Aquaman doesn’t seem so silly after he’s fed the Flash to his pet shark.
As the release date for the DC fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us approaches, NetherRealm Studios continues to reveal new characters for its final roster. We already knew that Nightwing and Cyborg would be involved, and now the developer has confirmed that water-based hero Aquaman will also be a playable character. At first Aquaman may seem like a strange addition to the game, recognized for his underwhelming ability to talk with fish instead of flight or super-strength. That’s why NetherRealm’s reveal trailer presents a very different image of the hero, introducing Aquaman as a central character that commands Atlantis’s army, giant lobster monsters, and man-eating sharks.
In the DC Universe we’re familiar with, Aquaman is a superhero whose responsibilities as the King of Atlantis occasionally put him at odds with his “surface dweller” allies. In the Injustiverse, those stakes are raised when Superman’s Regime demands Aquaman turn control of the oceans over to its totalitarian government. Aquaman initially agrees to cede control in the interest of peace, only to change his mind after the Regime oversteps its bounds. That decision prompts Aquaman to lead a large-scale invasion of the surface, complete with giant lobster creatures swarming beaches to confront Superman’s forces.
The trailer is largely story focused, but it does take the time to present Aquaman’s fighting style for consideration. Aquaman wields a trident that appears to fire electrical charges, both at a distance and when opponents are impaled on the pointy end. In terms of visual appeal however, that’s nothing compared to Aquaman’s finishing move. First, the King of Atlantis uses his complete control of water to summon a tidal wave and engulf the level in water. Then, after spearing his opponent to prevent escape, a large shark suddenly emerges from the darkness and swallows its victim in a single gulp. I’ll say this much: It’s certainly a strong shift away from the Superfriends version of Aquaman that players were more likely to recognize.
Aquaman hasn’t made a major videogame appearance since the disastrous Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis, so hopefully Injustice will portray him as more than a fish-out-of-water. The game will launch on April 16th for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U platforms.
