The Aquaman 2 Trailer Makes The Justice Leaguer's Goofiest Trick Undeniably Cool

Aquaman has long been the butt of jokes from even the most diehard comic fans, largely thanks to his portrayal in the "Superfriends" television series. In the show, Aquaman regularly rode on a giant seahorse while also using other sea creatures as forms of transportation. This was ripped from the comics, as Aquaman rode a giant seahorse in some of his earliest DC Comics adventures in the mid-1960s, where his seahorse, Storm, was telepathically connected to Aquaman, who controlled his giant-sized friend.

Over the years, the relationship between Aquaman and his seahorse has been the focus of multiple parodies; most notably, the animated television series "Robot Chicken" has taken several shots at Aquaman and his silliest aspects, including his connection to sea creatures. The hero riding on his giant seahorse has also become the subject of numerous internet memes and has been used to discredit the potential of a serious and heroic interpretation of Aquaman. For a long time, he was considered a joke character whose place in the Justice League among more powerful and serious heroes such as Superman and Batman was often questioned by readers.

Since the 1980s, DC Comics has made several design changes to Arthur Curry to try to make him more serious. Between multiple costume changes, cutting off his hand and replacing it with a hook, and giving him long hair and a beard, there have been several concerted efforts to update the hero and abandon his sillier history. However, perhaps the best approach to modernizing the character has come from director James Wan, who shows once again in the "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" teaser that Momoa's superhero can be cool while embracing what originally made him a punchline.