The King of Atlantis gets no respect.
Even though Aquaman has been around for more than 50 years, there are those who know little beyond what they have seen on the current big screen adaptation.
Though the future of the DC universe resides on how the upcoming movie is going to do, we are sticking to the comic origins.
Basics
He was created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger at DC Comics and first appeared in More Fun Comics # 73 in 1941. In the beginning, he was meant to be a a backup feature. It was not until the 1950’s when he came into his own and had a standalone series.
His more common origin is Arthur Curry is the son of a lighthouse keeper and an outcast from Atlantis. He had several super human powers, found a telepathic connection with sea creatures, and even had a weakness where he needed to come in contact with water every hour or he would die. This weakness was eventually reduce to minimal effects.
DC attempted to modernize the character after years of jokes about his feeble powers and lackluster abilities. As a result, comic fans received one of the better arcs, The Trench created by Geoff Johns. Here you see our hero take on enemies that outnumber him and a finale where readers will see him make a difficult decision.
Positives
Curry has some interesting powers as Aquaman, but the one positive trait of his that takes the top spot is his nobility. You can see how this plays out when we see him torn between the land and the sea. It it this personality trait that puts him in our top rankings of heroes.
Negatives
If you asked more casual super hero fans, they will say Aquaman is the joke of the DC Universe thanks to his less than stellar powers that were sometime portrayed. It is this stigma that has hung with him in recent years and made him come off less heroic than he actually is.
Best Villain
There are a few good choices, like Ocean Master, but hands down it has to be Black Manta. Not only is he capable to of going toe to toe with the king thanks to the tech, there is a backstory behind it that carries weight.
Overall
Aquaman has been misrepresented earlier on in his career but has made a positive change in recent years. Things should continue to trend in the right direction for the King.
