Think about it. Even my non-comic book reading friends say he is useless and lame, that he can only call fish. He's been the center of many jokes.

The Superfriends is the ultimate bait for Aquaman haters to argue that he's "gay" and useless. Nobody complains about those awful scooby doo knock-offs nearly as much as they do with Aquaman.  
 
Unfair if you ask me.

I think Super Friends ruined a lot of superheroes' reputations, not just his. Hannah Barbara spite.

But it was mostly Aquaman's reputation that was damaged.

Be that as it may, writers have had plenty of opportunities to take a character like him and put him on the same level as the rest. It happens. Still, since I grew up reading mostly Marvel I didn't give him so much as a glance because I already had a strict Namor diet. Winged feet and Spock-like attributes were the deal breaker.

Yeah. I doubt Aquaman will ever shake the negative reputation he has.

Superfriends is pretty much the only reason anyone knows who Aquaman is. 
 
Namor's a jackass bastard trying to constantly sleep with anything Blond, and let's face facts - for most non-comic readers, the only thing they know Namor is what some haters are calling the "Captain America Namor cameo" 

@labarith: Tell us how you really feel.

Superfirends made me lol at every JL member
 
I always thought the Green Lantern was so lame thanks to that show, the movie that came out earlier this year didn't prove me wrong either

That and Family Guy, yes. The answer is clearly and obviously yes. 

I love Aquaman. I also think some of those jokes are hilarious. 
 
  

I say he redeem himself in Batman Brave and the Bold. He is more fun and we see his strength more. He now has catch phase ( we call this adventure (insert name here) 

I say he redeem himself in Batman Brave and the Bold. He is more fun and we see his strength more. He now has catch phase ( we call this adventure (insert name here) 

Poor Aquaman, he was cool in the JL cartoon, and was not that bad on Smallville.... and even the pilot episode was not that bad....but he will always be the Superfriends version of Aquaman and Family Guy helped that as well...

they doing a new series for him in the new 52

they doing a new series for him in the new 52

You could make a pretty good argument that the Super-Friends degraded all of those characters. It certainly didn't do any favors for Batman & Robin, coming hot on the heels of the campy 1960's Batman series. Unlike the others, though, Aquaman was never given another media opportunity to change audience's perceptions about him. Wonder Woman had a live action series that ran for three seasons. While it's not without a fair degree of absurdity, it was played straight, for the most part, & allowed Wonder Woman to do a bit more than just rope tricks. Superman was redefined for the mass audiences in Superman-The Movie, a very faithful take on the character. Tim Burton's Batman films, coupled with the excellent Batman:The Animated series, finally brought the  dark vigilante Batman from the comics into the popular consciousness. Aquaman's later media appearances in Superman: The Animates Series, Justice League America & Unlimited, & even Smallville, have done justice to the actual character, but guest appearances are never going to be grand enough to catapult the character over a bad image that has persisted for 30 years. It's going to take a big budget film. One that doesn't suck like Green Lantern did. Until that happens, only the comic book fans will ever know how cool a character Aquaman truly is.

That, plus the way everyone says he was used in comics. He can be written well, but I think convincing a reader of comics he is useless will be easy, but if they were to do a movie for him. It would probably be much worse than Green Lantern performance wise, the stigma is just huge.

All my friends think that Aquaman can only call fish.

Sadly, it probably did.

@Primmaster64: Right.

Well, it doesn't help that Superfriends is probably the only thing a lot of people know Aquaman from. Supes, Batman, and Wonder Woman all had other forms of media exposure (outside of comics) from around that time, but Aquaman was only known as the guy that talked to fish and had to be rescued once a week.

"Fish jokes. That's all I've got. Fish jokes" - Aquaman (Smallville).

Yep

I don't think it was the show's fault. That show didn't do any favors to any characters really. I think his status as the butt of many joke is because his powers are considered very limiting.

If I were to write him, I'd expand his horizon. Just cause he's a citizen of an underwater society, doesn't mean he should focus on all things ocean.

@Croaker said:

I don't think it was the show's fault. That show didn't do any favors to any characters really. I think his status as the butt of many joke is because his powers are considered very limiting.

If I were to write him, I'd expand his horizon. Just cause he's a citizen of an underwater society, doesn't mean he should focus on all things ocean.

read his new series. he has decided to live on land and leave Atlantis

Anyone that thinks Aquaman is a joke needs to read Morrison's JLA and Rick Veitch's run on the character. He was one of the most powerful leaguers for awhile. 

Did he really have a reputation before Superfriends? No one really knew who he was. To me, he'll always be a badass, but that's just because that's the AC I know and love. I understand the jokes, and some are legit funny, but for a long time, yeah, Superfriends was the only rep he had. It didn't ruin it, just tainted it.

Yeah I think Super Friends is really what made Aquaman a household name, sure they made him seem kind of worthless on there, but they did that for a lot of the heroes on there. Its just weird how he's never really bounced back from it. Being the butt of jokes on Family Guy, Robot Chicken, and Saturday Night Live don't help either. But I have hope he can bounce back, Morrisons JLA run was awesome, as is Johns current run. I've really been enjoying that book. If Batman can bounce back from the Adam West version, than there is hope for Aquaman reversing his Super Friends image. Maybe Frank Miller needs to write "The King of Atlantis Returns" or something like that :P

Mmmm.... Yeah pretty much but in my country u can especially blame "Aquaman y sus amigos" that was ridiculous but gave my a good laugh on my childhood times

I agree that Super Friends ruined Aquaman. But there's a main reason: The Super Friends was essentially a kid-friendly version of The Justice League. And Aquaman in the 60's was one of the most popular characters, so they added him to the main cast (I would have much preferred to see Flash and GL and J'onn J'onzz in place of the stupid Junior Super Friends, but whatever). But yeah, kid-friendly version. In water he was portrayed fine, cuz he always had something to do. But on land, since the old cartoons didn't let people punch anybody, that takes away most of his super strength in action. The others had ways around it (Superman's vast array of versatile powers he could apply non violently, WW's lasso, and Batman and Robin's gadgets). Since Aquaman didn't have that, he was relegated to uselessness. I think the modern comics have been a great showcase for the character (an issue of JLA where AC saves Martian Manhunter from Despero by driving iron bars from a construction site into the villian's body, or PAD's or Geoff Johns' use of the character). Another bash at the super friends, in later seasons, the cast became allowed to punch, but they replaced Aquaman entirely with Firestorm. No hating against Firestorm (i like all superhero characters), but it just seemed like Hanna Barbera had it in for The King of Atlantis.

Also, i recently got my friend, who is not a comic book reader into Blackest Night, and Brightest Day. Before this he told me that he thought The Flash was lame (all he could do was run fast), and all Aquaman could do was talk to fish. Because anything Geoff Johns touches becomes liquid gold (Green Lantern, Flash, JSA, Teen Titans), he was hooked. Said they played out like a movie. He was so impressed he showed his brother who loved it as well. His brother told me that before reading these stories, he thought Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman were useless. He changed his mind quickly. I feel that DC needs to get off it's Superman/Batman movie reboots, and focus on other characters. Marvel's already done it. I know they came out with a Green Lantern movie, which i liked but felt like he was too earth bound, he should have been in space more. But i get that they're not just appealing to comic lovers. they have to get across to a larger mainstream audience as well. I'd love to see Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, The JLA and The Teen Titans on the big screen. DC has so many great relatively unknown characters they need to get out to the public. As well as crafting good stories with mainstay characters (like Aquaman) on animated series so that kids can grow up knowing that these characters are great. (The DCAU, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, etc)

Well, most of my friends doesnt read comics, and when Aquaman comes up, they think he cant leave the ocean and his only power is to talk to fish, like if theres problem he call a huge shark to take care of it. And then theres all the jokes, i most admit, South Parks Seaman and Swallow jokes make me lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfxaiZKGAC8

Mostly and then the jokes weren't useful against that

No way a movie helps, especially since in Entourage the Aquaman movie was a huge joke and commentary on terrible movies based on lame properties making buttloads of money. Damage irreversible in my opinion, though I personally don't think Aquaman's lame, he is great source material for jokes. Hell, if it weren't for the jokes no one would know, or care who he is.

Aquaman is awesome.

But they should bring back the 'water hand' or the hook.

Yes.

Superfirends is ultimately (but not directly) how I came to comic books actually, and no. He was the coolest one on that show.

Yes from a public persception, but no from my own point of view. I don't know what any of these guys are smoking when they say that Aquaman was lame on Superfriends. I watched several episodes again, and in just about everyone with him, he gets at least one scene in water. In fact I think people just perseve this, but I don't believe it. Sure he would get captured, but so would everyone else.

Not to mention the fact that Superfriends is the longest running TV/Cartoon Show based off a comic book property of all time (9 seasons), tied only with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which was also another kidified version).