock as much as anything else. Looked down upon for years as the guy who talks to fish, Aquaman is much more powerful than generations of fans believed. He's had his ups and downs, but has become an icon once again, finally getting respect from general audiences and comic fans.
Aquaman has definitely been a work in progress. Creators have worked hard to make Aquaman more than a ridiculed hero, adding to his legend and making him better as the years have gone on.
10 Connecting Atlantis To Magic In The DC Universe Opened Things Up For Aquaman
The Atlantis myth has always been around. Sometimes, the island is a technologically advanced paradise and other times, it's the home of magic. DC went both ways with Atlantis, introducing Arion as the first wizard of Atlantis in millennia past. Connecting Atlantis to magic like this paid off, especially when The Atlantis Chronicles, by writer Peter David and artist Esteban Maroto, came out.
This connection would pay dividends for Aquaman over the years, giving the character something different from his previous adventures. The best Aquaman runs have all included these plot points, making for much better stories.
9 Making Jackson Hyde Aquaman Brought New Blood To The Franchise
Jackson Hyde was introduced as Aqualad years ago, but the shifting sands of DC continuity pushed him out of the spotlight. Eventually, Hyde was brought back as Aqualad during the DC Rebirth initiative and he gained increasing prominence. He came out as gay and has recently taken up the Aquaman mantle alongside Arthur.
Aquaman is one of the few big DC heroes who have never been replaced, so bringing Hyde in as a second Aquaman was a big deal. It pumped new blood into the franchise and pushed readers to get excited again about Aquaman's adventures.
8 Playing Up The Warrior Aspects Of The Character Fixed A Lot Of Problems Of The Past
For years, people made fun of Aquaman because he was considered useless. He talked to fish and was only useful underwater. This was something that needed to be addressed if the character was going to become a force in the DC Universe again, so writers slowly began to establish Aquaman as a warrior.
This allowed readers to see Aquaman for what he truly was: a super strong and durable wrecking ball who was a master combatant and tactician. Aquaman was on par with Wonder Woman and Batman, packing the kind of punch that only came from someone who could lift a continental plate.
7 Making Aquaman A Part Of The Initial Justice League Planted The Seeds Of Stardom
In 1961, the Justice League of America was introduced, which changed everything. They weren't the first DC team to combine the publisher's greatest heroes, but they still made an impact. Aquaman was kind of the odd man out on the team, a character who couldn't really match the others when it came to popularity but still had a great legacy of heroism.
The Justice League made Aquaman important again. He was always un underrated member of the team, even if he was the leader of the panned Justice League Detroit. There's a good chance that without the Justice League, Aquaman would just be another forgotten Golden Age hero.
6 His Underwater Adventures Were Always Unique
Aquatic superheroes can be pretty great when done right. Aquaman's best adventures do a great job of illustrating this point. Atlantis is a wonderful setting for stories, allowing creators to play in an underwater world where anything is possible, from sci-fi to palace intrigue to Lovecraftian deities. It's set Aquaman apart from his fellow heroes in profound ways.
Aquaman's underwater kingdom, over seventy percent of the planet, presents a huge canvas for creators to tell incredible superhero stories. Aquaman tales can go in so many unconventional directions and all of them are entertaining.
5 Black Manta And Aquaman's Rivalry Is Perfect
For years, Aquaman's half-brother, Ocean Master, was his biggest rival and Black Manta was more of a secondary villain. Ocean Master hatched the Atlantis shaking schemes, but Black Manta did the dirty work of fighting Aquaman. Eventually, Black Manta killed Aquaman and Mera's son, cementing his place as Aquaman's best villain.
Since then, Black Manta has starred in some amazing stories, ones that show off just how great of a villain he can be. The personal dimension to their conflict adds to their rivalry, as an undying hatred that only exists between the best hero/villain pairs.
4 Mera Makes Aquaman Better
Aquaman can be a great character on his own, but adding Mera to the mix makes him that much better. Their love story is a long and complicated run, but whenever they're together, Mera adds entertainment to his adventures. Plus, her aquakinetic powers are a lot of fun.
Putting Mera and Aquaman together is often the missing piece for Arthur's adventures. Aquaman can work on his own, but putting Mera at his side opens up so much story potential. This pairing has never failed to be fun or interesting.
3 Grant Morrison's JLA Was Part Of The '90s Rehabilitation For Aquaman
The '90s were a pretty great time to be an Aquaman fan. Grant Morrison's JLA run played a huge part in that. Morrison has long been considered a DC great and JLA shows off why. Bringing the Big Seven League back together and expanding it was a great idea. All the characters got their moments to shine, which Aquaman certainly benefited from.
The Atlantean monarch stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of DC's greatest heroes. Morrison made Aquaman feel like he belonged there and gave the hero some cool stuff to do, as well as building a fun relationship between Aquaman and Wonder Woman. Being in the best team book of the '90s did wonders for Aquaman as a character.
2 Aquaman Thrived During The New 52
The New 52 was a controversial time in DC history but it paid off for Aquaman. Writer Geoff Johns, DC's chief architect throughout the 2000s, had already resurrected the long dead Aquaman in Blackest Night. Arthur and Mera played a big role in Brightest Day. Then, the New 52 started. John and frequent artistic collaborator Ivan Reis launched a new Aquaman, a book that went down as one of the best of the New 52 era.
Johns' later work, especially during the New 52, isn't as well regarded as his earlier comics, but Aquaman is universally loved. Johns and Reis provided fans with everything great about Aquaman, and the story is still loved even today. It helped make Aquaman popular again for the first time in over a decade.
1 Peter David's Aquaman Run Is A Classic
DC in the '90s was firing on all cylinders when most of the industry was stagnating. Writer Peter David was a key player in the best comics of the era, both at Marvel and DC, and his Aquaman run was the main thrust in making the hero popular again. David did this in a rather interesting fashion: he had the villain Charybdis use piranhas to eat Aquaman's left hand.
Replacing it with a hook and concentrating on Atlantis, David reminded readers why Aquaman's adventures were special. It was one of the best superhero books of the era and created a lot of Aquaman fans who would wait excitedly until he got another chance at stardom.