Aquaman Can Talk to Fish and That's OK

Recent interviews with Aquaman director James Wan have confirmed that The King of The Seven Seas will talk to fish in the upcoming Warner Brothers film - and there is nothing wrong with that.

Aquaman and his "aqua-telepathy" have long been the subject of mockery in popular culture. From jokes about his relationships with his finned friends to wisecracks about how utterly useless the ability to communicate with sea-life is in a combat situation, everything insulting that can be said about Aquaman has been said repeatedly. Many serious comic book fans speak dismissively of Aquaman and can't believe that he'd been given his own movie before we get movies like The Flash. Even the first trailer for Teen Titans Go! To The Movies ended with the tagline "Because if Aquaman can get a movie, anyone can!"

This character assassination seems oddly out of place in an environment where Ant-Man has two hit movies under his size-changing belt. It makes little sense that the superhero who shrinks and talks to ants is afforded more respect than Aquaman. Granting that ants can do a lot more damage beyond ruining a picnic, the dangers posed by certain species of fish are far greater. Just ask anyone who watches Shark Week and then ask them if they'd like the power to command a Great White!

Regardless, the fact remains that Aquaman is far more than just one superpower. He is super-strong, bullet-proof and capable enough as a warrior to fight Wonder Woman to a standstill in a one-on-one fight. This also ignores his access to advanced Atlantean weaponry and the magical might he commands through artifacts like The Trident of Poseidon. Yet the vast majority believe that all he can do is talk to fish.

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Talking To Fish Was The Core Of Aquaman Jokes

Martian Manhunter Aquaman and Robin on Robot Chicken

Popular culture is awash with jokes about how lame Aquaman is and most of them centered around his ability to talk to fish. Perhaps the most famous of these was a running gag on the series Entourage. Long before the creation of the DC Extended Universe, the show joked about an Aquaman movie helmed by legendary director James Cameron and the efforts of actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) to win the lead role. The joke, of course, was the idea that James Cameron would ever have anything to do with such a ludicrous project or that young actors would be fighting for the chance to play Aquaman.

Jokes about Aquaman are also a frequent occurrence on the Adult Swim comedy series Robot Chicken. The show has seen several specials devoted exclusively to DC Comics, with the first special's main plot being devoted to Aquaman joining The Legion of Doom after becoming fed up with the total lack of respect he received from his fellow Superfriends because "all you do is talk to fish." This abuse included Robin using his magical trident to clean toilets and Martian Manhunter preparing two of his lobster friends for dinner.

Strangely enough, Family Guy has probably been the most respectful of all the comedies to portray Aquaman in a joking manner. Apart from one skit based around Aquaman summoning a fish to get him a drink because he was too lazy to get off the couch, none of Aquaman's appearances on the show were based around his power to talk to fish. Ironically, Peter Griffin and his friends much preferred Aquaman to Namor the Sub-Mariner when they met both heroes while serving in the US Coast Guard precisely because of his aqua-telepathy. They cheered the acrobatic tricks Aquaman had his fish friends perform for their amusement, while Namor weakly protested that he was the superior superhero because he could fly.

"Talking To Fish" Is A Total Misunderstanding Of Aquaman

It's a gross oversimplification to say that Aquaman "talks to fish." Fish brains are not complex enough to comprehend language or basic ideas beyond "eat" or "hide". Fish also have poor memories, as any child who remembers Dory from Finding Nemo can tell you.

Aquaman's telepathy is based around a unique focus upon the most basic parts of the brain. This allows him to move primitive aquatic creatures by taking control of their bodies, manipulating the parts of the brain that focus on primitive instincts and reflexes. It would be far more accurate to say that Aquaman commands fish rather than talking to them. He can, however, have simple conversations with more intelligent water-based mammals, such as whales or dolphins.

It's also worth mentioning that, while he primarily uses his telepathic abilities on sea life, given where he usually operates, Aquaman's telepathy is not limited to aquatic creatures. He's been shown to be as capable of controlling birds as fish, commanding seagulls to peck at the eyes of an enemy when he needed a distraction. He can also attack the basic mental operations of sentient life-forms. The super-speedster villain Züm learned this fact painfully in the Justice League of America comic book, after mocking Aquaman as only being able to talk to fish, only to suddenly find himself having a seizure after Aquaman attacked his basal ganglia - the part of the brain that manages motor control.

Page 2 of 2: The DCEU Aquaman Movie Is Going All In... On Fish Powers And More

The DCEU Aquaman Movie Is Going All In... On Fish Powers And More

Aquaman director James Wan has confirmed that Arthur Curry will display the full range of his powers from the comics in the movie, including "talking to fish." While it is unknown how this may factor into the movie's action sequences, the presence of several sharks on the first movie poster suggests some bloody battles are to be expected. It has also been confirmed that one flashback sequence will detail how a young Arthur Curry discovered his power to command sea creatures while on a field trip to the Boston Aquarium.

Even if Aquaman did not possess his most unique superpower, he would still be a force to be reckoned with. It was recently confirmed that Atlanteans in the DC Extended Universe are almost as strong as Superman in many respects. The reason for this is simple logic and has been carried over from the original Aquaman comic books. In order for any creature to survive on the ocean floor, their body must be able to withstand amazing pressures that would crush an ordinary human's body instantly.

This superhuman density translates to a host of other useful abilities when an Atlantean emerges on-land. Their enhanced physiology offers them greater strength, speed and endurance relative to an ordinary human. Atlanteans also possess enhanced eye-sight and hearing, due to light and sound not traveling as well through water as they do through the air, and their bodies have evolved to compensate over time.

All of this adds up to make Aquaman far more powerful than many would suspect. Armed with advanced Atlantean weapons or ancient magical artifacts, he can tip the scales even further. Yet even without the advantages offered by his position as King of Atlantis, Arthur Curry is not to be underestimated.

This Aquaman ISN'T A Reinvention

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about James Wan's Aquaman movie to date is how close it sticks to the core concept of the character from the classic comic books. When a comic book character is adapted to the big screen, there is a temptation for the screenwriter and director to eliminate some aspects of the character as what works on the printed page might just look silly on the silver screen, and it's easy to understand why those fears could exist with Aquaman. Such was the case with Batman for many years, before Tim Burton's 1989 film restored the original image of The Dark Knight as a figure of terror and mystery. Before that, the most popular image of Batman in the popular culture was of Adam West dancing the Batusi when he wasn't lecturing Robin on proper grammar and safe driving techniques.

Ironically, there have been several efforts to try and toughen-up Aquaman's image in the comics long before there was ever any thought of having him headline a major motion picture. The first came in 1994, when Aquaman grew out his hair and a beard in an effort to look more manly. He also lost his hand after an encounter with some piranhas, replacing it with a hook and losing his trademark orange shirt in favor of a metal harness with a long pauldron on his right shoulder. This so-called "pirate Aquaman" look would endure for the better part of a decade, informing the character's appearance in the DC Animated Universe.

A 2002 revamp of the Aquaman series saw Arthur Curry's hook-hand replaced with a hand made of magical water. This was a gift from The Lady of The Lake, which gave him a number of magical powers related to healing and controlling the flow of water around him. Aquaman would be revamped once again in 2006, with a new Sword of Atlantis series, depicting him as an undersea swashbuckler whose adventures in a more fantasy-themed Atlantis more greatly resembled Conan The Barbarian than the original Aquaman comics.

In fact, there is some small irony then that Jason Momoa, an actor who once played Conan The Barbarian, should be cast as Aquaman. Yet despite Jason Momoa looking very much like the 1990s incarnation of Aquaman with his long hair and beard, the upcoming film is firmly focused on bringing the spirit of the character from the classic comic books to life. Thankfully, that character is a true hero capable of far more than just "talking to fish."