You’re reading your comic book, and you flip to that last page, and there they stand. You’re going to have an extreme reaction one way or the other. There can be no gray. You either love them or hate them.
5. Gambit
Pink, purple, whatever. It’s a touchy subject when we’re talking about the cajun dude who throws playing cards that explode. He also has a staff, presumably because Ninja Turtles were cool at the time. A better symbol of 1990s superhero comics doesn’t exist. Except Cable, but no one really likes Cable.
4. Captain Marvel
Big Red Cheese. There it is. Do you embrace the simplicity and wackiness of the past or do you eschew it? That’s what it’s really all about. I think with Captain Marvel, it’s not that you have to read the right story, but rather, you have to be able to go with it from the get go. If you can’t get over that hump (the hump being a ‘geewillickers’ boy in a very red suit), you’re just not going to be able to get behind Captain Marvel. Also, his name’s not Shazam.
3. Aquaman
There have been many versions of Aquaman, and not a single one of them is universally embraced. I think it was the Super Friends that did it. Maybe it’s the combination of orange and green. Maybe it’s the talking-to-fish thing. Many writers have tried to “badass” Arthur up, but some people just can’t get over it, and will never give Aquaman his due and proper. Yet those who appreciate the past and the legacy, well, they’re there for the King of the Seas every time.
2. Deadpool
You can find a lot of people who profess their hatred for this not-Deathstroke character from Marvel and Rob Liefeld. You can also find something like 47 regular titles with his name on the masthead in a given month. He’s got a bunch of powers, and he talks to himself, and it’s either really funny, or really not funny. Depends on the day.
1. Lobo
Created as a comment on the ultra violent characters of the time, ironically, Lobo became their master. No one beats Lobo, and no one is more OK with the carnage than Lobo. You either get a right good giggle from that or you roll your eyes and go back to your contemplation of deep matters. The Czarnian’s popularity has fallen a bit in the past decade, but toss him into the mix, and you’ll hear both cheers and jeers of much vociferousness. I’m fine with either, but if anyone ever says “bastich” conversationally, you can legally kick them straight in the taint.
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Really???? How does Gambit make it on this list. My two favourite X-men are Rogue and Gambit. The rest I am okay with….. but Gambit is Legendary… I will admit he was probably more popular in the animated series.
You love him, right? That solidifies his place on the list.
So we’re not even reading the whole headline now? I give.
Wow…
Okay, but it sounds better than:
“Really???? How does Gambit make it on this list. The two X-men I’m most ambivalent about are Rogue and Gambit. The rest I really love or hate….. but Gambit is Unexceptional…”
Yeah, if I never read an X-Men story with Gambit in it I’d be so happy.
You love Gambit. I hate Gambit.
The list seems pretty justified. 🙂
Ha. That made my day much more than the reading the list did.
love gambit
love captain marvel
love aquaman
hate deadpool
hate lobo
Love love love gambit my fave xman and in my fave five comic characters I like captain marvel hate deadpool find aquman lame and have no real feelings on lobo at all. Glad gambit is in xmen legacy and x23 wish captain marvel was in the new 52 and if the creative team behind blackest night cant get me on a aquman series no one can authur is just lame .
You also hate punctuation.
I wish I felt passionately enough about any of these characters to either love or hate them.
I did kinda love Brad Garrett as Lobo in JLU
I hope we get to see the Big Red Cheese worked into the new 52 somehow.
Yes! Me too! As much as I respect what they’re doing with the revamp, I’m not picking up any of the titles until Billy’s in there. Surely he would sell better than some of the titles they’re planning.
Who knows though. For every title I question “Someone wanted that book?” I see people on here shouting “Yes, finally they’re doing that book!”
I could see a place for him on the new Earth 2 with the JSA book.
a new captain marvel book would be awesome
@davetobin100: I was thinking something similar, but instead of Earth 2 they would be on Earth-S (which is where they were pre-Crisis.) I would love to see a light-hearted, wacky Shazam! book.
Love Gambit and I hate Captain Marvel and Lobo. I like Aquaman okay but certainly don’t love him. I don’t have strong feelings one way or another about Deadpool…..I think he works in X-Force really well but that’s about all I read him in and would never go out of my way to read something he is in.
lol, “taint”.
I’m pretty neutral with all of these characters. The one character I really do hate is Magog. Mostly I just hate saying his stupid name.
…No one likes Cable?!
I love Cable!
I love Cable too.
Gotta tell ya, the number of comic podcast I hear get all kinds of snarky when it comes to Aquaman. At this point, it’s a cliche. And I’m saying this, if the best joke you got is “He’s the lamest. Why’s he even on the Justice League? The fish guy. hahahaah” you’ve never read a single issue. Especially any of the Peter David run. You think Aquaman’s lame? No no. You. You are the one that is lame. Gauntlet. I’m throwing it down here.
seconded.
Say what you will about Capt. Marvel, at least his underwear isn’t on the outside.
I’m pretty indifferent to all of them, actually. There are definitely characters I love, and a few I hate, but none of these make either of those lists.
I couldn’t stand Lobo. Until I read 52. He was great in that series.
Ahh, Gambit. The character that most writers after Claremont look at, scratch their heads and try to make him a terrible human being to ensure no one wants to read him ever again. (“Oh no, I betrayed all my team mates 15 years ago and mercilessly killed unarmed Morlocks for profit!”) I admit, he was fun on the cartoon, but I can’t think of another character who has such a storied backstory totally intended to alienate him from fans.
I get why people like Deadpool, I just don’t care for him. Agent X, though, was all types of fun.
These other three are pretty strong, if Lobo is one of those characters that is either written really well or isn’t.
I was going to say I just feel indifferent to all of these characters but I must admit I REALLY hate Deadpool and also do not at all understand the love people have for Gambit. If Gambit were real I’d think of him as a loser, douchebag, or both.
(It’s a generalization. I can’t write them specifically for every person.)
Josh, please peer into my soul and list the 5 last things I had for breakfast!
Sorry Josh, I hold you to a higher standard than that. You must be able to perfectly distill our loves and hates to a list of 5. Anything less is unacceptable.
Despite my particular indifference for these characters, I’d say this is probably a pretty accurate “Top 5”. They are all pretty polarizing, from what I hear and read.
Honorable Mentions:
Howard the Duck
Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider
Venom
Plastic Man
Howard almost made the list.
And anyone who doesn’t love Plastic Man… c’mon!
Plastic Man is the…..man!
I wished we could get an ongoing with him again.
There are people who don’t love Howard the duck????
i thought scarlet spider was universally hated.
plastic man is awesome.
I gotta say I am rather fond of him. I can’t wait for him to be brought back. (Thank you, Spider Island.)
lolol @ “So we’re not even reading the whole headline now? I give.”
Great list…i didn’t know Gambit and Aquaman were so polarizing.
I remember when Uncanny X Force was announced Fantomex seemed one of those love/hate characters.
I’d also add the Legion of Superheroes. Legion fans are hardcore….but if you’re not indoctrinated, it can be seen as a campy throwback team.
Deadpool and Lobo are like no other. I “like” Deadpool. I can take him in small doses here and there, but could never follow him in a monthly.
I don’t think people hate the Legion though. Certainly the fans are hardcore, but most people who don’t read Legion don’t read it because it’s too impenetrable with 50 teams and 8000 members (numbers estimated), not so much that they actually HATE the Legion.
It’s odd that marvels thrown deadpool in so many titles lately
Odd? He’s (as far as comics go) super popular right now.
sort of. as the article says, theres also alot of people who hate him.
Sort of? I’m talking about sales, not the vocal minority of people like Jimski who hate him. It’s like arguing that Two and a Half Men was super popular. Sure it sucked and the internet loved to bad mouth it but it was hugely popular!
i wouldnt say selling on average 17,000 issues and steadily declining since civil war is really popular but sure
I think he’s in decline, but it was a hell of a run.
Interesting read and interesting selection.
1. I like Gambit. He’s not my favorite but I certainly don’t hate him.
2. Same with Captain Marvel. I LOVE the Black Adam character but I can take or leave Cap.
3. I really like Aquaman but I’m still waiting for that great Aquaman run (hello Geoff Johns)
4. Deadpool, Deadpool, Deadpool. He is one of those characters I can take in small doses. He can be funny but also annoying.
5. Lobo – I know almost nothing about him.
So true on Gambit…I try to like him sometimes but usually it comes out as outward hate. He just does the wrong thing too often, you’d think he’d learn. There was this Ultimates story where he saved a little girl from Hammerhead’s gangsters, that was pretty redeeming, but it will take like 20 more stories like that to make him ‘likeable’ in my book.
I have always hated Gambit. The Louisiana Bayou thing always seems forced or over-the-top. I shouldn’t have to sound out words out loud to understand what the hell he is saying. Dont’ know enough about Captain Marvel to have an opinion, but I don’t hate what I do know. Aquaman is pretty useless, so I understand the hate for him. Deadpool is fine in moderation (which rarely happens, though I like his characterization in Uncanny X-Force) and Lobo is a way underutilized character in DC. I remember his episodes in the Superman TV show being hilarious (like wen he was shooting holes in the police station wall trying to swat a fly) and a nice break from more serious Superman stories.
Lastly, lay off Cable. He’s dead (for a few more months).
Gambit – Love
Captain Marvel – Hate
Aquaman – Hate
Deadpool – Love him until I hate him
Lobo – Hate him until I love him
I’m surprised by the hate for Captain Marvel. I thought we all liked big goofy high-concepts like that. And Timm’s Lobo (in Superman) is fantastic. I’ll always like him because of that cartoon.
That said, yeah, Gambit, Aquaman, Deadpool; none of these characters have ever rung my fictive bell.
Somewhere there’s a scientist tearing his hair out at a blackboard trying to figure out why Deadpool is so popular.
I like Cable.
Yep, Cable doesn’t bother me.
1. Gambit sucks bo-staffs because he is a poor mans Wolverine – trying to be all mysterious have a mysterious origin: been there, done that. oh, and he wears a trench coat – We all knew someone that wore a trench coat in the 90’s, and guess what, they most likely sucked. (ok. ok, I kinda wore a trench coat for about 3 months in 91′, but let me tell you, it was the suckiest 3 months of my life)
2. Captain Marvel sucks because of the way Alex Ross paints him – or I guess because of the model he uses as the Captain’s photo reference. I can’t stand that dudes faces and smile. Plus, he’s all like huge and his suit is WAY too tight. Captain Marvel indeed (that’s what she said).
3. Ahh Aquaman, how do you suck? Let me count the ways. But really Aquaman shouldn’t suck – dude rules like 70% of the Earth, able to command JAWS to do his bidding, gets all the hot mermaids, as the ability to grow his hand back whenever it gets cut off, he’s kind of a badass. But yeah, Aquaman sucks.
4. fuck Deadpool.
5. Lobo in the right hands can be a fun read and add to the comic he’s in (Keith Giffen, J.M Dematteis Justice League, 52) but the rest of the time he sucks. Oh, and have you seen the Lobo cover where Bisley drew a penis into Lobo’s arm? Check it out here: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d152/marvelcomics05/14712_4_002.jpg
I’m pretty sure Alex Ross uses Fred McMurray of “My Three Sons” and “Double Indemnity” fame as the model for Captain Marvel because CC Beck, Cap’s creator, used him for his original inspiration.
Hmm. I figured Gambit and Deadpool (Hate them both) would be shoo ins, but I am surprised by the other choices. I kind of expected Venom and Wolverine at least.
Howard the Duck almost made the list? Josh, you have no soul. I do not approve of your anti-anatidae ideals.
Actually…thanks everyone for discussing Aquaman. I got an idea in my head of a couple pages worth of Aquaman in a rage commanding sharks, whales, crazy ass looking deep sea fish, all kinds of sea life to attack, and them getting stopped at the shore while one lone fat guy stands there in swimming trunks and a trucker cap just looks at them, then tosses a beer bottle in the water. Thanks for that. Made my day!
Why limit it to five, there are a few off the top of my head:
Cable (as above mentioned)
Silver Surfer – Kirby creation or not he’s either the most emo person ever written or a cosmic deity of indifference
Ghost Rider
P.S. Josh, great article.
I fucking hate the Silver Surfer.
@JAFlanagan good article, silly comment.
@wjibaja do people really hate Ghost Rider? (I mean, outside of the horrendous movie….) But I think you are certainly correct re: Surfer and Cable.
I’d bet some of these “loves and hates” are relative to people’s ages.
I agree the Silver Surfer can get a bit whiny- for one I think they need to decide if the “power cosmic” is reality altering/molecule reshaping power- or just some suped up laser beams.
But as for the most emo?
No way- Thor the Mighty Avenger was by Far the most emo character ever written- there are comics being published at kinkos by straight edged kids right now – that aren’t as emo as TTMA.
Two words: Double Rainbow.
Can’t stand Ghost Rider. Good call.
Or an Aquaman with a red lantern ring puking fsh made out of blood, bwahahaha I love this!
I really liked Gambit in the 90s show but got over it. Now I avoid Rogue and Gambit as much as possible. Deadpool I liked in the very early days but the shtick got old and so did I.
Aquaman and Captain Marvel both seem so corny and outdated but I could see someone doing a good job with either.
I have never read a comic with Lobo in it, not through any effort to avoid him but out of complete disinterest.
I am not sure that these are characters everyone loves or hates but they do each have large contingents of people who have either an irrational hatred of or overly defensive love for the character.
I’d say I love Captain Marvel. I don’t HATE the others, but I would say they do suck. The other guy that I would love to see thoughts on is Captain Britain. I personally Love that guy.
I take that back, after looking at the list again, I HATE Deadpool.
Gambit- Cool
Captain Marvel- Cool
Deadpool- Cool
Aquaman- Not cool
Lobo- Was not into DC when he was really popular.
I think Venom should make the list as well. I love the character if he’s well written but LOTS of people in the LCS can’t stand even the sight of him! I can’t even convince them to read the new Venom run no matter how many times I tell them it was Pick of the Week on Ifanboy!
Love Aquaman, Captain Marvel and Gambit
Hate Lobo and Deadpool (sorry but deathstroke rocks)
How does Brother Power the Geek not make this list? For shame.
(insert cute emoticon to imply nature of joke here)
Because no one knows who he is anymore.
I just love the name, it’s just a damn cool name
Joe Simon!
What about Carnage? It seems like there is a lot of Hate for Carnage but also many die-hard Carnage apologists.
Cyclops seems to bring about a wide range of…..emotions.
love the rivalry between cyclops and wolverine, but no love for cyclops at all. was never a fan of the human torch or quicksilver.
Wait… people remember Lobo?
He was in 52… which is the only reason I have seen him anywhere.
List seems accurate. Can’t stand Gambit, Enjoy Capt. Marvel, Not much of a fan of Aqua Man, Hate Deadpool, love Lobo (when he’s used properly).
i’m down with the main man, the merc with a mouth and the big red cheese…
maybe gambit and aquaman just need catchier nicknames?
I hate Gambit with the blazing power of a million suns (who I also hate)
Surely EVERYONE loves the “Outrageous” Aquaman from Batman: the Brave and the bold?!?!?
Easily the best Aquaman and actually pretty close to the original version! I hope he’s a super blowhard in new 52, doubt it though.
I love Gambit and Captain Marvel. Anyone who dislikes Captain Marvel probably doesn’t really understand the character. I mean, a 10 year old boy who uses a magic word to basically turn into Superman. It’s awesome. and the book that Jeff Smith wrote with the character is excellent.
The Aquaman hate really annoys me. It’s like everyone saw that one Family Guy episode where they make fun of him and just based their opinion on that. 70% of the Earth is water, somebody better be protecting it! Also, nobody gives Namor any shit, and he’s basically Marvel’s Aquaman.
Deadpool and Lobo I am indifferent on. They don’t bother me. Lobo is usually pretty funny so I guess I like him.
People thought Aquaman was a joke well before Family Guy. I think it all stems from Super Friends and that little pool they had in the hall of justice
Oh and the reason no one gives Namor shit is because he fought Nazi’s. If you fought in WW II no one is allowed to give you shit, ever.
There’s no Tom Vs. Gambit ….. YET.
I am not a masochist.
can we at least get a tom vs. captain marvel?
I actually like most these characters, except for aquaman. Maybe it’s because i haven’t read good aquaman, SO if anyone has any suggestions of good aquaman stories im all ears (Y)
Love gambit like captain marvel cant stand deadpool aquaman,is just so lame and I have no feelings at all on lobo. Im very happy gambit is a part of xmen legacy and x23 I can take deadpool in x force remender does a great job with him there. I dont know why shazam isnt in the new 52 and if the creative team behind blackest night cant get me on a aquaman book no one can with lobo if marvel can make deadpool xforce and venom work dc could if they had the right team
I love commas, apostrophes, dashes, periods, and capitalization. As do many adults.
I wanna share too!
Gambit – Blargh. The epitome of over designed characters with lame powers that exploded all over 90s comics. He has an accent, so he stuck for some reason. Hates him, I do.
Captain Marvel – I’ve got to admit, I’ve never given the good captain a try. I like playing him in the DC vs Mortal Kombat game though.
Deadpool – Eh. I like him in the current X-Force book or in a well written team-up. I think I’m lucky in that I dropped all Marvel and DC books around the time that he was introduced, and so I avoid the initial onslaught. (I didn’t come back until Civil War.)
Aquaman – To be fair, I don’t hate Aquaman… but it’s just… c’mon. Aquaman?! My favorite take on Aquaman is on the Craig Ferguson show. (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZU5uH015kU&feature=related )
Lobo – I must admit, I love me some Lobo. Lobo’s Paramilitary Christmas Special from about 20 years ago is still a fun read. If you’re into that sort of thing. And I am. (I think, though, the key for me is that I don’t overindulge in Lobo.)
So, I think the tally is 1 hate (Gambit) and 1 love (Lobo) and the rest don’t quite merit that strong of a feeling.
You list is pretty good, just in the comment fields you’re finding people that love and hate those characters. I would add Deathlok to the characters I hate. I dropped Uncanny X-force after the first issue involving a Deathlok.
There is a surprising lack of Red Hulk anywhere on here. Is that because everyone hates him? (I don’t want to hear anyone saying “it’s good now!”)
I love Red Hulk.
people only hated red hulk before the story had been compleatly told.
The story has been completely told and I still hate him.
fair enough
I welcome all these characters into my heart!
Anyone who doesn’t love Aquaman is dead to me. Also, I don’t really know anyone who HATES Aquaman, I just know lots of people who don’t give him any respect.
Gambit was my favorite when I was a kid, so I have a nostalgic attachment to him. Deadpool is a character I like best when in a team setting, like X Force.
I expected Jason Todd a.k.a Red Hood to be on this list.
Almost. Not quite.
hate Jason Todd, thats really it. I can stand most other characters.
Gambit and Lobo for the win.
I don’t think I ever realized how much my interpretation of Gambit is largely influenced by the animated series. I’ve always loved Gambit because I’ve always loved that show. But I can’t think of a single awesome Gambit moment in comics. Fascinating.
I love Captain Marvel.
I’m starting to love Aquaman, but I’ve certainly never hated him.
I’ve always loved Deadpool. But I think that’s because I’ve never bought any of his solo titles. He’s terrific in Uncanny X-Force.
I hate Lobo. But I’ve always just assumed it was because I’ve never been a big KISS fan. Yes, I’m aware that that is both blasphemous and unfair to the Main Man, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
yup i’m totally the same as you with Gambit. Albeit i’m not a huge Xmen guy, but i just think of him as an animated character where he wasn’t too bad.
First we charge da card, den we blow it up!
I agree but I’ll extend it to say much of my love of the x-men comes from the animated series. Even years later it’s still disconcerting to see Rogue without her ms marvel powers!
I actually don’t have much of an opinion on Gambit. I think he’s ok, don’t love him or hate him. If he was in a book i was reading, that’s cool. If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t miss him.
captain marvel is AWESOME in JLI. I want an entire series of just captain marvel and Guy gardner together. Or possibly a sitcom.
Aquaman is bad ass.
Deadpool would be good if he wasn’t shoved down our throats in 18 books a month. He can be funny in small doses with the right creative team.
Lobo is funny if you get the joke.
can we get an honorable mention for Quasar?
i think most people are ambivilant about quasar
I like them all (no love, not hate) except Deadpool, who I used to like, but he’s gotten really stale and overexposed lately.
I will say bastich in a conversation, and when you “try” to kick me in my taint, I’ll bite your fucking ear off and eat it. Then anally rape your mother while pouring sugar in your gas tank! Fuckin Fanboys!
I don’t know anything about Lobo but I was always interested in him.
I would argue that Cyclops and Superman both should be on the list. Both have done plenty of jerky stuff in the past. But the best choice is Tony Stark! He does really cool things, but then does really selfish crap.
5. Gambit – Always hated. He not only wears a trench coat, he wears a full body suit with the ridiculous partial head cowl. How would you even put that on? And wouldn’t it be really hot to wear, especially in the humid summers of Louisiana? Everything about him seems half-ass and not thought through.
4. Captain Marvel – I liked him in JLU and in “Justice” and in “Kingdom Come.” I’ve never found a reason to hate him, but I don’t think I would ever pick up a book starring him, unless the creative team was out of this world (e.g., Neil Gaiman and Geoff Darrow).
3. Aquaman – Same goes for him as Captain Marvel. That said, I am getting his book by Johns and Reis (sp.?).
2. & 1. Deadpool & Lobo – They’re only as good as the stories they’re in, and even then they have to be secondary to the story. I find they work as a joke, or better yet, a punchline, and everybody knows repeating the punchline ad nauseum is never funny. They can drive the story or flavor the story, but the story should never really be about them.
I like the idea of Captain Marvel as a character more than any stories i’ve seen him in. He seems like one of the most difficult characters to successfully write for.
Is it weird that I love Deadpool but cannot stand even the slightest hint of Lobo?
Fraggin’ LOVE Lobo! He’s awesome and so much fun. I’ve got every single comic/oneshot/miniseries whatever he’s been in. Wish they would do more with him. So far he hasn’t even been mentioned in this new watered down DCnU, which is probably good, some bastich would probably redesign him and force him to wear a collar like some geek.
It’s interesting, I love Ghost Rider up until Hammer Lame. After that, EVERYTHING after that has been garbage. I’ve been re-reading the 90’s Ghost Rider series and loving every issue of it.
Silver Surfer? Sometimes he whiny but he’s another of my favorite characters of all time along with the awesome Darkhawk and Sleepwalker!
Can’t forget the ORIGINAL Death’s Head! For some reason I dig the fringe characters from the main universes but then you try something like Preacher or Transmet and I simply lose interest. Watchmen will flat out put me to sleep. (But I’ll read Fables any day of the week, been collecting that since #1 and I totally love me some Arsenic Lullabies!)
Also, I say frag (and it’s variations) AND bastich in every day conversation. Nothing wrong with that, Clyde.
Gambit is one of my favs, and Lobo rules, hell yes hell yes.
Is the Sentry a genuine candidate for such a list or maybe he hasn’t been around long enough? Or does everyone just dislike the “fallen sun?” hehe
Gambit in print is fine, but I’m yet to see him on film or animation in a version that does not shit me to tears. Deadpool works in team books, but on his own he is completely overbearing….. I can honestly say I’m gray about these characters. 100% gray.
I don’t know if I Love or Hate any of these characters? Done well, they’re enjoyable, done badly it’s awful same as any in my honest opinion? I loved Gambit in Claremont’s X-Men run, hated him in others run, same as I loved Batman in Miller’s Year one, hated him in Miller’s All Star Batman and Robin.
I liked Captain Marvel in The animated movie of him versus Superman, didn’t like him in Public Enemies (granted it was a short appearance)
I loved Aquaman in Grant Morrison’s JLA run and I thought he was done wel in Young Justice but I didn’t like him in Batman The Brave and the bold or other comic runs
I love Deadpool’s cirrent series and MAX series but there’s 90’s run where he’s awful!
Lobo can be quite cool, liked him in 52, didn’t like him in Scott Ian’s 2 part mini
Am I an exception that proves the rule? Personally I think most characters can be good it just depends who is writing/drawing etc and what’s being done with them.
Great list, sir. I have varying levels of affection for each of these characters. Gambit and Deadpool are pretty awesome, as is Captain Marvel. Never had any trouble with Lobo, just a big dude who comes by and fights Superman every couple’a years.
And while I can understand how the characters HAS been cool in the past, I’m always surprised by how indignant some people get when it’s pointed out that, even among the rest of the superhero set, Aquaman is very silly. Nothing wrong with that, and that can be the springboard for a lotta fun comics, but when folks start referring to him as “badass” and “underappreciated,” that’s when I chuckle a bit.
And I think the problem existed before Superfiends. Superfriends just made folks more aware that there was a superhero out there whose power is to talk to fish. He was ridiculous before that show.
I don’t think Aquaman is any sillier than Namor. Communicating with marine life (this includes marine mammals and birds) is just one of his many powers, most of which mirror Namor’s powers. Granted, Namor can fly (which I find silly – it’s largely unexplained, and those little wings on his feet could not provide enough lift!) and has some kind of pheromone musk that attracts the ladies (also kinda silly).
I always found both Namor and Aquaman to be fairly ridiculous, probably even silly, which is pretty much why I love the both of them.
Namor is equally silly, but for different reasons. Aquaman is silly because he has a ridiculous power that is nearly useless 95% of the time. Namor is silly because he has cool powers and attitude, but he wears a scaly speedo and has little wings on his footsies. Also, he either has a ponytail or a box cut, neither of which commands a great deal of respect when your king of the oceans.
Also, I love how everyone talks about Aquaman, saying “He’s king of 75% of the world!” Yeah, the BORING 75%! Nothing happens under water! I guess there are some fish, and sometimes people, but that’s, like, one city in the whole ocean. That is not impressive. It’s like being king of the moon… which would actually be cooler than king of the seas.
Give me Aqua Man over Wonder Man any day. I kinda hate Wonder Man. Alot. Also the Monica Rambeau captain marvel, photon character{ except in Nextwave, in that i just dislike her alot.}
Here are my feelings on these characters:
Gambit – sometimes OK, but too much is WAY too much. Not a fan of the cartoon custume. So – AMBIVALENT
Captain Marvel – LOVE
Aquaman – LOVE
Deadpool – Like Gambit, can be OK in small doses, and depending on the writer. AMBIVALENT
Lobo – Depends on the writer/story. AMBIVALENT
Wow I think I see a trend. I don’t 100% love or hate Gambit, Deadpool, or Lobo. I can totally understand why others might, but it really depends on the story and the writer. I’ve read some great Deadpool and Lobo, and I’ve also read some shit. I’m not as interested in them as I used to be, but I don’t color them with the wide brush of contempt either.
I love some of these characters and hate some. It’s funny how that works.
always thought Gambit was just the bad ass version of longshot. agile, threw things, seemed to be lucky. that was the 90s solution to stuff which was wrong!!!. Like Deadpool but not what most people do with him. I am struggling to think of any who are more deserving to be on this list.