Line #24 Headscratchers/Aquaman


1	* Why don't they just make him have power over the water in a human's body so he can liquidate people and make him cooler than being a guy who can talk to fish?
2	** This is a joke right? My friend, we have THREE pages as to why your question is... needless, to say the least. For your benefit: ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, HeartIsAnAwesomePower, WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway.
3	** Because he can already give people seizures by talking to the part of their brain that used to be a fish, and has superstrength and superresiliance; hydrokinesis on that level would make him TOO awesome.
4	** With the water hand, Aquaman can instantly dehydrate anyone he touches, killing them immediately. Plus it [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/13/139093/2942044-aquaman55.jpg already has]] some [[MakingASplash primo wave splitting capabilities]], Is that not badass enough for you? Or would you like more examples of his awesomeness?
5	** Not to mention his symbolic [[ProngsOfPoseidon scepter of power]] which utilizes the same powers as it's mythical namesakes (dependending on the diety its named after), which can not only control [[ThisIsforEmphasisBitch All The Worlds OCEANS]] but [[DishingOutDirt scores]] [[MagmaMan of]] [[ShockAndAwe other]] [[BlowYouAway elements]] [[AnicePerson facilitated]] with the sea god himself. Considering nearly 75-80% of the world is surrounded by it's namesake well... that's saying a lot about power.
6	* In one JLA story, Aquaman faces off against a villain who openly states that Aquaman's powers are worthless on land. Aquaman responds by finding a specific part of the villain's brain which evolved from aquatic ancestors, and gives him a concussion. Which is pretty cool...until you realize that the guy Orin was fighting was a ''space alien''. How could Aquaman even know that the villain's species evolved from the ocean, let alone have enough knowledge of his physiology to pinpoint a specific part of his brain?
7	** If you reread the scene, you can see from both the art and dialogue that Aquaman was telepathically scanning the White Martian's mind as he was busy insulting him. That's how Arthur found out about the said weakness.
8	*** This was a martian if I recall correctly, presumbably Aquaman has had ample opportunity over the years to telepathically study the Martian Manhunter's brain and find the spot in question.
9	*** There was absolutely no guarantee that the Whites and the Greens had the same weaknesses, and pulling out a weapon you don't know is going to work is pretty much suicidal.
10	*** Whites and Greens are basically the same species, biologically speaking; their differences are cultural, exacerbated by shapeshifting ability. If you assume that their nervous system remains unchanged by that shapeshifting into a different preferred form, the structure of the brains ''should'' be the same.
11	*** It doesn't even matter if they're the same species or not, as products of the same chain of evolutionary development there's going to be analogs of brains structures in a whites head that Aquaman has found in John's, especially something so sncient ir evolved be their ancestors emerged from the sea. Also the fact that Aquaman was pretty much outclassed on every level except the telepathic one means it makes perfect sense for him to to use to use the one weapon he had that was at least on par with a Martian's own abilities, whether or not he knew for sure it would work since. When it's a life or death situation you try anything that you think has a chance of success.
12	*** The guy clearly didn't know what he was talking about, and Aquaman's attack was therefore just ironic or convenient. Arthur's superhuman strength and speed and his telepathy can be ''extremely'' useful on land.
13	*** His strength and speed would be pretty much useless against a white Martian, who are at Superman levels in both areas.
14	** Perhaps the White Martian had shape changed all the way down to his brain 'chemistry', thus he gave himself the reptilian aspect of the mammal brain that Aquaman then proceeded to fry.
15	** Even if Martians didn't evolve from a fish-like creature, they presumably had ''some'' sort of aquatic life form in their ancestry, if only on the "primordial soup" level. It's hard to imagine how a dry environment could generate organisms with the kinds of fluid-filled cellular structures which organic life as we know it is based upon, and we know Martians are biochemically similar enough to Earth life that they can eat the same foods.
16	* Related to above: ...Aquaman can attack parts of your brain with aquatic ancestors? [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower Dude. Why doesn't he use that more?]]
17	** Actually, he does use telepathy fairly regularly. It just gets forgotten in the rush. My own opinion is that the main thing restricting his telepathic potency is lack of practice and training. Hence he mostly uses it either within its specialty ( aquatic life ), which comes easy, or when he's pant-wettingly desperate ( evil Martians, Millenium Giants, etc ).
18	** I always assumed it was something that worked on Martians but not humans. (Yes, humans evolved from aquatic life, but it's along a completely different evolutionary path. There's no reason the portions of our minds that come from aquatic ancestors couldn't be too small or unimportant for him to affect, or undergone so much change over the ages that they no longer count.) After all, he never uses that ability on anyone else, even when it was the same writer on the title.
19	** I figured it was because giving somebody a ''seizure'', as he did (not a concussion), is a pretty brutal attack, and Arthur's one of the good guys. It's not something to trot out for just any old villain, but a hyperspeed Martian is a valid target for bringing out "the big guns".
20	*** During the infamous ''Detroit League'', Aquaman used telepathy to give a ''mock-seizure'' to the complaining Steel II, and some days later to Vixen, to prevent her from disobeying a direct order. J'onn J'onzz himself, the usually jovial, quiet, philosphical Martian Manhunter, grabbed him by the collar berating him in front of the Detroit Leaguers and the ''Classic League''. ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} herself, shocked and bewildered, after being told from Steel II of his earlier attempt, stammers something about Aquaman having never used his telepathic power on a human being before, noting that the League was descending to madness. We can safely assume that ''human telepathy'' is a big no-no in the heroic community, a violation of the individual free will too blatant to be used if not in the direst emergencies.
21	*** Compare with Miss Martian, a pacifistic White Martian who, as a part of her pacifistic vows, swore to refrain from even mind-reading a human being without his explicit consent.
22	* Orange shirt, green pants. That is all.
23	** Mermaid mimicry. Green tail, flesh/orange-ish top.
24	** The [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Legend_of_Aquaman_Vol_1_1 Legend of Aquaman Special]] shows his costume as the standard Atlantean prisoner uniform that he picked up while doing [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/File:Aquaman_salt_mines.jpg hard labor]]. Vulko asks him several years later why he's still wearing it, and his response is that it's meant to be ironic.
25	** On ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' they implied that he chose the colors because, at least in that incarnation of the character, he was attending college at the University of Miami, where the school colors are orange and green.
26	** During the 2011 run he describes his skirt as ''chain mail''. So, it can be easily some sort of utilitarian Atlantean chain mail armor, used in prisons or for infantry troops that Aquaman used for added protection.
27	** Also, maybe Atlanteans [[BringMyRedJacket bleed orange]] [[BringMyBrownPants and poop green]].
28	** The orange would look more grayish underwater. Possibly he didn't even ''know'' his outfit was that garish until he started wearing it on the surface, or his Atlantean eyes don't see orange the same way and it looks fine to him.
29	* How is it that Aquaman's telepathy only works on marine life? It can't be because of the relative simplicity of their brains--a whale has a far more complex brain than a minnow, but he commands them both with equal ease. Why can he command sea mammals but only stun land mammals? If it were explicitly magical in nature I could accept AWizardDidIt, but like most PsychicPowers in comics, it's played as semi-scientific.
30	** Seing as how Atlanteans are a somewhat magical people, it probably has more to do with magic and spirituality. My guess is that creatures with a stronger spiritual connection to water are easier to command.
31	*** So, out of curiosity, what's his status over amphibians?
32	*** Little to none. Even those that are aquatic are limited to land-based water bodies, after all. Maybe some small to moderate measure of influence for the more aquatic species and life stages, tiny amount of influence for the truly amphibious, and none at all with toads.
33	*** As of a recent issue, its confirmed that his telepathy in the new 52 indeed does work on things other than ocean life as he forced an alligator to attack Swamp Thing.
34	** False premise. Aquaman's telepathy doesn't only work on marine life. He's been using it on all kinds of things since at least the 60s ( humans, Kryptonians, Martians, dragons, weird disembodied computer things, undead, Despero. . . ). Its just more powerful on marine life, presumably for mystical reasons.
35	** The Aquaman 2011 series puts a damper on Aquaman's telepathy, highlighting how the average marine life has a simpler brain structure[[note]]"Dolphin's are a different story."[[/note]], and Aquaman's telepathy, rather than the complex manipulation of the thoughtstream exibited by the Martian Manhunter and Saturn Girl, is more akin to the simple manipulation of low-level functions that's part of Princess Projectra's powers (for example). Thus, while Aquaman can essentially ''give a seizure'' to everyone, find easier controlling simple mindsets by melding urges and compulsions to their brain activity.
36	*** A few issues in, Aquaman commands some angler fish to provide light for him and Mera. As they near their destination (the location of incredibly dangerous aquatic humanoids) the fish swim away. When questioned by Mera, Aquaman says that their ''survival instinct was overriding his telepathy''.
37	* Was Black Manta suppose to be a sea creature? Was him being a black man a retcon in 1978?
38	** No, it was just never revealed what he looked like under his helmet.
39	* Why does everyone make jokes about how lame a superhero Aquaman is do to his lame powers, when Batman, the top dog in all of comicdom, ''has none?''
40	** In universe, no heroes do. As of the new 52, somehow civilians have a Superfriends impression of Aquaman. However after the Throne of Atlantis story, they change their tune. Out of universe, Aquaman has no recovered from the Superfriends cartoon in the public eye because unlike Batman, he hasnt had multiple hit movies, cartoons and video games.
41	** Out of Universe The StreisandEffect has also contributed in that the more people complain about Aquaman not being taken seriously the less seriously a lot of people are determined to take him. Badass Aquaman has essentially become a ForcedMeme that is being rebelled against.
42	* Where did Black Manta's manta men come from if he's just a human mercenary in a swimsuit? I've seen those manta creatures on the 1960s Aquaman cartoon. I'm not sure if they appeared in the comics.

Context Headscratchers / Aquaman