The History of Aquaman – An Unpopular Superhero Gets Movie Debut in 2018

The history of Aquaman was the topic of discussion on this episode of Comic Movie-10. The Kane brothers gave a narrative of the evolution of this once odd and unpopular superhero to the most recent, and clearly more interesting character played by Jason Momoa.

Aquaman had always been a lesser-known character, catching “flack” throughout the years. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, his name is Arthur Curry and he is the King of Atlantis. He first appeared in More Fun Comics in November of 1941. His only apparent superhero skill was that he could talk to the fish. He wore the orange and green and according to Dan, he was “no one’s favorite.” Everyone liked either Batman or Superman, but if Aquaman was your favorite, you had issues.

The Superfriends series came out in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. The brothers recall watching the reruns. Joe pointed out that Aquaman was “sort of dorky.” It almost seemed as though the writers had to figure out a way to get him to go with the other superheroes. It wasn’t a natural fit.

In the late ‘50’s comics he became one of the founding members of the Justice League and stayed as such over the next few decades. Aquaman was in a number of Justice League movies, where, according to Dan he “maintained the role of the weirdo for a long time.
In 2011, D.C. produced a new series of 52 Justice League comic books that would be published on a monthly basis. It was here that Aquaman began to wear the yellow and green, displayed more armor, and became muscular. He was a cooler character, more durable, super strong with tough skin. Now, Joe said, he would be a “Formidable Foe.” Dan agreed that now he was a “more serious character.” Superhero fans could relate to this character.

Still able to communicate with marine life, he could now control anything connected with the sea. His abilities stretched outside of the water, and included telepathy with other animals, which could help him out of threatening situations.
Joe and Dan discussed the fact that the character had appeared in Smallville and that this was the first time there was a live action Aquaman. He was played by Alan Ritchson. He wore an orange hoodie and in a departure from the comic, was an Olympic diver.
The creator of Smallville had produced an Aquaman pilot in 2006, which never aired. Justin Hartley played the role. He had also been Green Arrow in Smallville.

This brought the Kane brothers to the newest version of Aquaman. Joe stated that no one could say Jason Momoa is a dork. Dan agreed that the character had been completely reinvented. He went on to say that regardless of what you think of the Justice League movies, Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), and Jason Momoa were the two highlights.

The release date for Aquaman is December 14, 2018. Joe wants to know what you think will happen in the movie and Dan wants to know if there is anyone out there who is a fan of the old orange and green rendition. Let them know by leaving your comments, questions, and opinions and don’t forget to tune in to the next episode of Comic Movie-10!