History YMMV / Aquaman

* TheWoobie: Atlanna in the New 52. She was forced to leave her beloved husband and infant son, marry an abusive dickhead and have his child. Her second husband told her he had tracked down and had Tom and Arthur murdered. Believing that she had no reason to stay in Atlantis, she faked her death and fled to a hidden island with a handful of outcasts and undesirables, only to years later learn that Arthur and Tom had not been killed and she could have gone back to them. She initially refuses to believe Arthur is who he says he is, because that means admitting that it was AllForNothing and she missed out on decades with him.

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. Nothing weird about that, but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent, reuniting with the rest of the League during a time travel mission to Pearl Harbor]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she’s pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life, and returns by boat to Amnesty Bay.]] Also, in ''Aquaman'' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm’s ''Year of the Villain'' special explicitly references it, which it has to, because if ''Drowned Earth'' didn’t happen, then Orm would still be in prison.
** ''Justice League'' did try to reconcile the two plot lines by claiming that [[spoiler:when Anti-Monitor sent Aquaman back to Earth from his headquarters, he crashed on the island and lost his memories]], but that just raised further questions and didn’t change the fact that he still died in two completely different ways in two different books.

*** [[ArchEnemy Black Manta]], real name David, makes his living as a brutal pirate, often [[PsychoForHire in the employ of others]], and is obsessed with destroying Aquaman at all costs. To this end, Manta [[WouldHurtAChild killed Aquaman's infant son]] by trapping him in a chamber that suffocated the boy, despite Arthur's best efforts to save him. Manta continues to torment his nemesis by targeting and murdering those he can. Not even Manta's own family is exempt from his cruelty: his own son, the new Aqualad, was the target of Manta's wrath when Manta [[OffingTheOffspring attempted to murder him]] with zealous hatred, for no other reason than rejecting the path Manta wanted for him. In ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'', Manta tries to go straight, opening up a fish market, but when the customers rejoice that Aquaman is alive, Manta murders them with a knife, before burning down his own house and resuming his quest for vengeance. Manta is a vicious, hateful murderer who would poison the entire ocean just for the chance to hurt his nemesis.

* OneTruePairing: Arthur has had a few love interests, or at the very least ShipTease, over the years, but fir all their ups and downs, Mera is his true love.

* FandomEnragingMisconception: A general one for DC Comics fans, but a major one for fans of the character himself, is the misconception that he is a weakling outside of water. The guy has numerous powers beyond just talking to fish and is more than just his ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' incarnation. Even the writers get enraged by this misconception, having gone to numerous lengths to show he is one of the more powerful heroes.

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. Nothing weird about that, but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent, reuniting with the rest of the League during a time travel mission to Pearl Harbor]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she’s pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life, and returns by boat to Amnesty Bay.]] Also, in ''Aquaman'' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm’s ''Year of the Villain'' special explicitly references it.

*** [[AbsoluteXenophobe Corum Rath]] is an Atlantean [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist terrorist]] who leads the Deluge. Imprisoned for attempting to sink huge swaths of the US, Rather is later freed, overthrowing Arthur Curry to become Atlantis's [[TyrantTakesTheHelm new monarch]]. Ruling as a mad tyrant, Rath steadily grows more and more unhinged, even trying to have the 9th district of Atlantis burnt and purged to kill all the mutant sea-touched innocents there. Finally succumbing entirely to lust for power, Rath unleashes the [[SealedEvilInACan Abyssal Dark]], a demon long sealed below Atlantis and embraces its power, carrying out its suggestion to attempt to sink Atlantis itself and kill all its inhabitants, sacrificing his humanity in [[ItsAllAboutMe his lust for power]].

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. Nothing weird about that, but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent, reuniting with the rest of the League during a time travel mission to Pearl Harbor]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she’s pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life, and returns by boat to Amnesty Bay.]] Also, in ''Aquaman '' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm’s ''Year of the Villain'' special explicitly references it.

* MemeticLoser: Aquaman often gets hit with this, mostly due to his memetic ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' incarnation. We even named a trope for [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaMan the inane hoops one has to jump through to make Aquaman's hyper specific skill set seem useful in a team setting]]. Though he's starting to shed this due to the public being introduced to his more badass interpretations (such as his appearance in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'').

** His appearance in the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'' has been very well-received so far as it has shown him as fighting on equal ground with other heroes and generally being a badass. The fact that he's played by Jason Momoa certainly helps. Given the fact that the [[Film/Aquaman2018 solo film]] helmed by James Wan [[https://www.slashfilm.com/aquaman-box-office-dc-superhero-movie-record/ has become the highest grossing DC superhero movie in January 2019]], there is good reason to believe his reputation has recovered once and for all.

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. Nothing weird about that, but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent, reuniting with the rest of the League during a time travel mission to Pearl Harbor]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she’s pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life, and returns by boat to Amnesty Bay.]] Also, in ''Aquaman '' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm’s ''Year of the Villain'' special released at the same time explicitly references it.
** ''Justice League'' did try to reconcile the two plot lines by claiming that [[spoiler:when Anti-Monitor sent Aquaman back to Earth from his headquarters, he crashed on the island and lost his memories]], but that just raised further questions and didn’t change the fact that he still returned in two completely different ways in two different books.

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. Nothing weird about that, but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she’s pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life.]] Also, in ''Aquaman '' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed Arthur reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm’s ''Year of the Villain'' special released at the same time explicitly references it.

* WeirdAlEffect: Many more people are aware of ''[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Mermaidman & Barnacleboy]]'' than they are of the 1960s Creator/{{Filmation}} ''Aquaman'' series it was an AffectionateParody of.

* ContinuitySnarl: In 2019, Aquaman died and came back to life. Nothing weird about that, but DC told two parallel stories at the same time about how it happened. In the pages of ''Justice League'', during the ''Drowned Earth'' event, Arthur and Black Manta both die [[spoiler:when Aquaman makes a kamikaze attack on the [[EldritchAbomination Death Kraken]], and Aquaman is subsequently brought back to life by the Anti-Monitor to serve as his agent]]. Meanwhile, in his own comic, [[spoiler:Aquaman was killed by Mera in a fit of rage when he reacts badly to her telling him she’s pregnant, he wakes up amnesiac on a mystical island full of ancient sea gods and has to go on a quest to restore his memories and come back to life.]] Also, in ''Aquaman '' #50, Manta shows up with no explanation how he survived or even any mention that he was ever dead. Both comics showed him reuniting with Mera under completely different circumstances and with neither referencing the other. And just when you think that maybe ''Drowned Earth'' is supposed to be [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], Orm’s ''Year of the Villain'' special released at the same time explicitly references it.

** Mera, instead, in Johns' 2011 series discovers to her utter dismay that the large public knows her as ''Aquawoman'', a [[Disney/TheLittleMermaid red haired mermaid]] [[{{Film/Splash}} who gains human legs whenever she's dry]].

* DorkAge: Cullen Bunn's run on the New 52 title. The story is generic pulp fiction which Bunn himself even admits did not suit the character. At the same time, it also did its best to undo all the work the Johns and Parker runs did before it. Arthur is now hated by Atlanteans again despite the entirety of Johns' run focusing on his gaining acceptance. Mera is how hunting Arthur, destroying all the development their relationship went through in both previous runs, particularly Parker's. Literally none of the supporting cast return, not even Tula, who had been consistently used since being introduced. Arthur now has weird powers like teleportation thanks to Poseidon, who literally no Atlantean before this run made mention of, and who Arthur outright denied the ''existence'' of over in ''JLA''. The reveal that Mera has an [[spoiler:evil twin sister]] is laughed at for its incredible soap drama-esque nature. The mere cover of the first issue pissed fans off for very obviously trying to incorporate aspects of the movie design in with Arthur's classic look, the result being an incredibly ugly costume. The only redeeming factor of the entire thing was introducing the New 52 Garth (though this also ignores Johns' run which mentions him being a newborn), and even ''then'', Bunn didn't do anything with him, and this was likely ExecutiveMeddling since DC began pushing the original Teen Titans at this time (complete with their own miniseries), meaning anyone could've done it. The backlash to Bunn's run was so strong that Bunn wanted to leave the book before his first issue even shipped, and was convinced to at least finish his arc by his editor.

* MemeticBadass

* NeverLiveItDown

** In-universe,Black Manta likes to bring up the fact that he murdered Aquaman's infant son and will never stop tormenting him about it.

** As shown in ''Blackest Night'', Arthur didn't want to be buried in a massive, royal tomb in Atlantis when he died; [[IJustWantToBeNormal he wants to be buried next to his father at the lighthouse he grew up in in an otherwise unremarkable grave]].

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: "Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis" is universally considered one of the worst videogames ''ever'' created. So bad it even inspired its own special category for awful video games on gaming show X-Play: The "Golden Mullet Award".

** As shown in ''Blackest Night'', Arthur didn't want to be buried in a massive, royal tomb in Atlantis when he died; [[IJustWantToBeNormal he wants to be buried next to his father at the lighthouse he grew up in in an otherwise unremarkable grave]].

** Rebirth: [[AbsoluteXenophobe Corum Rath]] is an Atlantean [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist terrorist]] who leads the Deluge. Imprisoned for attempting to sink huge swaths of the US, Rather is later freed, overthrowing Arthur Curry to become Atlantis's [[TyrantTakesTheHelm new monarch]]. Ruling as a mad tyrant, Rath steadily grows more and more unhinged, even trying to have the 9th district of Atlantis burnt and purged to kill all the mutant sea-touched innocents there. Finally succumbing entirely to lust for power, Rath unleashes the [[SealedEvilInACan Abyssal Dark]], a demon long sealed below Atlantis and embraces its power, carrying out its suggestion to attempt to sink Atlantis itself and kill all its inhabitants, sacrificing his humanity in [[ItsAllAboutMe his lust for power]].

** Post-Crisis: [[ArchEnemy Black Manta]], real name David, makes his living as a brutal pirate, often [[PsychoForHire in the employ of others]], and is obsessed with destroying Aquaman at all costs. To this end, Manta [[WouldHurtAChild killed Aquaman's infant son]] by trapping him in a chamber that suffocated the boy, despite Arthur's best efforts to save him. Manta continues to torment his nemesis by targeting and murdering those he can. Not even Manta's own family is exempt from his cruelty: his own son, the new Aqualad, was the target of Manta's wrath when Manta [[OffingTheOffspring attempted to murder him]] with zealous hatred, for no other reason than rejecting the path Manta wanted for him. In ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'', Manta tries to go straight, opening up a fish market, but when the customers rejoice that Aquaman is alive, Manta murders them with a knife, before burning down his own house and resuming his quest for vengeance. Manta is a vicious, hateful murderer who would poison the entire ocean just for the chance to hurt his nemesis.

* {{Tearjerker}}: The death of Aquaman's son. No parent should have to go through that.

** The casting of Jason Momoa as Aquaman for the upcoming DC Cinematic Universe. Some think it's a brilliant move that will not only help redefine the character but also help permanently destroy his old reputation of being lame. Others think Momoa is hopelessly miscast and nowhere near talented enough to pull it off. And a further set think that Momoa ''will'' pull it off, but it won't help the character as a whole due to the vastly different look (i.e 'Classic' Aquaman'll still be thought of as being lame, whilst only Momoa's Aquaman will be thought of as awesome.)

** His appearance in the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'' has been very well-received so far as it has shown him as fighting on equal ground with other heroes and generally being a badass. The fact that he's played by Jason Momoa certainly helps. Many are hoping that the [[Film/Aquaman2018 solo film]] helmed by James Wan will finally put an end to his poor reputation once and for all.

* MemeticLoser: Aquaman often gets hit with this, (to the point where we could probably successfully rename it "The Aquaman") mostly due to his memetic ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' incarnation. We even named a trope for [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaMan the inane hoops one has to jump through to make Aquaman's hyper specific skill set seem useful in a team setting]]. Though he's starting to shed this due to the public being introduced to his more badass interpretations (such as his appearance in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'').

** The casting of Jason Momoa as Aquaman for the upcoming DC Cinematic Universe. Some think it's a brilliant move that will not only help redefine the character but also help permanently destroy his old reputation of being lame. Others think Momoa is hopelessly miscast and nowhere near talented enough to pull it off. And a further set think that Mamoa ''will'' pull it off, but it won't help the character as a whole due to the vastly different look (i.e 'Classic' Aquaman'll still be thought of as being lame, whilst only Mamoa's Aquaman will be thought of as awesome.)

** His appearance in the ''Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse'' has been very well-received so far as it has shown him as fighting on equal ground with other heroes and generally being a badass. The fact that he's played by Jason Momoa certainly helps. Many are hoping that the [[Film/Aquaman2018 solo film]] helmed by James Wan will finally put and end to his poor reputation once and for all.

** Aquaman attempting to cure Black Manta's autism [[labelnote:Explanation]]Manta told Aquaman that autism was to blame for the most of his evil acts.[[/labelnote]] (to no difference) will forever go down in history as either one of DC's most [[{{Narm}} unintentionally hilarious moments]] or an exercise in poor taste. It's even implied that Black Manta was faking it and that the autism backstory he told Aquaman was a lie.