Obviously there's Superman, but where would Arthur fit in with others like Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Shazam, Power Girl, etc?
Obviously there's Superman, but where would Arthur fit in with others like Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Shazam, Power Girl, etc?
I don't think he's more physically strong than any the ones you mentioned but he is incredibly strong compared to most heroes, such as Batman, Hawkman, Nightwing, etc...
Living and swimming in the oceans has strengthened his muscles to endure a lot and made him extremely physically strong.
Arthur's strength has always been a bit inconsistent, but I figure he's solidly mid-tier in strength; roughly as strong as Superman was in the Golden Age, and in the same broad neighborhood as characters like Spider-Man and Hawkman are today.
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Aquaman is basically only remotely that strong when he fights specifically Wonder Woman or Superman, but outside of that he is typically far weaker than them, but he don't truly fits anywhere in because he is at the same time far stronger than the likes of Hawkman or Vixen typically are.
Glad you mentioned this, because I always thought he'd be comparable to Namor as well. And didn't Namor hold his own against the Sentry?
I've always felt like if Arthur's strength was more defined, it would be cool to see him actually go toe-to-toe with someone like Lobo? He doesn't have to win, mind you, just show that he can be called upon to kick some ass when needed.
Arthur & Lobo are cool. Lobo's deep affection for space dolphins gives Aquaman a pass from the Main Man's wrath.
Johns showed Arthur was strong, but being struck by a bullet DID break his skin (and piss him off).
It stands to reason, to survive the pressures of the ocean depths that he would be exceptionally strong by comparison on land.
He'd wipe the floor with most, but not in the Superman or Wonder Woman level hand to hand.
His trident however also gives him a power upgrade.
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Compared to humans, Aquaman is immensely strong physically and his hide is quite tough. He is a scrapper and a noble person with a great sense of duty. However, he is not in that tier of superhuman strength. Can he knock them about, especially early on? Absolutely! He IS superhumanly strong.
It was not that his strength was not defined--it was. It just wasn't defined as that tier. If we use Marvel language, he would be around Class 20-25 as opposed to Namor's Class 80. However, he doesn't need a trident to do battle. His regular Aquaman trappings are more than enough for him to engage Class 100 strength opponents for the simple fact that there are NUMEROUS examples of him having done so. He doesn't need to be made into another character to be awesome. He IS awesome as is.
Last edited by Stanlos; 06-26-2023 at 02:36 AM.
I've always viewed it as something like this... Superman's the strongest of the Leaguers. Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman are up there right below him. Aquaman and a telekinetically enhanced Martian Manhunter and a Quantum-energized Captain Atom are close. I'd put Red Tornado, Hawkman and Hawkwoman just behind them. Neither Flash nor Plastic Man nor Zatanna nor Atom have super- strength , but their powers can sometimes give them more oomph. At the "bottom" are folks like Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Black Lightning, though of course, they're all way stronger because of their training than the average human being. And of course, you have the Green Lanterns, who can use willpower and rings to mimic strength too - and maybe even top Superman when they're on their game. Same - in his own way - with Doctor Fate.
Always? No. Not if Superman, WW. Cap, and Jonn are assumed as Class 100. Unless you are not speaking in a general sense but instead considering Flashturd, Geoff John's fanwank. If that is the case, it is easy to see that both Supes and WW were MASSIVELY powered DOWN as compared to their pre GJ fanwank state.
But hey, have a party. The OP asked about standing in the DCU so I assumed general sense.