Top Ten #15 - Ranking the Characters in Aquaman

Top Ten #15 - Ranking the Characters in Aquaman

Surprisingly, unlike DC's other films, Aquaman didn't introduce many new characters into the fold, instead relying on a key core of ten or so characters to move the film along. Here is my subjective list of the characters in Aquaman, ranked worst to best. 

10. Spoiler - This is something that I don't usually do; to be quite honest, there were barely 10 characters to fill out the list, but this one had some dialogue, so I figured I'd enter it at the bottom. There is a character who appears at the end of the film that comes out of nowhere, and almost looks like it comes out of a video game. I understand it has some mythology in the comics, but it felt completely random. Not to mention the voice. The actor/actress who voices this character is a notable one, but they used voice modulators so much that it comes off as a cheap imitation of Darth Vader with asthma. Bad decision.

9. Dr. Stephen Shin - Randall Park is back at it again. At this point, I'm not sure whether big studios are hiring him more as a joke than in actual seriousness, but here he is again, playing a bumbling scientist. And while his role in Ant-Man and the Wasp was more integral, and I enjoyed his performance in that film, I found him to be very annoying and a big nuisance throughout this movie. Completely unnecessary character and a bad performance. 

8. King Nereus - Again, it was difficult to fill out the list, and because of that, there might not be many of you who know many of the people on this list. King Nereus, admittedly, didn't have a huge role. But, played by Dolplh Lungren, he was there, he existed, and he served his role. There was nothing more to his character; he really was just a plot device. 

7. Black Manta - I thought things were going swimmingly (no pun intended) when Black Manta was introduced. Here we had a villain with a true motivation, a true grudge against Arthur Curry. His acting at the beginning of the film was superb. And then he disappears for about an hour, returns in a goofy helmet that could not possible fit his head, AND spouts cheesy one-liners reminiscent of the Batman and Robin-era villains. "Call me. Black. Manta." Good grief. 

6. Queen Atlanta - I think Nicole Kidman is a great actress. She has talent and acts at a caliber that not many in the film, save Willem Dafoe, could. But, save for one excellent scene at the beginning of the movie that was my favorite of the entire film, she is essentially wasted. Not only is she wasted, but she is given some ridiculous lines to say. Luckily, her performance manages to save her a little bit, but her dialogue was rather absurd. 

5. Tom Curry - Surprisingly, more than Queen Atlanta herself, Arthur Curry's father, Tom, has a more compelling character arc. His character is very, very clearly defined from the beginning, and I think it's set up EXTREMELY well. And it pays off later. You can clearly see from his interactions with Arthur how much he cares about his son and how much he cares about his wife. It's that connection that really pushes his character up this high on the list. 

4. Princess Mera - Despite the AWFUL dialogue that Amber Heard was tasked with saying onscreen, Princess Mera admittedly was a good, if not a great character. She could clearly hold her own against Arthur Curry, saving his life countless times throughout the film. And although her lines were exceptionally bad, Heard carries Mera with a poise and a presence that is not often seen in many female heroines. I could easily believe that she could beat someone like Wonder Woman in a one-on-one fight, that's how powerful Mera is. 

3. Vulko - Who doesn't love the mentor? Willem Dafoe returns to the comic book world to play the mentor figure to Arthur, Vluko. And while, yes, it's a bit stereotypical, he plays the role exceptionally well, playing both the wise side with the conflicted, aged, and experienced sides as well. He's a character that you can naturally gravitate towards. 

2. King Orm - A lot of dialogue didn't do many of the characters any favors, and King Orm was certainly one of them. BUT - Patrick Wilson knows exactly where the line is between cheese and serious, and because of that, he is able to harness his character to full potential. He is able to play the over-the-top villain while also having a compelling motivation at the same time. Dare I say that he was enjoyable to watch onscreen, especially opposite Arthur Curry. 

1. Aquaman - James Wan has a clear handle on two things in the entire ilm: the world of Atlantis, and Arthur Curry. Wan and the writers know exactly what Momoa's strengths as an actor are and play up to them perfectly. They give his character a level of charisma and charm that isn't seen much with the other characters, and Momoa plays to Aquaman's physicality perfectly.