5 Things Fans of Aquaman Want You To Know
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This guy has control over sharks, electric eels and even aquatic microbes; make seafood puns at your own peril. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the top 5 facts about Aquaman.
#5: DC Had to Work to Get Fans to Take Him Seriously
Many of Aquaman’s early adventures were lighthearted and fun. That lightheartedness really came to the fore when Aquaman starred in Saturday morning cartoons in the 1960s and 70s. As a result, the Sea King has long been identified with cheesy catchphrases like “Great Neptune!” and “By the beard of Poseidon!” He was also perceived as having useless powers and became the butt of jokes by stand-up comics. In the comics, DC has worked tirelessly to play up his dark side and have pointed out that he actually is incredibly powerful.
#4: He Has a Lot in Common With Thor
Marvel’s son of Odin and DC’s Sea King have a surprising number of similarities. For example, both are heroes who belong to two worlds. For Thor, it’s Asgard and Earth, for Aquaman it’s the surface world and the seas. Both Atlantis and Asgard are worlds drawn from ancient mythology. They also each have a mythological weapon – Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and Aquaman’s trident from Poseidon. In addition, both Aquaman and Thor have been ruler of their respective kingdoms. They have similar family problems, too, namely Thor’s villainous half-brother Loki and Aquaman’s evil half-brother Orm. We could go on, but you get the idea, DC’s Aquaman has a lot in common with Marvel’s Thor. Also Namor.
#3: His Kingdom Is Way Bigger Than You Think
Aquaman is the King of Atlantis, an underwater continent that sank beneath the seas eons ago. But Aquaman’s domain stretches beyond Atlantis. It basically includes all of the land under the oceans and seas – and that’s a hell of a lot of land. Since approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, that means Aquaman is the ruler of 70% of the planet. By contrast, the entire continent of Asia occupies less than 9% of the total surface area. With those numbers, you realize that WE share the world with him and not the other way around.
#2: He Will Kill If He Needs To
Unlike most superheroes, Aquaman is a legitimate ruler. As the King of the Seas, he commands a massive army, and in battle he and his soldiers will kill if need be. Still, in his everyday superhero adventures, Aquaman tends to uphold the usual code of not taking a human life. However, at one point he did attempt to kill his archenemy, Black Manta – only to Kill Manta’s father by mistake. The Sea King also hunted down Manta after the villain killed Aquababy, intent on killing him – but he ultimately controlled his wrath and let the murderer live.
#1: A High Profile TV Pilot Was Deep Sixed
Aquaman showed up on the popular superhero TV series “Smallville,” starting in season five his episode delived the show’s best ratings of that season. Fan interest? Oh yeah. Recognizing the potential for a new smash show, a pilot was ordered, written, cast and shot. Justin Hartley won the title role, with Lou Diamond Phillips cast as his adoptive father. Unfortunately, or not, the network passed on the project and never aired the pilot. But when released on iTunes, it quickly shot to the top of the download charts. Critical response was positive, too – but the show still never surfaced as a series.
Agree with our choices? What other fascinating facts about DC’s King of the Atlantis should we have included? For more enthralling top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
#5: DC Had to Work to Get Fans to Take Him Seriously
Many of Aquaman’s early adventures were lighthearted and fun. That lightheartedness really came to the fore when Aquaman starred in Saturday morning cartoons in the 1960s and 70s. As a result, the Sea King has long been identified with cheesy catchphrases like “Great Neptune!” and “By the beard of Poseidon!” He was also perceived as having useless powers and became the butt of jokes by stand-up comics. In the comics, DC has worked tirelessly to play up his dark side and have pointed out that he actually is incredibly powerful.
#4: He Has a Lot in Common With Thor
Marvel’s son of Odin and DC’s Sea King have a surprising number of similarities. For example, both are heroes who belong to two worlds. For Thor, it’s Asgard and Earth, for Aquaman it’s the surface world and the seas. Both Atlantis and Asgard are worlds drawn from ancient mythology. They also each have a mythological weapon – Thor’s hammer Mjolnir and Aquaman’s trident from Poseidon. In addition, both Aquaman and Thor have been ruler of their respective kingdoms. They have similar family problems, too, namely Thor’s villainous half-brother Loki and Aquaman’s evil half-brother Orm. We could go on, but you get the idea, DC’s Aquaman has a lot in common with Marvel’s Thor. Also Namor.
#3: His Kingdom Is Way Bigger Than You Think
Aquaman is the King of Atlantis, an underwater continent that sank beneath the seas eons ago. But Aquaman’s domain stretches beyond Atlantis. It basically includes all of the land under the oceans and seas – and that’s a hell of a lot of land. Since approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, that means Aquaman is the ruler of 70% of the planet. By contrast, the entire continent of Asia occupies less than 9% of the total surface area. With those numbers, you realize that WE share the world with him and not the other way around.
#2: He Will Kill If He Needs To
Unlike most superheroes, Aquaman is a legitimate ruler. As the King of the Seas, he commands a massive army, and in battle he and his soldiers will kill if need be. Still, in his everyday superhero adventures, Aquaman tends to uphold the usual code of not taking a human life. However, at one point he did attempt to kill his archenemy, Black Manta – only to Kill Manta’s father by mistake. The Sea King also hunted down Manta after the villain killed Aquababy, intent on killing him – but he ultimately controlled his wrath and let the murderer live.
#1: A High Profile TV Pilot Was Deep Sixed
Aquaman showed up on the popular superhero TV series “Smallville,” starting in season five his episode delived the show’s best ratings of that season. Fan interest? Oh yeah. Recognizing the potential for a new smash show, a pilot was ordered, written, cast and shot. Justin Hartley won the title role, with Lou Diamond Phillips cast as his adoptive father. Unfortunately, or not, the network passed on the project and never aired the pilot. But when released on iTunes, it quickly shot to the top of the download charts. Critical response was positive, too – but the show still never surfaced as a series.
Agree with our choices? What other fascinating facts about DC’s King of the Atlantis should we have included? For more enthralling top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
