8 Of The Most Powerful Underwater Characters, Ranked

With Aquaman coming to theatres at Christmas, the ocean-faring superhero from DC will be seen in all his glory. DCEU also has another chance to prove that Aquaman is no joke despite what Super Friends and Robot Chicken would have you believe. He is not the only underwater hero in comics either.

Since both DC and Marvel have their own versions of Atlantis, they also have a fair number of properties that function underwater. While a lot of these are super strong, some of them are absolutely overpowered underwater. Aquaman and Namor are the obvious names that come to mind but there are others as well. We came up with a list of the 8 most OP characters across both the comic universes.

1)Black Manta

David Hyde, better known as Black Manta, has two very different origin stories. Before the New 52 DC Comics, he was an autistic boy taken by pirates. This made him hate anything aquatic, including Aquaman. In the New 52, he is an evil treasure hunter which has made him Aquaman’s number one enemy.

In Deathstroke Vol. 3 #4, Deathstroke describes Black Manta’s speed as like “a torpedo.” His armour is the source of his powers, giving him the ability to dive a survive to unmentioned depths. It also makes him super strong, durable and be able to emit shocks as an offensive tool.

2)Tula

The first character to go by the name of “Aquagirl” is Tula. A childhood to Garth, they soon became partners and even joined the Teen Titans.

The newest version of Tula is faster and more durable than the average Atlantean. She also has enhanced vision and hearing in addition to her limited telepathy. She also received weapons training as a soldier.

3)King Shark

The humanoid shark who is the son of Kamo, the Shark God, King Shark is definitely one of the coolest characters in the DC Universe. Appearing in Superboy Vol. 4 #0, he was a nemesis to Superboy. In the New 52, he is captured and raised by Amanda Waller in a lab.

King Shark can live underwater without any time limits. He is also able to survive on land much longer than the average underwater villain. Other than super strength, his claws and teeth can cut through almost anything or anybody. Being the son of a shark deity(and part-shark), he also has empathy with sharks and can call on them for help.

4)Triton

Triton, a member of the Inhumans Royal Family, debuted in Fantastic Four #45. His abilities make him OP but also at the same time are a hindrance. He is incapable of breathing air without specialised equipment. This makes him a less-than-useful land fighter.

However, despite his weakness on land, he is an extremely powerful underwater fighter. He has super strength and durability as his body is adaptive to undersea water pressure. His blood circulation gives him the ability to withstand freezing temperatures.

5)Namorita

Daughter of Namora and second cousin to Namor, Namorita is actually a clone of Namora born due to genetic manipulation. This gave her the genes of the greatest Atlantean warriors. She was raised on land and joined the New Warriors. She was a part of New Warriors when they infamously caused an explosion at an elementary school resulting in the deaths of many children and the New Warriors as well.

Other than having powers mimicking her mothers, like underwater breathing, strength, speed and flight ability, Namorita can also absorb electricity.

6)Ocean Master

While Black Manta has been Aquaman’s enemy number one for a long time, he is not his greatest enemy. That title belongs to the Ocean Master. Orm is the half-brother of Aquaman and son of Queen Atlanna. He had been raised in Atlantis and was taught to fear and mistrust surface dwellers.

Although Orm has similar powers to Aquaman, including super strength, speed, durability and reflexes, all these are at lesser levels than Aquaman. Despite this, in the Throne of Atlantis storyline, he took on members of the Justice League, like Superman and others.

These last two could be the controversial entries of the list. While DC fans would probably agree with our ranking, Marvel fans might see something fishy. In all honesty, we have compiled this list as unbiased as possible, and any viewers’ rejection or acceptance of the ranking will come down to their allegiance to DC or Marvel.

7)Namor, the Sub-Mariner

Not only is Namor an Atlantean, he is also an alpha-level mutant. His only negative trait(and pretty big one), is that he lets his judgement be clouded by his anger and arrogance.

He can withstand freezing temperatures and has the ability to see in the dark. He is super strong(beaten people like Luke Cage, Red-Hulk and She-Hulk). He can reach speeds up to 345 miles/hour. He can absorb energy, fly and is very strong on land. Once in the water, he is virtually unbeatable. He can also communicate with underwater sea life and manipulate them.

8)Aquaman

Despite becoming a joke due to Super Friends and the Robot Chicken, in the comics, Aquaman has never been a joke. He is one of the first superheroes ever created, appearing before Namor in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941.

Essentially DC Comics’ most powerful being underwater, Aquaman in super strong, bulletproof and extremely durable. To prove how strong Aquaman is we would love to tell you about that one time he pushed a 44 quintillion ton tectonic plate over a lair entrance!