Yup, I'm gonna talk about Aquaman this week. And, if you are a proper comics fan you'll understand why.
Now, I'm not a huge Aquaman fan, but I think that old Arthur Curry has taken quite a kicking over the years from pretty much anyone and everyone for being useless, his main power being he can 'talk to fish' (we'll get to that later) and his costume choices, but I think this is quite unfair. Alright the costume isn't great, but at least he never thought it was a good idea to walk around with his underwear on the outside as others of his generation of heroes have been wont to do. Of course we all know he doesn't talk to fish, he telepathically nudges them in the right direction, but ok, it is a lame power, until he gets a great white to eat you and anyway, he has lot more powers than that, he's super-strong, with super-reflexes, endurance, senses and healing (just like, if to a lesser extent than, a certain super-popular yellow clad short-arse only without the bad temper and metal claws). And as for him being useless........
Lets just count back what this guy has gone through over his time at DC comics. His people tried to kill him, only to switch from wanting him dead to wanting him to be king and back again like a yo-yo, yet he still protects them (like Batman, Spider-Man etc.), he was the first major superhero to get married (a full two years before Barry Allen tied the knot, 14 (or 32 depending on continuity) years before Superman, 24 years before Spider-Man and an infinity before Batman), his brother has tried to kill him and his parents are both dead (beat that Bruce Wayne), he has one of the greatest super-villains in Black Manta, his son has been murdered by his aforementioned arch-enemy, yet he's never fully taken his revenge, always upholding his principles. He's lost his hand and carried on fighting (Green Arrow decided he'd rather die than lose his hand) and of course he's died, been resurrected as a zombie black lantern, killed his former sidekick and tried to rip out his wife's heart before seeing her die in front of him as soon as he is returned to life and helping to resurrect her. And that's not to mention that HE, not Superman or Batman, was a founding member of the Justice League.
Personally, I blame Super Friends.
So, this week's question is a two parter. I've had my say, but what do you think of Aquaman, rubbish or not? And if not, who should take his place as the worst mainstream superhero? (I mean a hero that someone on the street may have heard of, not 3D Man or any other obscure Marvel character from the later 70's)
