10 Alternate Universe Characters That Were Better Than The Original
2. Emperor Aquaman
To say that Aquaman has a bad reputation is an understatement. His treatment by previous writers has not been kind, and many readers see him as the most useless and least popular member of the Justice League. Although his powers and backstory have varied over the years, he is mainly known for his ability to breathe underwater, swim at high speeds, and communicate with sea life. Which doesnt really amount to much compared with the guy with laser vision.
DCs Flashpoint Universe focussed on an alternate timeline where the Flash was able to prevent the death of his mother in the past. The Aquaman of this universe was abducted from his home as a teenager by a group of Atlantean soldiers. He was subsequently raised in Atlantis, where he wasn't able to learn about human emotions like compassion. The soldiers also killed his father, which is going to make any character a bit darker. Just look at Batman.
While Emperor Aquaman was originally meant to marry Wonder Woman, the marriage fell through when Dianas mother was assassinated on their wedding day. This in turn led to a decades-long war between Atlantis and the Amazons. At one point Aquaman flooded the entire continent of Europe, killing 60 million people, just to stop the Amazons from ruling it.
The main universe Aquaman remains a bit of a joke to this day. Emperor Aquaman, on the other hand, was powerful enough to take on Wonder Woman and ruthless enough to destroy a whole continent to win his war. In a head to head, we know who we would root for.