Why exactly is Aquaman so disliked? It's not just occurring in a vacuum or maybe a bubble. He's kind of stupid, with the orange scales or the beard, and no attempt to make him cooler or play up to the reputation (as a recent run in the comics tried to do) will change that. But that's not enough to earn that reputation, is it? Some jokes, silly costumes and Super-Friends? No, the real problem with Aquaman is that he isn't as cool as Namor The Sub-Mariner, Marvel's own undersea superhero. Both characters have essentially the same abilities, both claim the throne of the lost city of Atlantis, and actually kind of have similar outfits. But Namor has one thing Aquaman rarely exhibits signs of. A personality, frankly. He was a fairly straight hero in the Golden Age but Namor has since become one of the smarmiest, love-to-hate superheroes on the block, between his total arrogance and distaste for the land-dwellers and his constant attempts to sleep with the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman. What does Aquaman have that lives up to that? Don't say Tusky. Hopefully, Zack Snyder will find the time to give Jason Momoa some motivation between braiding his beard...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
