wouldn't that make him only half as strong as normal atlanteans? I understand that he comes from a royal bloodline, so would that negate the human half of him? Would that then make him at full strength for an atlantean? From what I read, atlanteans are capable of lifting around 5 tons on land and I know that Aquaman can lift far more than that. How is he so strong for being half human?
BENTON!!
WE NEED YOU!!!
Haha, it's pretty simple, really; Aquaman is a mutant. He's half human and half Atlantian, but he's utterly unique. He's the strongest Atlantian by a country mile, faster, tougher, and all-around physically superior to the rest of that race, but more importantly, his mental powers are as far beyond theirs as Superman's strength is beyond a human's. He's one of a kind, a freak of nature or a divinely appointed champion arriving at precisely the right moment, depending on how you look at it.
Don't you know how this works? Look at Namor also. Half Atlantian, half human, stronger than both! ( has to be said in ominous eastern European voice)
Namor was also Marvel's first mutant.
Namor also predates Aquaman. Maybe Arthur isn't quite as unique as Benton is suggesting... ;)
I should note too, that when it comes to heredity, a child does not always end up halfway between his parents, but often ends up taking firmly after one or the other. My sister is short. Her husband is tall. Of there three children, it looks like 2 will be very tall and one very short. None of them are halfway in between.
So a half atlantean to having the same level of strength as a full Atlantean is not at all surprising.
That's true, Cat, but the fact that Aquaman is way beyond other Atlanteans in his abilities is indicative of him being a mutant, and not just winning a genetic lottery.
Tal, that's true, but Aquaman is way more awesome. ;) Actually, Golden Age Aquaman wasn't really that close to Namor. Instead of being a hybrid, he was experimented upon by his marine biologist father, and given the ability to breath underwater thanks to recovered Atlantean technology.
Quote from: BentonGrey on July 12, 2013, 03:47:02 AM
That's true, Cat, but the fact that Aquaman is way beyond other Atlanteans in his abilities is indicative of him being a mutant, and not just winning a genetic lottery.
Not disputing you there, just pointed out that they original question is based on an assumption that simply is not true in real life, although people do keep assuming that.
Just bear in mind that Aquaman and Namor are both as strong as the writer needs them to be.
Quote from: daglob on July 12, 2013, 10:30:45 PM
Just bear in mind that Aquaman and Namor are both as strong as the writer needs them to be.
Ha, DG, that's true, but folks who make this point always make me chuckle. This is a universal constant for all serial fiction. Character X is always whatever the current author wants them to be, whether or not it makes sense.
I see Cat. :)
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NewPowersAsThePlotDemands
Hey, in the Dragonball Z universe, Saiyan/Human half-breeds supposedly have more potential power than pure blooded Saiyans. Granted, however, the half-breeds rarely have the obsessive desire to better themselves through constant battle; so that puts a somewhat self-imposed limit on their effectiveness.
So I guess it's a legit idea!
Quote from: BentonGrey on July 12, 2013, 10:34:54 PM
Quote from: daglob on July 12, 2013, 10:30:45 PM
Just bear in mind that Aquaman and Namor are both as strong as the writer needs them to be.
Ha, DG, that's true, but folks who make this point always make me chuckle. This is a universal constant for all serial fiction. Character X is always whatever the current author wants them to be, whether or not it makes sense.
I see Cat. :)
A statement that I aggree with totally.
LOL!
Good one, Komm!
Where did you get that pic? That's awesome!
And now Aquaman can cause you to get a virus just by searching his name!
Any time you summon Cthulhu it's a bad idea.
Although I REALLY like the idea...
Haha, yeah, that one shows up around here from time to time. It's fairly awesome. That is one of the many reasons Aquaman is awesome, though personally I like this one better:
http://nerditis.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/polar-bear-toss-aquaman_02.jpg
As for the original question; at first I thought classifying Namor (and Aquaman; you can't talk about one without the other) as a mutant was just a weak attempt to inject a classic character into the "mutant craze" that infected comics some time ago. But, giving things some thought, it could be that the mixing of human and Atlantean genes causes this mutation to occur, even though both species would be classified as "humanoid" in appearance. Although, I guess being a mutant and having a genetic mutation aren't necessarily the same thing, but that's a whole other discussion. :D
Quote from: Deaths Jester on July 17, 2013, 03:55:37 PM
And now Aquaman can cause you to get a virus just by searching his name!
Yeah, I saw that on Twitter this morning. McAfee says that Aquaman leads the list of superheroes whose name is associated with malware -- go figure. Hulk and Mr. Fantastic are also on that list.
Hulk notwithstanding, you'd think they'd pick someone more popular. No offense, BG. Maybe the bad guys figure Superman and Batman are too obvious.
Quote from: BlueBard on July 18, 2013, 12:53:09 PM
Quote from: Deaths Jester on July 17, 2013, 03:55:37 PM
And now Aquaman can cause you to get a virus just by searching his name!
Yeah, I saw that on Twitter this morning. McAfee says that Aquaman leads the list of superheroes whose name is associated with malware -- go figure. Hulk and Mr. Fantastic are also on that list.
Hulk notwithstanding, you'd think they'd pick someone more popular. No offense, BG. Maybe the bad guys figure Superman and Batman are too obvious.
Even funnier is that Namor isn't on the list either...hmmm...interesting...
It's all a plot by the anti-Aquaman lobby!
I must here link to Linkara's excellent mini speech about why he doesn't make fun of Aquaman. It's been mentioned before, but it's just that awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGuN71VUrK4
Okay, totally not-relevant, but...
Aquaman's Lament: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuLLXQizuuY
Also, gotta agree that all of Aquaman's troubles go back to the Super Friends stigma that he has been unable to shake.
Let us not forget all of the other "Wonderful" things that the Super Friends did for the Justice League:
- Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog
- The Wonder Twins (and Gleek)
- Bad examples of cultural diversity: Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, Samurai, and El Dorado (If you must have cultural diversity in a superhero team, don't give them lame powers, lame names, base them on stereotypes, or have second-stringer status...)
- The campy versions of Batman and Robin (wasn't the TV show enough?)
I love that song. The idea of Aquaman poaching Batman's lady is beyond hilarious to me. If I were writing the comics, I think I'd make that happen once in a while... ;)
Too true, BB, too true.
Early in the Super Friends, Aquaman did more than talk to fish. He used his physical might.
http://youtu.be/DkhycTikdmw?t=37m31s
http://youtu.be/J_J9vg6fEuU?t=4m23s
http://youtu.be/1nmM01fV6Nw?t=15m10s
http://youtu.be/lWqDhPdQjrs?t=40m40s
What do you know about that? Ha, I suppose that even the Super Friends treatment of Aquaman has some redeeming features.
actually most the time in certain species...the mixture of two different breeds (say in dogs) makes them stronger and more resistant to diseases that normally will plaque pure breeds. So... in Aqua & Subby that may also hold true.