I feel like it's a hard sell granted his company and a lot of variables. Sticking to just DC heroes (simply because I can justify it better, though I do think he'd beat Namor), he could AT LEAST hold his own against basically any member of the justice league. You make it harder by asking who he would beat, which is harder to say than who he could beat. I'm going to assume that every character holds their morals in tact here, and I'm going to separate it by who I think he would and could beat.
Would Beat (As in, if they fought, Aquaman is victorious in most face offs):
- Any member of the Bat Family not named Batman. I think this is a no brainer. Aquaman heavily over matches all of them. Batman himself would need a lot of prep to face off with Aquaman. No one else but Nightwing comes close, and Nightwing is not the prep God that Batman is, and is often distracted by personal issues and his own reservations. So even against the number two in the family, an easy win for Aquaman
- Cyborg. Most of Cyborg's weapons would not really be effective against Aquaman, and I'm pretty sure that, in most cases, Cyborg himself is fairly vulnerable to water. Aquaman's clearly superior strength and strategy would give him the win.
- Hawkman. I think it's safe to say that Aquaman's strength and endurance beats Hawkman's, especially in the new 52. Aquaman is also a much better strategist, and in a fight, generally smarter and more composed. Hawkman is a brutish warrior, and would go down to a better fighter in most cases.
- Superboy. Similar to Hawkman. His lessened grasp on his powers and emotional control would hurt him, allowing Aquaman to get the better of him.
- Green Arrow. I don't see how he has a chance. Unless he has some weird dehydration arrow, all Aquaman has to do is get close enough to him.
- Black Canary. I figure that Aquaman could probably stand the canary cry better than most, and she simply doesn't have the strength to go toe to toe with Aquaman.
- Zatanna. Now I could be pulling this out of my ass, but I think Aquaman has something of a resistance or tolerance to magic? At the very least, he is well aware of it, just like Batman, and is likely capable of withstanding it in a fight. Zatanna is completely human, as skilled as she may be. So if she hesitates or doesn't think quickly enough on her feet, it's over. And granted Aquaman's speed, I wouldn't bet on Zatanna finishing many spells.
- Martian Manhunter. This one is the hardest sell, and I think the most interesting one to look at. First off, MM and Aquaman are buddies, and I feel like in terms of battle caused ruthlessness, Aquaman would have a slight edge. He also has the benefit of utilizing fire in some way to incapacitate J'onn. Now the interesting bit is that MM is one of the few characters in the DCU to make mention of Aquaman not using the potential of his telepathy. I think MM would lose his advantage of telepathy because Aquaman's hand may be forced to respond if MM uses his and Aquaman would retaliate in kind. So I think that MM's reservations and key weakness would hold him back too much, allowing Aquaman the victory.
Could Beat (All things considered level, Aquaman has the capability of winning):
- Wonder Woman. I think it kind of depends on which incarnation of her we're talking about. I see them as nearly matched with strength, with Wonder Woman having an edge. But it is not enough of one to really tip the scales in her favor. Matching up weapons, the Trident is a much better one than the lasso. Less cumbersome, more effective, and more versatile. Wonder Woman does have an advantage in flight (which personally, I don't think she should even be capable of), but it's not like dropping Aquaman from great heights would do much, and I doubt she could get him off the ground. Essentially it would be a slug fest, and I think that Aquaman is more composed and a better tactician. BUT, Wonder Woman wouldn't relent and the environment could really swing the fight.
- Batman. Batman can't really hurt Aquaman without prep. Obviously, if he knew it was coming, he could deal just fine. He's a better tactician than Aquaman, can use his environment better than anyone, and is a master of stealth, whereas Aquaman could ride in on a damn shark and not think twice. It's a strange fight dynamic. But it would be a very uphill battle for Batman, and one punch from Aquaman would end it. If Batman miscalculated or underestimated Aquaman for a second, it's done. If it's a spur of the moment encounter, it's Aquaman all the way.
- The Flashes. So very, very, hard to call because of the differing nature of their powers. I saw this one over on the battle forum and it was very largely pro-Flash, but I don't think there's a way to pick a real winner here. I think it is too dependent on the situation to call clearly. But I don't doubt that either one is certainly capable of defeating the other.
Would Not Beat (Doesn't necessarily mean lose, but I don't think he could really win):
- Superman. Superman would hold back more. Aquaman could stand with him for a while. But Superman has the strength advantage and the versatility of powers to keep the edge. This is what I'd see as a forever fight. Aquaman would fight Supes until he couldn't any longer, and Supes wouldn't ruthlessly finish him off. But I think Superman would outlast Aquaman. Or should he simply piss him off enough, and Supes would just crush him. NOTE: This does not apply to magic hand Aquaman. That could possibly allow him to defeat Supes.
- Shazam/Captain Marvel. Are they calling him Shazam now because of Marvel's Captain Marvel? I'm not clear on that. Anyway, the benefit of magic combined with more or less the same basic abilities as Superman, I don't think that Aquaman could ever take him down. Aquaman is smarter and a better tactician, so maybe he could trick him out of Captain Marvel form, but I wouldn't count on it. No clear weakness (so far as I know, maybe Cap has an Achilles's heel I don't know about) gives Marvel the win in my book.
- The Lanterns. Interesting clash. I'd say the ring gives them the win. Pretty much all of them. The difference in power is too much for Aquaman to counter with simple strength, especially since they have flight. While they are all human and have much lower endurance and strength, they also have flight and shield's generated by the ring, equalizing the field. Not to mention, they could just put him in a bubble and dehydrate him, or toss him in a desert or something. UNLESS Aquaman can out-will them to an extend to break the constructs (and I don't know how high he is on the Will chart. Maybe I'm wrong, but I wouldn't class him with Supes and Batman), I don't think he could win at all.
Uhh, I think that's all the big names. I probably missed someone.
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