Aquaman, Why?

[RobinFan4880]

namor can also fly, blow up his body like a puffer fish, spit water like a sprinkler, and discharge electrical shocks on command.

He is also uncannily charismatic and handsome, making even the most ardent woman swoon.

[HandofPrometheus]

Honestly I would've changed the Justice League line up by now, kicking him off the team already. My favorite JL teams don't contain him and I prefer him with just him and Mera hanging out.

[Flash Gordon]

No, his powers would be traceable to his place of origin. Just as Superman's powers are traceable to his place of origin.

What can sea creatures do? They're strong, they can withstand enormous pressures, they can go for extended periods without breathing, they can regenerate lost body parts, they have heightened senses, they have sonar, they have homing instincts so that they never get lost, etc.

Nobody would laugh at a character like that.

Nobody is laughing at Aquaman.

Certainly nobody will be laughing at Jason Moma, as Aquaman.

[Lee Stone]

Aquaman is an 'adventure hero' first and 'superhero' second.

He debuted at a time when comics were equally about adventure stories as they were crime, horror or superhero.

By the time of JLA's debut, he was still predominantly an adventure hero, and fit in the team about the same as Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter, both of which were less superhero-ish than they became in the '70s and '80s.

I think the struggles the character has been through is just his being adapted to the change in comics, especially with the Big Two, into a superhero-centric focus, which makes him appear less interesting due to not having flashy powers (pardon the pun).
The 'age of wonder' and 'thrill of adventure' days have come to an end (at least for now) and we're in a more of a 'neo-mythological might and power soap-opera' era where even supporting cast members are somewhat shunned in favor of an inclusive storytelling style, similar to pro-wrestling (for example, relationships are more likely to develop between two superheroes than between a super and a non-super).
Characters are rated by power-levels and costumes, and less by personality or personal narrative.

Where does that leave Aquaman?
Well, he's become essentially the 'school outcast' because the shift in focus has pushed him even further down the totem pole.
He works best as an adventure hero, dealing with a fantasy/sci-fi underwater kingdom with mythological lore and the challenge of belonging to two different worlds.
Pretty much like Wonder Woman, his abilities always came second to diplomacy, adventure, royalty drama and dealing with a foreign culture.
And like Wonder Woman (and Hawkman), he's been subjected to the 'how do we make him/her cooler?' and given weapons and armor to make him seem more exciting to modern readers.

As for why he's in the League?
First, because he was grandfathered in by being there in the '60s.
Second, because Johns likes the character. Or he would've simply been replaced, like J'onn was with Cyborg.

He does still have potential as being a diplomatic emissary for the underwater kingdom.
More so, when you consider that over 70% of the Earth is covered with water, which means there could be twice as many cultures and people living underwater, even under the crust, than there are above when you think about it.
How many metropolitan cities can you name?
How many underwater metropolitan cities can you name?

[Trey Strain]

He is also uncannily charismatic and handsome, making even the most ardent woman swoon.

I think it's those wings on his ankles.

[Jim Kelly]

In 1960, there were only five super-heroes with their own books, when the Justice League was created. That was Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman who had survived the great die off of 1950--plus the Flash who had just got his own title and Green Lantern, who hadn't yet got his own title but soon would in that year.

There were four other super-heroes (if you don't count Congo Bill or Adam Strange) that had their own regular features in anthology books. Those were Supergirl in ACTION COMICS, Aquaman in ADVENTURE COMICS, Martian Manhunter in DETECTIVE COMICS and Green Arrow in WORLD'S FINEST COMICS.

So Aquaman and Martian Manhunter were selected to fill out the membership, to make it seven. Although, Mort Weisinger and Jack Schiff wouldn't let editor Julius Schwartz use Superman and Batman full time in the League--so it was really a five member team for a little while. Aquaman came from a Weisinger edited comic and Martian Manhunter came from a Schiff edited comic--so those editors did allow Schwatz to use two of their characters full time.

[ed2962]

I don't think Aquaman should do that stuff. Anyway Namor still pretty much stays in the water, right? Aquaman shouldn't because there's no place for him to go back to.

This is still the same character but with more powers. He still comes from Atlantis but nobody has to swallow the idea that Atlantis. still exists.

There's nothing random about it.

Actually, Namor probably spends more time out of water than in it. Although it has been written that if he spends too much time in either just water or just land it starts to affect him emotionally/mentally.

[Jody Garland]

No, his powers would be traceable to his place of origin. Just as Superman's powers are traceable to his place of origin.

What can sea creatures do? They're strong, they can withstand enormous pressures, they can go for extended periods without breathing, they can regenerate lost body parts, they have heightened senses, they have sonar, they have homing instincts so that they never get lost, etc.

Nobody would laugh at a character like that.

Aquaman can already do almost every single one of those, barring the regeneration. Plus other powers that don't get brought up often enough- like the ability to withstand extreme temperatures on both sides of the thermometer.

It sounds like you're basically wanting to strip the character of what makes him unique and just make him his powers. That's a pretty big mistake, IMO.

[md62]

Aquaman is an amazing character. Great powers. King of a vast kingdom. A kingdom hidden to most of us. I don't get the objection to Atlantis existing in a Fictional Universe. But I grew up with Aquaman pre Super Friends. I like both him & Namor.

[Trey Strain]

Aquaman can already do almost every single one of those, barring the regeneration. Plus other powers that don't get brought up often enough- like the ability to withstand extreme temperatures on both sides of the thermometer.

It sounds like you're basically wanting to strip the character of what makes him unique and just make him his powers. That's a pretty big mistake, IMO.

It doesn't sell, so you're defending something that's pretty hard to defend.

[GreenLanternRanger]

Why Aquaman? Because Aquaman is awesome! That's why. sharks.jpg

[CaptCleghorn]

It doesn't sell, so you're defending something that's pretty hard to defend.

Actually, Aquaman does sell.

[Atlanta96]

It doesn't sell, so you're defending something that's pretty hard to defend.

It's selling better than Batgirl, Deathstroke, and several other DC books at the moment so it looks like Aquaman is here to stay.

And he should, because he's the underdog hero of the DCU. A unique and powerful character with a rich history and many interesting traits, who just can't get the respect he deserves compared to other heroes. He gets disproportionately mocked and ignored by both fans and non-fans even though he's earned his place as an A-list hero. Underdog status is something a lot of us can respect, and it's why I'll always pick up his book even when it's not the most amazing thing on the shelves.

[stephens2177]

Aquaman deserves to be on the League because he's from the early 1940s, not some Johnny-Come-Lately like the Martian, Barry or Hal.

He's a contemporary of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. He's megaton strong. He's got sea superiority. He has super senses. He's the king of an army of supermen from under the ocean. He can command schools of sharks and ride packs of orcas. And he's not a god or a space alien so it's possible he's the strongest natural-born-not-magic-not-super-science-not-monster human in the entire DCU.

Aquaman is a King with his own army who controls life in 96.5 percent of the world. His ability to impact world events is constantly understated but his capacity is always acknowledged. His power set away from water may not seem as specialized, but strength and mild telepathy aren't all he has to offer. He's a natural leader and a skilled warrior. He has the perfect qualities to be a League member. Diplomatic when possible, but unafraid to fight hard when necessary. A reliable powerhouse with good judgement rounds out the team well. Not to mention the fact Atlantis being a civilization deserves a sort of representative to the surface world. The League is an amalgamation of survivors form other civilizations, it's only right he be there too.

This is of course on top of the fact that he's a founding member and he's always been important to the team. DC can't just "find" a member with the same connections.

Aquaman is the strongest man born on Earth, he's a king, he rules a vast majority of the Earth- need I say more?

Aquaman has physicals on.par with demi gods,awesome tech,great magic,armies of superhuman and undersea animals that follow his every command,world governing power.

Nobody can touch him,his stack is higher and deeper than anybody elses

[Vanguard-01]

Yes, he's a smashing success the way they depict him, isn't he? God forbid that anyone would take him out of the punchlines of The Big Bang Theory.

His comic is selling like hotcakes, he's appearing in multiple movies, and he's about to erase Superfriends from people's memories for all time.

Yep! I'd call that a smashing success.