Aquaman's power actually IS useless

Rogue's most useful ability is stealing memories as well as powers, so I'll give her that.

A better example is Hope Summers, whose power is SPECIFICALLY to mimic other mutants' abilities (not all superhumans—just mutants). If mutants didn't exist at all, she would be completely normal.

But Aquaman, at his inception, requires there to be a Fantasy Kitchen Sink, since his existence is tied to Atlantis and magic in general.

Well, most people aren't gonna want Rogue's power due to the severe Power Incontinence. However, while it's weaker in a setting without other superpowered people, being able to knock someone out with a touch is still pretty threatening.

Context is also important. People who hunt or study marine animals for a living would obviously find fish-control a very useful ability. However, daveshan's original post makes it pretty clear that, when he talks about a superpower's usefulness, he means how useful it is for someone trying to be a superhero. While many superpowers have their plausibility as crime-fighting tools exaggerated by comics, there are probably very few cases where the ability to control marine life is gonna be vital in catching a criminal.

And, again, we're talking about superpowers independent of the superheroes we usually see them attached to. If one superhuman ability exists, then the probability that there might be others increases; the probability that giant sea monsters exist remains about the same.

edited 1st May '11 8:09:07 AM by RavenWilder

That argument is still flawed because it assumes a very limited scope of what "crime fighting" consists of.

For example: Somali pirates, human-trafficking, and smuggling operations. These are major international problems that Aquaman, with the ability to use fish as a communication network and as a means of obstruction (modern pirates use speedboats—which would be hard to pilot when a blue whale comes and capsizes it), would be one of the best-equipped heroes in the world at dealing with. The problem, though, is that most writers and fans do not live in or near the sea, so that sort of crime isn't what jives with us. Again, that is not a failing of Aquaman. That has no bearing on how "useful" his powers are, only on how difficult it is for storytellers to write outside of their comfort zone.

Again, we're talking about a character who—right off the bat—is the son of a wizard and an Atlantean. Before you even mention anything else about Aquaman, you've already opened the door that there is shit in the ocean we don't know about.

edited 1st May '11 8:16:32 AM by KingZeal

How are the fish gonna find out what's happening inside a ship? Also, I thought Aquaman's fish telepathy was a one-way thing; he can tell them what to do, but they're not intelligent enough to give information back. Or have I got that wrong?

And I'm looking at fish telepathy from more of a Powers Are Programs sense; i.e. imagining it existing in someone independently of any Atlantean biology or stuff like that.

Fishes and other sea life can indeed give complex messages and information to Aquaman, although how 'complex' varies Depending on the Writer.

Well now, that's a fish of a different color!

Again, people take the "fish" thing too narrowly. Aquaman controls marine life, up to and including aquatic fowl like gulls and pelicans, reptiles, and insects like some breeds of mosquitoes. And even if that weren't the case, fish can track the movements of a ship. I mean, hell, not even Batman can tell what's going on "inside" a ship without some sort of listening device, and he'd still have to figure out a way to get it in there. Ship-based criminals would have to be paranoid of every single seagull, water snake, crab, or odd-looking bug found on or near the boat.

edited 1st May '11 9:37:43 AM by KingZeal

Since when do gulls count as a marine life?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_life#Seabirds

His power extends over any creature which is part of the marine ecosystem. Strictly aquatic animals, like fish, he can outright command to do his bidding, but he has less control over animals who have less dependence on the sea. When you start getting to creatures only vestigially related to water (like humans), he can only telepathically communicate. However, most marine animals will do what he says simply because he's their king and the protector of their biosphere.

edited 1st May '11 9:45:28 AM by KingZeal

Any creature connected to the sea? Even plants and stuff?

Must resist urge to photoshop Aquaman with Spongebob.

Yes, I think so. I'm not sure if they have to be an animal or not. And even then, if they have to be multicellular animals.

edited 1st May '11 10:27:23 AM by KingZeal

Hmm, this has me wondering something: has an Aquaman villain ever set up their base of operations at or in the Dead Sea?

If you want to see a well-researched account of the insane level of destruction that can be done to humanity by something capable of controlling sea creatures, check out The Swarm. Crippling the shipping world is just the tip of the iceberg.

King Zeal discussed piracy, so here are some other crimes which Aquaman could act against:

• Drug trafficking. Yes, a lot of drugs are smuggled in legal cargo, but a lot of them are also transported in small boats which unload in remote natural harbours by night. Aquaman can apprehend these guys pretty easily.
• Illegal fishing. Seriously. This is a major issue for both conservationists (who want to preserve aquatic biodiversity) and governments (who want to ensure that the fishing industry remains viable in the long term); Spanish trawlers are pretty notorious for overfishing, and doing so in other countries' waters. Aquaman can use his network of marine life to ensure that fishing ships stick to their quotas.
• Pollution. Again, a network of marine life allows Aquaman to prevent illegal dumping of toxins in coastal areas.

edited 3rd May '11 10:16:42 AM by VampireBuddha

Skinny Dipping.

Shhhhhhh!!!

I think you're severely underestimating the power of the power of the gaint unspeakable horrors that dwell down there.

Not really. Did you read the topic or are you just responding to the title?

Anybody who says Aquaman power is useless should read that Brave And Bold issue with him and Etrigan.

I read a comic where Aquaman paralyzed a white martian by "controlling the primitive brain of his marine ancestors." I'm guessing whoever wrote it thought it was really clever and cool, but all I could think about was why Martians had the same brains as humans, and why there would be marine life on a desert planet. Yeah, Aquaman will never be cool.

... I think that the general conceit in the DCU was that Mars wasn't always a desert planet. And it didn't say that the white martians had the same brain as humans, just that they had marine ancestors >.>

Also, re. Aquaman never being cool... really?

Although this was waay back in the Silver Age and may no longer be canon, at one point, Aquaman's control over marine life included water buffaloes. (It was the surprise twist in a story where he had to battle someone with control over land animals.)

But can he expand like a puffer fish or caue electric shocks like an eel?

Namor wins.

'Welcome back to Whale Wars. When we last left off, we were chasing a Japanese whaling vessel that had found and were following a small pod of blergaty-blergaty whales. Oh no, it appears that the whaling vessel has caught up to the pod and is preparing its harpoons. Oh wait! Tentacles from the deep have latched onto the vessel. A giant squid! A giant squid has just latched onto the vessel! Its grabbing the harpoon guns and throwing them into the water. The whalers are now trying to shoot the giant squid with small arms. Its retreating back into the deep. Wait, whats this? The whale pod seems to be attempting to capsize the vessel! The whalers are leaving the vessel via life-raft as I speak. Oh, wow! Its Aquaman! No wonder! It looks like Aquaman is subduing the whalers. He's loading them into the whales' mouths for the journey back to land and back to justice. Hooray for Aquaman!'

Took me as long as it took to type that to come up with a scenario where:
A. Aquman's aquatelepethy isn't useless
B. His power is completely independant from the others
C. His power doesn't depend on fantastic creatures
D. He still does heroics