When Did Aquaman Become a Badass? 

Honestly my favorite version of the "Aquaman loses his hand" trope has to come from the Justice League animated series. No disrespect to the comic versions of the event, but cutting off his own hand because it was the only way he could save his infant son is probably the most iconic Aquaman moment for me.

My first introduction to Aquaman was in the JL cartoon, so I never understood why people found him lame.

making Aquaman an underwater CONAN THE BARBARIAN seems to have worked.....

My favorite Aquaman version is the Batman: The Brave and the Bold version voiced by John DiMaggio.

I didn't expect this intro... now I have to change my panties...

I remember my mother telling me about Aquaman when I was a kid and I thought it was the coolest thing ever! I didn’t know what he looked like so I imagined a dude basically made of water with a big A on his chest. However inaccurate mental image, I thought this Aquaman was awesome and my little child brain loved it. I don’t remember if I was disappointed at all by discovering what he really looked like, but I always remember thinking Aquaman was really cool. His ocean powers were different from everyone else’s, you’d see a lot of really cool underwater stuff, and I remember Atlantis being pretty sweet too.

It was on Peter David's era when I became an Aquaman fan. I particularly like the story where he declares war to Japan.

Peter David's Aquaman work was some of the best of all the 90's comics. I grew up reading it and it was a lot of fun. It should be required reading for anyone trying to get into Aquaman.

I think Geoff Johns’s New 52 run on Aquaman leans into greatness several times, as does Eisenhorn creator Dan Abnett’s stuff, but I’m a dyed in the wool Aquaman fan so take that for what it’s worth.

My favorite interpretations been the rebirth Aquaman. He's commanding, but compassionate. He wants to be the best husband and leader he can be, but knows he can't be the king his people need. It's a tragic reflection of a monarchy that doesn't make him seem entitled, but makes him seem trapped

Aquaman's biggest problem: he is a member of the the Justice League. That means that he chooses to hang out in the one place on earth where there are three people with greater raw physical strength than him (Superman / Wonder Woman / Martian Manhunter) and one with vastly greater telepathic abilities (Martian Manhunter). Anywhere else, Aquaman would be by far the strongest, toughest guy in the room, with some degree of telepathic ability no less. He wouldn't even need a bad attitude; he'd command respect just by being unstoppable. DC needs to establish that the Justice League (Superman / Wonder Woman / Batman) are whom you call when there's an extinction-level threat, but for anything short of that, the "B" team will be fine: Aquaman as the powerhouse, Green Arrow as the overachieving normal guy, and so on. Kind of like how Marvel has the Avengers and then there are teams like the Defenders that take on threats smaller than Thanos or Kang.

When was he not honestly? Pretty much all the oldschool DC characters started off as dorks, and then got progressively worked on.

Everyone for a while: “Aquaman’s so lame his only power is talking to fish” Also everyone: “Batman is so cool, he doesn’t even need powers”

Well, that opening was unexpected....

The guy that controls the speed at which lobsters die

I've always loved Aquamans blue costume more than his OG one. But I get it, his original design is too iconic

You forgotten the single greatest contribution to "making" Aquaman a badass: Grant Morrison's JLA.

"When Did Aquaman Become a Badass?" Short answer: when his arm was replaced by a hook. Also, Ramona Fradon, Nick Cardy, and Jim Aparo, especially Jim Aparo!

The peter David Aquaman is my favorite, and the art alone is worth the price of admission.

Your theme song gets my feet tapping and fingers snapping every time.

I liked Aquaman best when Aparo did the artwork. I've read them when I was a kid and rediscovered them a couple of years ago. I was quite suprised how good they were.

Why do people keep forgetting this character's portrayal in the Justice League Animated Series? Because that version was pretty awesome.

My favorite comic book run by Peter David was Young Justice. While the series has dated itself with references, he was able to capture a balance between light hearted and serious issues. Arrowette tried living vicariously through her daughter. An entire issue was written with no dialogue. Lobo tried going on a date with Empress. Arrowette’s tried avenging a death, to be reminded to do what is right (this story also contains a ridiculously funny moment where she says she is a villain and will have to get cleavage.) As a Teen Titans fan, I would love to see more moments of kids being kids. With a new Young Justice comic book debuting next month (and bringing back Kon-El,) I hope the light hearted spirit remains.

Not gonna lie, if aquaman acts like a drunken fisherman in the movie, imma love it.

This is my favourite RU-vid channel about comicbooks, it's one of my favourites in general for real. 😸✌️

Man you’re intros get better and better every time.

Metalocalypse: "Go into the water Live there Die there" (THIS ALBUM IS INTENDED FOR FISH ONLY)

Answer, his first appearance when he basically punched the shit out of a Nazi submarine.

I love water hand aquaman so much, i hope they introduce that in again at some point.

funny how each aquaman backstory progressively become closer to Namor's original one from 1939.

I don’t know how Marvel didn’t sue in the ‘60s when Aquaman was given practically the exact same origin as Namor the Sub-Mariner…

My favorite Aquaman series was his Geoff Johns written New 52 run. As far as his look goes, I really like how he's portrayed in the Zack Snyder films.

You know, even though i never did it, I seriously thought that jumping off the balcony with an umbrella would allow me to float like Mary Poppins.

I think the peter david run is great and criminally underrated. It should have a omnibus and in my opinion is essential reading for dc fans

Hilarious opening and as usual excellent in-depth episode, well done.

I loved how David made him almost like Namor. But,different. His nobility is a lot different from the sub mariner. He's more noble. And,I think what changed for his character was adding his struggles of being a king,hero and husband. The crown is heavy...

My favorite version of Aquaman is the Batman Brave And The Bold Aquaman, imagine Aquaman with the larger than life persona of Brian Blessed.

Great history and commentary!! I am a little surprised that you didn't mention Flashpoint where it is shown just how much of a badass he can be. It showed that he was one of the most powerful characters on Earth in the DCU. Yes, it was an alternate universe crossover event but it was still Aquaman with no added abilities. IMO, this showed just how powerful he can be when given the right circumstances and motivations.

"When Did Aquaman Become a Badass?" I was just wondering this a few hours ago.

That was a great opening, and great video!

If you read John's new 52 run, you'd know that Arthur Curry's been a force to reckon with since 2011.

Rick Veitch's Aquaman stuff that introduced Aquaman's water hand was the best, and continued on with other writers like John Arcudi (The Mask) and stories like Sub Diego. Not known for rugged badassery with a beard like David's run, but for sheer quality? The whole era of the water hand and the community of Sub Diego is wonderful. Unfortunate that that period is kind of slipping between the cracks as most people nowadays seem to only really talk about Johns' New 52 run or Peter David's bearded badass run when the subject of memorable Aquaman comics comes up.

Good information, I love to see how characters evolve. Thank you!

2:43 Well I tried to wall climb or shoot webs when I was a child

Glad you mentioned Cardy and Fradon's work on Aquaman, absolutely amazing stuff.

The most impressive thing Aquaman ever did in the Superfriends that stands out in my memory was some crisis that had him at the beach to fortify against an assault. He tore the shovel off a bulldozer and ran off with it to get to work. No crush depth, no bends, super strong/tough, super senses, telepath...and now a waterbender, too! When wasn't he a badass? Well done recounting. I was around for a lot of those and have them in my collection. No disputes here.

Your videos get better and better, keep up the great work!

He's had some great runs, even before PAD. What makes that series special is how accessible and markeatable it was which increased his popularity the "right" way.

No talk of the water hand, huh?

Arthur Curry has always been a badass! Screw Robot Chicken, and Family Guy! If you can pick up a damn POLAR BEAR, and throw it at poachers, you are a BADASS!

I hate dc “fans” who always thought he was a loser. Aquaman has always been a beast in the comics.

Great video as always, informative and entertaining! I go way back with Aquaman and fell in love with Nick Cardy's Mera. Jim Aparo was also superb. While the bad ass run was, in a way needed, my favorite creative team is Johns and Reis.

Great video, well-researched overview of Aquaman. As one of the lesser known Golden Age characters, he was largely an unknown. As a kid, I read some reprints of the classic version which I liked at the time. So thanks for enlightening us on the somewhat convoluted history of Aquaman!

I LOVE The Atlantis Chronicles! I picked those up probably a couple years after they were released. That might be my intro to Peter David.

Your intros are so freaking funny

I expected "Oh Hi! You Caught me being Aquaman."

I’m from Bermuda, grew up on the water so I always thought it was cool to talk to fish as a kid

Geoff Johns' New 52 Aquaman is killer. I loved the Trench story arch. Fun episode. -Dustin

Geoff John's and Dan Abnett's runs on Aquaman are my favorites. I think the world building and character development from these superb writers were amazing. Even when the stories weren't all that amazing (Specially during the later days of the New 52), the character work was on point. My gf and I both fell in love with Orm due to Geoff's earlier arcs, culminating in the JL crossover (which Johns was also helming at the time) Throne of Atlantis. Orm also had an amazing epilogue during Forever Evil's Villains Month... Peter David's run has an awesome Aquaman, OK supporting cast, great stories, excellent Atlantis and political intrigue, but I do feel it lacks a lot of what Johns and Abnett brought to the table, specially regarding the supporting cast, villains and the dichotomy and depth of a badass, but always underestimated Aquaman. (Peter David's was mostly just a badass)

Ah, yes, Aquaman and his evil doppelganger, Thanos Toes

I half-expected a 25 second video where you just jump out and go "NEVER!" and it ends, but this long version is pretty good too

Just returned from the aquaman movie, it was a ton of fun and quite good

The New 52 and Rebirth versions are my favorite

Me personally I love the Geoff Johns stuff. Because it's a good mix of the old and new stuff,plus Ivan Reis' art is so damn good🙌🏻

I can't believe how helpful these videos are for my stay-at-home status! I loved DC's old Secret Origins comics issue 7 for introducing me to Aquaman. Of course, his SuperFriends, cartoons from the 1960s, and JLA membership helped cement the character to my childhood fantasies. Great episode, sir, but I would have liked more of the New 52 run and beyond, though.

I would argue that Aquaman has always been a badass because the open ocean is absolutely terrifying. Think about it: just on the surface you have landless expanses the size of continents in all directions, and beneath that, unfathomable cubic miles of territory that humans have never explored in person.

Chris/Fat Aquaman/Faquaman managing to up the ante with every video opening ......

Aquaman has ALWAYS been cool. The Stigma is solely from the Superfriends Cartoon. Which you pointed out right off the bat. Thank you for that.

I always liked that underwater camo suit and thought it should've stayed.

As someone who never grew up with the super friends version and instead grew up with the badass king in the justice league show who in his first appearance sacrifice his own hand to save his son I've always liked Aquaman.

Aquaman hanging out in Detroit with the crappy JLA at the time will always be funny

He started getting a little grittier and less campy when Skeates and Aparo took him over in the late 60s. That’s when the light tone that dominated the character for 30 years started getting darker

Of note all my marvel friends as a kid loved Aquaman particularly this peter David run.

My uncle actually jumped off of a telephone pole because he thought he was Superman. Full body cast at 8 or 9 years old. He's still dumb.

Aquaman was always badass. The PAD "mid-life crisis" version of the character was a low point in my opinion.

Though I never attempted to breathe underwater, I always pretended to be Aquaman swimming laps underwater at the local public swimming pool. Respect to the King of the Seven Seas (even before he became a “badass”)! I always assumed the badass look was just cashing in on the extreme 90s looks, that a lot of other characters were going through at the time.

It's sad that the movie has given the most interesting and well developed version of Aquaman's origin. Would love to see Momoa's Aquaman lose his hand in a movie.

I would also like to recommend the Aquaman on Justice League cartoon, you know, the long blonde hair, big muscle, beard, the missing left hand, and a permanent frown. Plus, he had issues with the surface world screwing up his oceans.

I've always like Aquaman. He represented the oceans, and I loved the oceans as a kid. But it wasn't until the Justice League Detroit came along that DC began to really explore his powers and capabilities. For example: Some bad guy slugged him from behind with a gun and he collapsed. However, he popped up later when everyone thought he'd be out for hours. He explained that he was used to the incredible pressures at the bottom of the ocean, so that being hit in the back of the head, even with a piece of metal like a gun, didn't bother him at all, but he thought he'd play possum until he could use his being actually conscious to best advantage. They also began exploring how his muscles are acclimated to the ocean's depths, making him incredibly strong, as well as faster in the air, since on the surface he wasn't working against the resistance of the water. Later books also showed him using his telepathy to attack the reptile hindbrain of a Martian (taking him down), commanding a kraken to attack the Justice League (which was powerful enough to incapacitate Wonder Woman and Shazam/Captain Marvel), combining his telepathic power with J'onn J'onzz, etc. Aquaman is awesome, yet he's often been underutilized, like another hero, Metamorpho (who could be so much more if the writers would use science combined with their imaginations to properly make use of his powers).

Children imitating Superman is true. I had a classmate who jumped from the third floor after watching superman. He used a red tablecloth for cape. He fell on a car with his head and had a huge scar across his skull as a result. He survived pretty well.

I think Geoff John's N52 run is probably the best Aquaman run there is

I've never been an Aquaman reader, but considering these four iterations each as a "baseline", I'd say the newest is the strongest. Going to be blunt; just the fact that Aquaman cannot _really_ talk with most marine life because they aren't intelligent enough to hold a conversation takes care of a huge snag that would ruin my suspension of disbelief. I was once pretty fond of Peter David, and I like a good chunk of what he did, but I pretty much *hate* the concepts of "The Red", "The Green", "The Blue", etc. for DC elementals. Peter David's take on Aquaman is part of what gave me some appreciation for the character. I *liked* the ideas Peter David often began with but didn't take to quite as logical of a conclusion as I'd like e.g. telepathic powers good, still having the fish "talk" to Aquaman bad. XP Oh, and though I am not a reader of the current - pardon the pun - Aquaman, I'm not reading *anything* Marvel or DC or even "other" right now due to a severe budget crunch. ^^'

Boy, Aquaman has really let himself go! Lol

I do love your openings. "" oh hi!!". Beyond that i believe your talent as a host rests in your personal take & professional assessments in recommendations of comics to readers whose opinions may or not, vary based on what you distinguish as short comings,pitffalls or genuine artistic decisions. Itscthose determinations that based a virtuous viewpoint of acceptance as opposed to flat out rejection without considerations of the artistic intentions

I'd love to see augaman take on some Lovecraftian Eldritch horrors.

I sure remember Aquaman from when I was reading comic books in the earl 1960s. I remember his mid-60s cartoons,his appearances in Super Friends and all his comic book series. I didn't bother seeing the movie.

#AngryFishJesus

The Ivan Reis artwork is certainly the best!

Like Riker in ST:TNG it was all about the beard... pop it in and don't mention how or why. Just let the beard do the rest.

Aquaman, the true "Pirate King", harpoon, no harpoon, just keep him a sea bearing, fish communicating, warrior. One of the "true founding" member of the "true" Justice League of America. That you "Brave and the Bold" cartoon series for showing him as a mighty king of the 7 seas.

Another 10/10 as always! Thank you Chris!

David's Aquaman was one of the 90s comics (along with Starman and Sandman Mystery Theatre) that got me into DC after being a Marvel kid for a long time. I can't say I like Geoff Johns's run. There were some good things in it, but I was really starting to notice how drawn-out and slow comics were getting when I read that. I actually counted and found that a lot of his Aquaman issues averaged out to around four panels per page, a lot of them with only a single dialogue bubble. You really don't get much story with numbers like that. (Ivan Reis is pretty great though.)

The fact they didn't call the connection of ocean life 'The Blue' to coincide with the Red and the Green is a missed opportunity that irrationally bugs me

Great video, I love your work!

Love Davids run.

There was a lot of good stuff from the 90's that I missed: what pushed me away at the time was all the early Image stuff; if only I had known about Peter David...

Great video, as always, Chris! Your channel is by far my favorite comic channel. I really enjoy your take on story arcs and explanations.

Jeff Johns did his thing. I love all the new 52 Aquaman.

Reel missed opportunity to not drop that 50s surfing song. You know the one

Thanks for the top quality VFX!