Wiz: I... don't think you understand what that phrase means.
Boomstick: Like Aquaman, the king of Atlantis.
Wiz: And Namor, the first mutant and... also king of Atlantis.
The sixth season opens as the last one ended, with the two figureheads of the superhero genre being pit against one another; the chosen weapons of this episode some of each company's oldest heroes, born to ascend to the throne of Atlantis as the products of human and merfolk. Two of the oldest of all superheroes mark their debut, pitting Atlantean biology against mutant physique, innate connection to the sea versus mimicking power of its life, as Aquaman and Namor, infamous as they are powerful, mark the return to this ring of legends and partake in a death battle.
Every fighter must be given their due, and to first receive this honor is Aquaman, son of the New England-borne lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry. As a child, Arthur developed phenomenal strength and the unique capability of communicating with marine life; when he was two, in fact, Tom had lost track of Arthur for several hours, only to later discover him playing underwater with various sea creatures. It would not be until his mother, Atlanna, confessed on her deathbed the depths at which Arthur's legacy ran; more than merely Tom's love, she was queen to the fantastical sub-aqueous kingdom of Atlantis, with Arthur's birthright that to take her place. Father Curry would take it upon himself alone to train Arthur in these mysterious powers he inherited from Atlanna, and when Tom's own passing came, Arthur was ready to return to his maternal homeland. As Atlanna's son, he was permitted to join the ranks of Atlantis' monarchy, and all the responsibilities it bore.
Despite the unearned reputation the king of Atlantis has developed over the years, Aquaman is truly a formidable warrior. Being the reigning monarch of an underwater city means his body has naturally adapted to crushing pressure with extremely dense bone and muscle; it is for this reason that Arthur has the assortment of powers, such as superhuman strength and durability, that come across as standard fare for any self-respectable superhero. However, that most infamous of Aquaman's abilities, his communication skills with sealife, is what is most affiliated with the Atlantean monarch, and in fairness, is much more complex than often portrayed. Rather than verbally talking to fish, Arthur instead telepathically communes with them, and to their credit, the denizens of the oceans respect him enough to follow whatever request is thrust upon them. This hallmark power of Aquaman is made possible through his connection with the Clear, a force through which all aquatic life is connected, and only one in a series of similar elemental forces; through the Clear, the Atlantean king can even harness its presence to amplify the might of any marine lifeforms he currently is in contact with and force them to do his bidding. In addition to sea life, Curry can even tap into the minds of any being whose evolutionary path originates from the waters, though to a much weaker extent. Though an undoubtedly versatile ability and one which commands more respect, Aquaman would be a fool to rely solely on it, and a fool he is not. The king of Atlantis has proven his right to rule not just through his lineage, but just as well through the Tridents of Poseidon and Neptune, once wielded by the Olympian god himself. The Trident of Poseidon, more closely affiliated with Aquaman, has thus demonstrated a wider plethora of mystical powers; the generation and control of water, flight, weather manipulation, and teleportation chief among them.
The Atlantean king has protected his homeland's interests time and again and has shown himself capable of standing head and shoulders alongside his universe's brightest heroes. His mobility alone can keep him on par with the fabled Wonder Woman, who can intercept attacks that well surpass lightspeed, and his strength is formidable even moreso, ranging from raising ships comparable to real-world luxury liners to successfully halting an attack from his distant ancestor and the Dead King of Atlantis, Atlan, whom was responsible for sinking the entirety of Atlantis. To emphasize how impressive this latter accomplishment is, Atlantis is considered to be a continent in DC lore; by definition, a continent must have a mass larger than Greenland, that is, over 836 thousand square miles worth of landmass. To sink Atlantis by striking it just once as Atlan did would require over 150 trillion tons of force. Indeed, Aquaman has proven himself more than a source of mockery through his constant heroics, yet even he has his own share of faults. Should the situation call for it, Aquaman can exhibit a limited control over any land-based being's mental faculties than he does with sea creatures with equally lesser results, but even then, some marine forms have little respect for Aquaman and will even attack him without provocation, best exemplified when the Atlantean terrorist Charybdis forced a swarm of piranha to consume Arthur's left hand. Most crippling of all, however, is that his Atlantean physiology is dependent on water to survive; through other liquids can provide a temporary solution, if Arthur is without water for long enough, he will eventually dehydrate and die. The king of Atlantis continues to fight for the sake of his people, though, and puts their interests ahead of his own shortcomings, as any good king should.
- Aquaman: (to Superman and Lois Lane as they watch a burning ship sink into the ocean) Tell the surface-dwellers to respect the sovereignty of my seas, or we'll return and finish what we've started.
From Aquaman, the hosts move on to his similar foe; Namor, son of the sea captain Leonard McKenzie. In the early 1900's, McKenzie charted a course to Antarctica to find the fabled vibranium metal, his expedition bringing him near where the fabled city of Atlantis lied. The heir to the Atlantean throne, Princess Fen, was tasked with investing the nature of the surface-dwellers when she found herself courted by Leonard. Tragedy would strike the couple when the armies of Atlantis raided their marriage procession, attacking Leonard and forcing Fen to return beneath the waves. However, Fen had already been impregnated by the human, and the widowed princess gave birth to Namor. Unlike his fellow half-Atlantean, Namor grew up among his amphibious kin, where he nurtured a distrust against the surface dwellers for their constant transgressions against Atlantis. Though this vendetta against mankind would only grow when Namor would discover Nazis attempting to invade Atlantis during the second World War, it would also open up a begrudging respect for surface dwellers when he found himself part of the Invaders, the superhuman Allied task force meant to combat the Axis Powers. Ever since, Namor has still chosen to put the needs of his people above the land-dwellers, but continues to operate alongside humans, both as a friend and enemy.
Whether or not his interests align with the surface folk, Namor is a threat to whomever he faces. Like his foe, the sub-mariner can telepathically communicate with the creatures of the deep, ranging from sharks to whales to even other Atlanteans. His strength is likewise of an impressive measure, as he can survive and even win a fight against the Incredible Hulk, the rage-empowered behemoth whom, even at his weakest state, can lift 150 billion tons. Marvel's own Atlantean king has his trident of Neptune, as should be expected, and to compare it to the distinguished competition, the powers it has to offer include the transmutation of inanimate objects into living beings and a versatile magic beam, in addition to the same hydrokinesis as offered by the Trident of Poseidon. It seems as if these two rightful kings of Atlantis are similar so as to be mirror images, but Namor also has a plethora of more esoteric skills on display. In addition to his human and Atlantean lineage, Namor also bears mutant genes. These X-genes manifest in the form of tiny wings beside his ankles which, despite their minuscule size, enable the king to fly. Marvel's ruler of Atlantis is also capable of absorbing and unleashing torrents of water through his pores and channel the abilities of marine life to use as his own. His own Horn of Proteus lets him summon and control sea monsters when his own telepathy proves to be lacking.
To describe the long and storied history of Namor is to divulge in detail the might with which he exercises his rule; thankfully for the mutant, there exists no shortage of specific feats with which to draw inspiration from. Namor has singlehandedly kept the island fortress of Utopia from collapsing into the sea and his capacity for absorbing and releasing electricity is such that he can even damage the armor of Doctor Doom, the Latverian dictator whose armor can withstand the might of the reality-bending Infinity Gauntlet. Akin to Aquaman, water is crucial to Namor's survival, and being deprived of it for too long will result in his power weakening. Indeed, the mutant's psychology is dependent greatly on oxygen; being on land for enough time fails to provide him with enough oxygen, triggering a bipolar that leads to aggression and malevolence. These flaws have done little in the way of stopping the avenging son, however, and he continues to shape the landscape of the superhero community, regardless of whomever he chooses to face.
- Namor: Know that I am Namor, ruler of the kingdom of Atlantis. Your time in the sun is over.
Two feuding kings of Atlantis are ready for battle, their analysis covering every angle. One advertisement for the Blue Apron cooking service later, and now, it's time for a death battle!
The plucking of guitar strings echoing from a tinny loudspeaker is the sole noise within a community swimming pool. Enjoying the midday sun from his recliner, Namor the sub-mariner's day of tranquility is interrupted by the bellowing of a flaxen-haired stranger. The water below gives way as the king of the deep, Aquaman himself, performs a cannonball dive into the pool. Drenched in chlorinated fluids, Namor becomes infuriated by this transgression and only moreso as Arthur continues to mock him. Namor, blinded by anger, grabs his trident and unleashes a series of magic bolts at Aquaman...
FIGHT!
... who quickly dives into the pool to avoid the barrage. The depths of the natatorium become illuminated by the glow of the Trident of Poseidon, before from the waters, emerges Aquaman riding a tornado. The son of Atlanna releases his deluge upon Namor, but the Atlantean mutant slams his own polearm against the recliner to shield himself within a mystical barrier. The instant the waters dissipate, Namor lunges at Arthur, ramming the Trident of Neptune into the king's torso. The impact from the collision sends the rightful kings of Atlantis into the clear blue where their bout continues; Arthur in particular seems unfazed by the attack as he effortlessly flings Namor away. The amphibious monarchs close the distance once again, their fray devolving into wildly flailing their tridents about. Soon, Namor has had enough of Aquaman's repeated swattings and plows back into the king with enough force to send them both careening out the rec center.
The fight immediately shifts into the sub-mariner's favor, hammering into Curry with rapid body blows and a final overhead hook that launches Aquaman alongside the sandy coast. As Arthur watches from below, Namor raises the Trident of Neptune and unleashes a massive pillar of light upon the shore and tide alike. Golems of earth and sea stare at the blonde monarch before they unleash their assault. Aquaman deftly evades their assault, and in defiance, hoists aloft the Trident of Poseidon. The skies begin to darken as storm clouds form, before bolts of lightning blasts the golems, turning them into the sand and water from whence they came. A second thunderbolt hits Namor dead-on, stunning the mutant briefly before he unleashes the energy in a far larger blast. Suffice to say by his uncontrolled barreling into the ocean, this electrically-infused laser has a more devastating effect on Aquaman.
Arthur barely has enough time to reorient himself within the depth when the son of Fen re-emerges. Surrounded by piranhas, Namor chooses to berate Aquaman for his supposed dominance before siccing the carnivorous piscines upon Aquaman. Curry, however, fails to be perturbed by this, and with good reason indeed; the golden flashing of his eyes alone is responsible for the ensuing horde of sharks which tear the piranhas to shreds. One backhanded compliment later, and the sharks form an immense ring circling the fighters. Namor is seemingly backed into the defensive, helpless only to parry and bat away Arthur's incoming strikes. Arthur, his eyes radiating with xanthic brilliance, summons a dolphin to his position, using the helpful cetacean to ascend into the sky. The additional height granted from this leap gives Aquaman enough momentum to impale Namor upon his trident, both fighters being dragged into the murky abyss below.
Smothered by the blackness of the ocean depths, Namor casts Aquaman aside, only now aware of the would-be spectators surrounding them; the nightmarish visage of anglerfish from all sides. The Atlantean mutant keeps an even temper all the same, inviting Arthur to a final showdown. Once Curry accepts this challenge, the undersea monarchs collde into one another with tridents drawn; the darkness is illuminated but briefly by the sparks of the mystical weapons colliding. With polearms locked, Namor begrudgingly admits their mutual skill, only for Arthur to play his trump card. Even in the darkness of the benthic zone, the telltale sign of Arthur's glowing eyes becomes prominent, heralded by the anglerfish becoming enveloped by the aura of the mystical energy that surrounds all sea life, the Clear. Namor, however, is left helpless by the telepathic seizure Arthur has inflicted upon him, a free prey for the ravenous fish to consume. Arthur is only content to watch the carnage unfolding for a second before he hurtles the Trident forward, spearing Namor's cranium upon the centermost prong. Aquaman calls his weapon back to himself and soon departs, allowing his subjects to enjoy their feast.
K.O.!
With the first fight of the season drawing to a close, the hosts have come to their traditional analysis of why the victor was such. The two fighters' powers were so similar in concept that either one could have theoretically achieved victory; however, Arthur had the potential and skill to guarantee a win. Aquaman could defeat the Dead King, whose destruction of Atlantis had a force of over 150 trillion tons behind it, far greater than Namor holding aloft the island of Utopia by an astronomical margin and even dwarfing the 150-billion tons the Hulk has demonstrated lifting. Speed, likewise, proved to be immensely in Aquaman's favor; although Namor's flight can keep pace with the Human Torch, who can achieve hypersonic speed, Aquaman in turn is comparable to Wonder Woman, who could deflect pieces of the fractured Shattered God barreling towards her from across the universe well past lightspeed. Even in the context of their telepathy does Arthur prove to be Namor's better; while the Atlantean mutant could resist such attacks, such as telepathically-induced seizures and aneurysms, only Arthur could weaponize his telepathy. Even their marine lifeforms differed in terms of strength, as Aquaman could entirely override the wills of fish to do his bidding and amplify their power with his connection to the Clear, whereas Namor only had traditional sea creatures to depend on. Although formidable as the king of Atlantis in his reality, Namor was ultimately surpassed by an even grander monarch, one who ultimately proved superior in every way.
- Boomstick: Aquaman could sea victory, but at least Namor tried-ent.
Wiz: The winner is Aquaman!
Aquaman vs. Namor contains examples of:
- Always Someone Better: Simply put, anything Namor could do, Aquaman could do better.
- The feat Namor best scales to would be the Hulk holding 150 billion tons of weight, roughly a thousand times less than Aquaman defeating the continent-destroying Atlan.
- Namor can catch the Human Torch, who can fly at speeds thousands of times the speed of sound. Aquaman can keep pace with Wonder Woman, who can move thousands of times the speed of light.
- Arthur's connection to the Clear means he can empower the sea creatures he summons, something Namor has no real counter for.
- Alternate Character Interpretation: Because he's also yellow, lives underwater, and can absorb fluids, Boomstick comes to the conclusion that SpongeBob and Aquaman are one and the same. Wiz is very quick to shut this theory down.
- Artistic License – Biology: Aquaman's Bond One-Liner while letting Namor get eaten alive suggests the anglerfish are male ("Have at it, boys, dinner's on the king tonight!"). Thing is, the anglerfish portrayed would all be female; male anglerfish are much smaller and exist mainly to get absorbed into and help females reproduce. The hosts were asked this and admitted they recorded the line before actually choosing the fish.
- The Cameo: Master Roshi's Kame House is present while Aquaman is blasted into the ocean, somehow intact after Gamabunta made it go squish.
- Call-Back:
- Wonder Woman deflecting the shards of the Shattered God is brought back up in the fight and used as scaling for Aquaman's reaction speed.
- The Savage Hulk's 150 billion ton mountain feat is used as scaling for Namor's strength.
- Captain Fishman: The main connection between Aquaman and Namor is they are both half-human, half-Atlantean men who became the king of Atlantis in their respective comics and protect their aquatic kingdoms.
- Composite Character: Played with by Aquaman, whom the hosts establish lost his left hand to a piranha attack rather than having it trapped under a boulder and freeing himself by cutting it off. However, they're also generous enough to cherry pick elements from both the original DC universe like his origin story, and those from the post-New 52 continuity, such as scaling him to Atlan. His personality is also more in line with his version from the DC Extended Universe.
- Disproportionate Retribution:
- Wiz quickly gets tired of Boomstick's Bane impression, so he just stabs Boomstick in the foot with a trident as punishment.
- The whole reason why Namor tries killing Aquaman is because Arthur splashed him in a swimming pool.
- Mundane Utility: Once the Trident of Poseidon's powers are established to include teleportation, Boomstick hijacks it for a free trip to Disney World... by using beer.
- Piranha Problem: Namor tries taking out Aquaman with a swarm of piranha. Arthur takes the Summon Bigger Fish trope literally, calling in sharks to eat the piranhas.
- The hosts also joke that Aquaman is on friendly terms with all marine life except for piranha, which lead to the loss of his hand.
- Shout-Out:
- As mentioned above, Boomstick tries mouthing off to Wiz using Bane's "you merely adopted the dark" speech.
- One in the fight itself comes from Aquaman comparing Namor to Spock.
- Super-Speed: Both Aquaman and Namor have incredible movement and reaction speed. Aquaman being fast enough to swim across the entire Ocean in an afternoon while Namor can catch up to the Human Torch, a being that is several thousand times faster than sound on his best days. While that is impressive, this doesn't compare Aquaman matching the reaction speed of Wonder Woman, who is thousands of times faster than light.
- Super-Strength: Both Atlanteans have this in spades. Namor is powerful enough to rival powerhouses like the Savage Hulk and Thor Odinson, while Aquaman can trade blows with Wonder Woman and Hercules. Aquaman ultimately proves superior by being able to physically hold back a strike powerful enough to sink Atlantis, which is magnitudes greater than Namor's personal feats in strength.
- Take That, Audience!: Both hosts call out people who still see Aquaman as a loser who can only talk to fish, spelling out in great detail why this long-held belief is utter shit.
- This Cannot Be!: Namor says as much when Aquaman exerts his mental control over him, leaving him in a seizure."No! You control me? Impossible!"
- White-and-Grey Morality: Aquaman is an upstanding king of Atlantis who ensures the safety of his people through a just yet fair rule. Namor, meanwhile, is willing to work with surface-dwellers if it benefits Atlantis, but incredibly short-tempered and just as easy to turn on his allies.
