Following one of my initial posts about the future possibility of a Justice League movie and its characters, some people argued that perhaps not all of the DC superheroes need to make an appearance in an upcoming JL movie - more specifically, the Dweller-in-the-Depths, Aquaman.
In order to bring the brightly clad hero some justice (pun intended), I intend on offering you some insight into the character. Firstly, let me ask you a few questions:
- Do you like magic?
- Do you like stories about royalty and monarchies?
- Do you like pirates that have a hook for a hand?
- Do you like swimming?
If you answered "yes" to all of these, read on! If not, well, go jump in the lake (idioms and puns, yikes).
Who is Aquaman?
I have to get a little generic here; Aquaman has been revamped a handful of times. I'll try to stick to the most current and up-to-date, and the one I'm most familiar with.
Atlantis, itself, existed well before Plato's accounts of the city; it was a place of wonder, a place of sorcery and magic. This magic both cursed the city into sinking, and saved it after it sank. Prince Orin was born directly into royalty, unto the sovereign nation of Atlantis, hidden from society in the depths of the ocean.
Though accounts differ, essentially Orin is deserted or shipwrecked, and was saved and raised by a fisherman, Arthur Curry, which Orin then adopted as his own name.
King Arthur went back to Atlantis to rule as king, and defends the ocean from pollution, magic, evil-doers, and the odd extraterrestrial that decides Aquaman is a chum-p (what's wrong with these puns today).
Why is he Important?
As king of Atlantis, Aquaman has a series of responsibilities. He protects his people. He represents his people as diplomat in the United Nations. He makes sure people aren't excessively polluting the ocean (BP, I'm looking in your direction).
Also, he was one of the founding members of the first incarnation of the Justice League, before both A-List heroes Superman and Batman.
This probably was because he was used to being in leagues - like, 20,000 leagues under the sea (last one, I promise). But the fact remains that he was an integral member of the Justice League from the beginning.
What can he do?
Can't he only breath underwater, and talk with fish???
If you think that's all he can do, well, "You damn fool, you're more useless than Aquaman!!"
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| Aquaman - Super Friends |
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| Aquaman - Golden Age |
The days of this guy are gone. No more sitting on the sidelines waiting for an undersea adventure.
Yes, Aquaman can talk with the fishes. But instead of mere telepathy, he has psionic domination of marine life. It's not, "Hey, shark, wanna do me a favour?" but more along the lines of "Get over here and bite this guy, NOW!"
And yes, he can leave the ocean, even for an extended period of time (this was initially limited to approximately an hour, but has almost become indefinite). In extreme heat he will dehydrate and require fluids, but, well, so will you. He just requires them a little faster.
Aquaman's skin is hardened from the depths of the ocean. He has a healing factor, which goes into high gear once he submerses himself in water. He can resist extreme cold due to dwelling in the deep.
He has enhanced senses including excellent vision (able to see in the depths of the ocean, void of any sunlight), increased speed, agility, strength and reflexes.
He has access to the magic of Atlantis, and all of their advanced gadgetry. He can form objects into "hard water," and use them as projectiles (without yelling, "KAMEHAMEHA!!")
Aquaman loses his hand to a villain, and comes to don a pirate-like hook. Through the advances of Atlantean technology, the hook can be fired and retracted much like Batman's grapple hooks.
Eventually, Aquaman replaces the hook with a hard water magic replacement; this hard-water hand can function as a normal hand, but can be converted into objects like a sword or mace, or fire upon an enemy Megaman-style.
Why do I like him?
With time, Aquaman got harder with each retelling of his story. Read this description from Wikipedia:
The single-most reason why I like Aquaman and want to see him make a movie debut: once again, television (if you guessed this, good, you have been paying attention).
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| Aquaman - Superman: The Animated Series |
My first real exposure to Aquaman was in STAS. When Lex Luthor crossed the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman blows up his ship and leaves everyone to drown, to a bewildered Superman. Their first meeting wasn't exactly a good one, nor did they become super friends.
Later, when Superman & Batman formed the Justice League, they crossed paths with Aquaman. He now had his modern look of beard, long hair, and an even harder attitude to go with it - kind of a "Conan-underwater" motif.
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| Aquaman - Justice League |
Because he has heart. In his premiere Justice League debut, he is trapped by his brother, Orm (who is attempting to usurp the throne), and Arthur, along with his son, are chained to a rock and left to die. Starve? Nope. The rock is sliding into an underwater pool of magma deep within the recesses of the earth.
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| Aquaman & Son Going Down, Down, Down to the Burning Ring of Fire |
Aquaman is able to free his right arm from the rock, but try as he might, he cannot free his left arm, and from his son's cries, he knows they're out of time. Removing the "A" insignia from his belt, Arthur draws back his right hand, and....
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| As King, you have to make the Difficult Decisions |
...cuts off his left hand to escape the chains, and save his son's life.
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| It's Time to Stop Orm |
Yes, his next appearance he's sporting the hook. And yes, all of the Justice League think he's insane for removing his hand - until Arthur's good wife, Mera, asks them if it's insane to love your family.
And that's what it's all about, folks. Sacrifices. Any good, well-respected hero has to know when to make sacrifices, even the ultimate one if need be. Aquaman fits this quota, and then some. Superman is inherently good from the mid-west values Ma & Pa Kent instilled in him. Batman lost his parents as a child. Aquaman is the king of a nation, a husband, and a father. He knows his motivation, and if you threaten any aspect of it, he will make sure the tide runs red with you and your regret.
Can Aquaman translate to the big screen?
I believe that if you tell his story and introduce him the way they did on Justice League, his story will not only be relevant, but one that will be memorable and respected. Surely they will go ahead and play the Thor aspect, one of arrogance from his royal beginnings, where he loses the throne and has to fight to regain it. But it could be a story worth telling, and one to branch into a Justice League movie.
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
If you're still thinking of the campy Super Friends Aquaman, you may need to watch this compilation video I found of some of Aquaman's appearances in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
Still not convinced? Well, go ahead. Bring your army to Atlantis, threaten the throne. Or equally as offensive, dump your waste into the ocean, or poach his marine life. But I warn you...
"Hail to the King, Baby."
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