How ‘Aquaman’ Killed the Myth That the Character Is Uncool

A nuclear submarine is being attacked by pirates when something hits the hull, knocking the saboteurs off-balance. We see a figure cut through the water and hit the submarine like a battering ram before lifting it higher and higher, until it breaks through the water. The rumors are true — the hero of the deep has returned. The bulkhead is wrenched open and a figure drops to the floor of the ship, long-haired and tattooed. “Permission to come aboard?” he says with a wry smugness that’s immediately endearing. Right off the bat we’re assured that Aquaman, a character most known to a non-comic reading public as the guy in the orange and green suit who talks to fish, is the pinnacle of coolness.