Aquaman Deserve Some Respect

In the world of DC comics, there have indeed been speculations in regards to Aquaman's seemingly unimpressive image, powers, and persona. I mean you can't really blame new comic fans when you introduce them to this underwater hero. As you tell him who he is and give a little more insight on where he comes from, the person will begin to ask: " Can he control water?", where by you turn down his curiosity by saying "No, but he can talk to fish." "But he's called Aquaman." "...." and a frown of disappointment slowly forms on his face. Well, that wasn't how it was for me; I straight up chuckled and laughed more when I heard about his powers even further. When the superhero Aquaman aka Arthur Curry was conceived in comic book literature during the 1940s, his original characterization and supernatural traits were something to be made fun of in the perspectives of later generations. According to classic comic book issues, Aquaman could breathe underwater and control fish and other marine organisms for up to a minute. This fragment of Aquaman's portrayal is already laughable. He's a very good swimmer. He communicates with them via language rather than telepathy as depicted in modern comics. He can only control them within 20 yards. His weakness is his need to be in touch with water at least once per HOUR. His lair was a wrecked fishing boat submerged underwater (not exactly your bat cave or fortress of solitude). Other than superhuman, strength, speed, senses( u know ,the qualifications for being a superhero), that was pretty much it. Judging by comparison, Aquaman's original characteristics were quite inferior to other DC superheroes like Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern,and Superman. The main reason being is that his powers are only proficient within certain circumstances; if there isn't any body of water, he's reduced to being the guy that helps beat up the goons. Okay, NOW we go into post New 52, where Aquaman's creators and others finally turn him into a decent, formidable DC character. I'm not going to deny that Aquaman's current depiction isn't impressive or even cool. It IS. He's got powers that rival Poseidon and wields an awesome trident that DOES manipulate water and even summons lightning. Plus his home has been upgraded to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis in which he is the soveriegn ruler. But the issue of whether or not Aquaman deserves respect is a matter of reputation and logic. Here's a thing to consider: hero's and mystical beings are only as great as their writers make them to be. Their creations are then presented to the world for judgement. And that also includes the character's influence on the audience. Let's face it everyone. The primary reason as to why Aquaman was created was to promote the reduction of pollution and the conservation of marine life. This is evident given the fact that they could have granted Aquaman the ability to control the physical properties of water, but chose not to because it wasnt the direction that they wanted to follow. As a contemporary fictional character, Aquaman is not very relevant or influential in our society. We live in a world where there is a giant garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean, all kinds of fish are being reeled in on a day to day basis, catastrophic oil spills kill fish and sea birds , and endangered marine animals are being hunted for sport. (This last paragraph is too sad, dont count this in my argument)