The first image of Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman from the upcoming Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice has hit the web and boy, does he look bad-ass. From his unkempt Rob Zombie hair, to his sick late ’90s early ’00s tribal tattoos, Mamo’s Aquaman just screams “I will destroy you”. This is not your Granddad’s Aquaman. Mamoa who is most famous for portraying the barbaric Khal Drogo on Game Of Thrones was no doubt cast to make sure that this incarnation of Aquaman looks like a tough enough opponent to convincingly go toe to toe with the Man of Steel. It’s still early but judging by this first picture, he totally succeeds. This Aquaman looks like he’s saying “You try any of that neck snapping crap with me Superboy, and I’m sticking this trident inside you and making you my puppet!” This is an Aquaman who appears to be in full on beast mode which is a nice change of pace for a character largely regarded as a joke for the last 74 years.
That’s right, Aquaman has been around for 74 years, only a few less than Batman or Superman and yet he gets maybe a third of the exposure and none of the respect. Ask any random person what Aquaman’s deal is and they will likely tell you that he talks to fish and he can swim real good. And yet that description is about as fitting as saying that your iPhone can make phone calls. Sure it’s accurate, but Aquaman is so much more.
For starters, being able to withstand the crushing pressure at the bottom of the ocean means Aquaman is strong. Maybe not as strong as Superman, but still more than capable of tossing a pickup truck like a softball. Not only strong, but really durable. Aquaman can shrug off machine gun fire like it’s a swarm of mosquitoes. Add telepathy to that (surprise! It’s not just for fish) and you have a pretty formidable brawler. On top of that the guy is the king of Atlantis which means he has scores of mermen and women at his beck and call. Aquaman is pretty much the Khal Drogo of the sea and the Atlanteans his Dothraki warriors which makes Zack Synder’s decision to cast Mamoa especially fitting.
So why has Aquaman been treated like the redheaded step-child of the Justice League for so long? Most of the blame for that goes to the old Super Friends cartoon, which unfortunately seems to be the source of most people’s exposure to Aquaman outside of the comics. Honestly none of DC’s heroes fared well on Super Friends but Aquaman got the worst of it. Basically he went around riding over-sized seahorses or turtles and shooting white circles out of his head to symbolize telepathy. His role on the team was a joke. It also doesn’t help that various comedians and satirical shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken have taken Aquaman’s perceived uselessness on Super Friends and kicked it up to eleven.
It’s an unfair reputation that Aquaman has as a useless superhero with a lame power set and one that has been difficult to shake over the years. Difficult, but not impossible as the recent fighting game Injustice : Gods Among Us has proven. The Aquaman in Injustice is there to Kick butt and chew bubblegum and as anyone who has played the game can tell you there is nary a stick of Juicy Fruit in sight.
Then again, there was also DC’s ill fated attempt to make Aquaman a little more dark and gritty in the ’90s, but ’90s comics were just horrible in general so we will forgive that.
Let’s hope that Snyder and Mamoa can continue to change the public’s opinion of Aquaman. Snyder has already defended Aquaman’s honor against a couple of Radio DJs. Say what you will about the man’s directing, but at least he respects his comic book characters (this is the part where you angrily rush down to the comments section to tell me how much Zack Snyder ruined Super Man’s honor by having him kill somebody). Mamoa on the other hand, is already doing his part by looking like someone who could wrestle a shark and win.
The picture also includes the words “Unite The Seven” which could refer to the seven seas, the seven dwarfs, or the seven members of the Justice League. All signs point to option three. What’s interesting though is that with “Unite The Seven” Snyder is pretty much confirming that Batman V. Superman is nothing more than a platform to introduce the members that will make up the Justice League. Why the movie isn’t just called Justice League is anybodies guess. It’s worth noting though that producing a movie that’s sole reason for being is only to set up another movie is one of the reasons that the Amazing Spider-man 2 failed so badly. Let’s hope that Zack Snyder made Batman V. Superman to tell a story first and as an advertisement for future DC movies second. Only time will tell.
For now though we have this new Aquaman pic to salivate over as we wait the excruciatingly long time until the movie comes out next year. If you do plan on salivating over Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman, it is highly suggested that you print the picture out first. the Noobist is not responsible for any damage to your tablet or mobile device as a result of saliva exposure.