Warning: SPOILERS for Batman #129As two superheroes who thrive in the ocean, Namor and Aquaman are constantly compared to one another, but Aquaman's view of the surface actually makes him the better hero.
This revelation comes in a recent issue of Batman that finds the Dark Knight in the fight of his life. Afraid of what might happen if he ever crosses the line and killed someone, Batman's subconscious built an unstoppable robot named Failsafe. When Penguin fakes his death and frames Batman for murder, Failsafe activates and goes after Batman to put him down for good. Despite help from the Bat-Family and the Justice League, Failsafe can't be stopped. Batman only escapes death because he jumps into the ocean and is rescued by Aquaman.
In Batman #129 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez, Failsafe deduces that Aquaman is protecting Batman and keeping him safe. Preparing for Failsafe's inevitable arrival, Aquaman preps his soldiers to defend Batman at all costs. When one of his soldiers questions why they are protecting a surface hero, Aquaman asks the soldier how many times he saved the world. The soldier is unable to answer because he finds it to be a ridiculous question. But Aquaman points out that if they ask Batman that same question, they would have to wait while Batman tallied up the total.
Aquaman's Defense Of Batman Is Telling
This is a very brief moment, but it highlights a lot about Aquaman's mindset. He views the ocean and the surface as part of the same planet. Every time Batman saves the world, he is in fact saving the oceans as well. He understands this and so has a respect for Batman and all of these surface heroes that he wishes to instill upon his own people.
This is in contrast to the Marvel hero who is viewed as Aquaman's reciprocal. Namor has been hostile to the surface world since his first appearance. He views the people on the surface as polluters who harm the ocean rather than help it. Aquaman would probably agree with that to some degree, but Namor takes it a step further in that he also applies this mindset to the surface heroes, as well. He does not have the same respect for surface heroes that Aquaman does. Namor has been incapable of viewing the surface and the ocean as two sides of the same coin in the same way that Aquaman does. Because Namor isn't able to accept that the oceans are in fact part of the planet, Aquaman will always have an edge on him as being a more rounded hero.
Batman #129 is now available from DC Comics.