The DC Hero That Has The Most Disappointing Powers To Fans
The DC Comics multiverse is teeming with titans. After nearly a century of creating and revising hundreds of characters, there's no shortage of interesting heroes with equally interesting abilities. And it's these abilities that allow the multiverse's most popular characters, such as Wonder Woman and Superman, to find such widespread success. The only problem is that not every character's powers are created equal. Some simply have uninteresting, uninspired, or just plain lame capabilities when compared to their super-peers.
So which DC superhero's powers seem to fall short of the rest—and how do fans feel about a character who seems comparatively weak? This is an important question for fans of the comics, especially in the wake of Zack Snyder's Justice League. To find out, Looper conducted an online survey of 528 people, asking which DC superheroes they thought had the coolest—and the most disappointing—powers. Read on to discover the results.
According to DC fans, Aquaman has the worst powers
In the end, DC fans labeled Aquaman as the Justice League member with the least cool powers. Out of 528 votes, Aquaman only received 11.74 percent of the total. That means only about 50 people consider his powers the best. Compared to Superman's whopping 35.98 percent rating, it becomes clear that Aquaman's water-based abilities simply don't pack the same punch as the other heroes' powers.
When it comes to the other DC heroes, Flash just beat Aquaman for the second-lowest rating among core Justice League members, with only 12.69 percent of the total vote. Likewise, Green Lantern only received 14.58 percent. As for Wonder Woman, she comes the closest to Superman's score. Unfortunately, that's still not very close. Wonder Woman only received 21.59 percent of fans' favor. The remaining 3 percent of votes were cast for other DC heroes.
Why do fans prefer other heroes over Aquaman?
So why would fans rate Aquaman so low? Sure, he may not be as powerful as Superman or Wonder Woman, and he isn't as versatile as Green Lantern or Flash. But Arthur Curry has his fair share of awesome abilities and tools that make him worthy of being one of DC's favorite heroes.
As a half-Atlantean, Aquaman has the standard superhuman physicality. He's plenty strong, with increased speed and endurance, along with a healthy dash of accelerated healing. On top of that, he can telepathically communicate with sea life, breathe both air and water, and work some magic. He's not exactly a slouch.
However, there are some things holding him back. Mainly, his best powers are comparatively situational. Superhuman strength and speed aren't exactly rare, so Aquaman's most distinguishing powers are those that have to do with the ocean. The only problem is that there isn't always an ocean nearby, meaning Aquaman's powers are more often limited by his environment than other heroes. This has become the butt of many jokes mocking Aquaman for decades. To many people, Aquaman is simply "the guy who talks to fish," and much of that reputation has to do with Super Friends.
What is Super Friends and why does it make Aquaman a joke?
Take it from anyone who reads the comics: Aquaman isn't anywhere as lame as others make him out to be, and he's actually an incredibly powerful hero. At the end of the day, he's still tough enough to be a core member of the Justice League, after all. Likewise, his stories have been a massive source of entertainment for comic fans over the years. Yet people still rate him as the least cool member.
According to fans on the DC Comics Subreddit, a big reason for this discrepancy is the 1973 superhero cartoon, Super Friends, which often made Aquaman out to be the least useful member of the group. "All Aquaman ever does in Super Friends is swim and talk to the fish," one Redditor wrote. "He comes across like Aquatic Joe — 'I'm the exact GI Joe you want on underwater adventures, except, sigh, we never have any underwater adventures.'"
That portrayal has, unfortunately, tainted Aquaman's reputation in the decades since, despite the fact that he remains one of DC's staple heroes. He may never be as popular as DC's big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), but hopefully, his more recent appearances in the DC Extended Universe—with Jason Momoa portraying him—will do something to turn the tide in favor of Aquaman.